Colour Theory

Colour theory is a guidance for colour combinations and the visual effects of particular mixes.

Colour schemes is a combination or arrangement of colours, usually to be used in media or interior design to create a certain style or create a certain appeal.

Colour wheel is an illustration of different colours and the relationships between the primary, secondary and tertiary colours.

Analogous Colours: Similar shades of colour, colours that are adjacent to each other on the colour wheel. Usually, the dominant colour is a primary or secondary colour, and the complimenting colours are tertiary colours.

Complementary colours: Opposite colours on the colour wheel.

Achromatic colours and neutral colours: Achromatic colours are colours such as white, black and all shades of grey. Neutral colours are natural colours such as beiges and creams etc.

Chromatic colours: Actual colours such as green, red and blue.

Monochromatic colours: All the colours of a hue. For example all the tints, tones and shades of blue.

Cool and warm shades: Cooler shades are more greyish and have blue green to blue violet undertones. Warmer shades have red, yellow and brown undertones.

Colour context: How colour behaves in relation to other colour and shapes. For example red looks vibrant against a black background, and also squares look bigger on a black background:

Colour harmony: Something that is aesthetically pleasing. It engages the viewer and creates a sense of order and balance.

Words to describe colour: Light, dark, pale, matte, shiny, satin, deep, intense, dull, muted, clear, cool, warm, dynamic.

Relative attributes that define all colours:

• Lightness (Light vs Dark or Black vs White)
• Saturation (Intense vs Dull)
• Hue (Graduation or variety of a colour- its tint or the general colour that it is)