1. COLOR THEORY
(Captions for this video have been checked for accuracy; if you
identify an inaccurate caption please contact me…)

2. OVERVIEW
• Color Vocabulary
• Color Psychology
• World Color Meanings

3. COLOR VOCABULARY
The Color Spectrum

4. COLOR VOCABULARY
Hue: Any single color in the color spectrum

5. COLOR VOCABULARY
Value: the relative lightness or darkness of a color

6. COLOR VOCABULARY
Tint: a color with white added
Shade: a color with black added

7. COLOR VOCABULARY
Saturation: the relative intensity or brightness of a color

8. COLOR VOCABULARY
Colors can be the same hue but have different levels of saturation

9. COLOR VOCABULARY
The Color Wheel

10. COLOR VOCABULARY
Monochromatic Color Schemes

11. COLOR VOCABULARY
Complementary Color Schemes

12. COLOR VOCABULARY
Analogous Color Schemes

13. COLOR VOCABULARY
Split Complementary Color Schemes

14. COLOR VOCABULARY
Triadic Color Schemes

15. COLOR VOCABULARY
Tetradic (Double Complementary) Color Schemes

16. COLOR VOCABULARY
Simultaneous Contrast

17. COLOR VOCABULARY
Advancing and Receding Colors

18. COLOR VOCABULARY
Advancing and Receding Colors

19. COLOR VOCABULARY
Vibration: complementary colors compete with our eye for attention

20. COLOR VOCABULARY
Visual Weight: is communicated through hue and intensity

21. COLOR PSYCHOLOGY
• Color can have a strong
psychological impact
• Can attract or repulse an audience
• “Colors are the mother tongue of
the subconscious” – Carl Jung

22. COLOR PSYCHOLOGY
Blue: reliable, conservative, and dependable; popular with finance

23. COLOR PSYCHOLOGY
Yellow: cheerful and playful; not always taken seriously

24. COLOR PSYCHOLOGY
Orange: vitality, energy, and fun; most visible color in the spectrum

25. COLOR PSYCHOLOGY
Green: freshness, growth, and renewal; light green represents tranquility

26. COLOR PSYCHOLOGY
Red: energy, love, and vitality; vice, danger, and lust

27. COLOR PSYCHOLOGY
Purple: mystery, royalty, and wealth; often considered feminine

28. COLOR PSYCHOLOGY
Brown: stability, reliability, and comfort

29. COLOR PSYCHOLOGY
Grey: refinement and sophistication; often used for luxury items

30. COLOR PSYCHOLOGY
White: purity, innocence, and cleanliness

31. COLOR PSYCHOLOGY
Black: mystery, fear, and danger; sophistication and masculinity

32. WORLD COLOR MEANINGS
• ASIA
• Red: represents luck and
celebration
• Worn by brides during wedding
ceremonies
• In China, red is also associated
with the Communist government

33. WORLD COLOR MEANINGS
• ASIA
• White: represents mourning and
is worn at funerals
• Associated with the masculine
yang energy

34. WORLD COLOR MEANINGS
• AFRICA
• Gold: represents immortality and
royalty
• Black: associated with maturity
and wisdom

35. WORLD COLOR MEANINGS
• AFRICA
• Green: represent growth, fertility,
and life

36. WORLD COLOR MEANINGS
• THE MIDDLE EAST
• Blue: is symbolic of divinity
• Associated with water, a precious
resource in the desert

37. WORLD COLOR MEANINGS
• THE MIDDLE EAST
• Green: is the holiest color in
Islam
• Represents the concept of
heaven as a garden
• Associated with healing and
protection from sickness

38. WORLD COLOR MEANINGS
• THE MIDDLE EAST
• Purple: represents royalty
• It was the most expensive and
difficult fabric dye to make so
only royalty could afford it

39. WORLD COLOR MEANINGS
• CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA
• Purple: the color of mourning in
Brazil
• Represents the balance of life
and death

40. WORLD COLOR MEANINGS
• CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA
• Yellow: represents the sun and
wealth and also maize and death
• In Mexico, yellow is associated
with light in the afterlife and is
used in celebrations of Dia de los
Muertos

41. CONCLUSION
• There is science behind the art of
visual communication
• Understanding color psychology will
make you a better visual
communicator
• Color meanings are not arbitrary,
but they are contingent on cultural
context