This document discusses color theory and the element of color. It covers topics like additive and subtractive color, hue, value, intensity, color schemes, harmony and disharmony, and using color for composition and expression. Key points covered include the physics of how color is created, definitions of color terminology, systems for organizing hues, principles of color interaction, developing color schemes, and how color can be used to create space, emphasis and emotion in compositions.

1. Launching the Imagination
5th
Edition
Chapter Two: The Element of Color
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2. Chapter Two: The Element of Color
 Additive: created using beams of light.
 Subtractive: white light is reflected off a pigmented or dyed
surface.
 Process (CMYK): used in print and mass production
(transparent).
 Analogous: adjacent on a color wheel.
 Monochromatic: variations in a single hue.
 Complementary: opposites on a color wheel.
 Intensity/Saturation: the purity, or chroma of a color.
 Simultaneous Contrast: optical alteration from surrounding
color(s).
 Tone: hue mixed with gray or a complimentary color.
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3. Color Physics
Color Physics: the art and science of color
interaction and effects.
Additive and Subtractive Color:
o Additive (RGB)
o Subtractive (Red, yellow, blue)
o Process (CMYK)
o Color and Light
Color attracts attention. It is both the most elusive and complex design element. Color physics involves the study of wavelengths in order to
measure and classify color, the molecular structure of dyes and pigments, the effects of color and light on our eyes and brain, and the expressive
effects of color on our mind and spirit.
When white light passes through a prism, it is refracted, and creates a wide spectrum of hues. Some wavelengths are reflected, while other
wavelengths are absorbed. A red surface reflects the red wavelengths while absorbing the others. All wavelengths are reflected off a white surface,
while all wavelengths are absorbed by a black surface. Lighting designers, videographers, and website artists use additive color. When all
wavelengths are combined, white light results. Painters, printmakers, and illustrators use subtractive color in various forms, including acrylics,
oils, pastels, and inks.
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4. Color Interaction
 Simultaneous Contrast
 Bezold Effect
Colors are rarely seen in isolation and influence one another. Lighting also affects our perceptions. Three principles of
simultaneous contrast are: light/dark contrast, complementary/neutral gray, analogous variations. The Bezold effect
demonstrates that change in a single color can alter our perception of pattern. The opponent theory is created by a visual
overload at the edges of shapes. The cones, or color sensors in our eyes, can register only one color in a complimentary pair
at a time. Similarly an afterimage is created when we stare at a red square for thirty seconds, then stare at a white sheet of
paper.
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 Opponent Theory
 Afterimage
Suggested visual:
Figure 2.9.

5. Defining Color
Hue: name of a color, determined by its wavelength.
o Primary
o Secondary
o Tertiary
o Temperature
Physicists, painters, and philosophers have devised numerous systems to organize hues. As we see in Johann Itten’s 12-step
color wheel, a combination of two adjacent primaries creates secondary colors. The mixture of a secondary color and the
adjacent primary color creates a tertiary color. The three-dimensional color system provides examples of changes in color
value and intensity as well as hue. Temperature refers to the heat a color generates, both physically and psychologically.
Color temperatures also create the illusion of space. Warms tend to advance, while cools tend to recede.
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6. Color
Value: The relative lightness or darkness of a color.
• Tint (adding white)
• Tone (adding gray or complimentary)
• Shade (adding black)
Intensity/Saturation/Chroma: The purity of a color.
Violet, blue, and green are inherently darker in value than pure yellow or orange. The primary colors are the most intense. This intensity generally
diminishes when colors are mixed. Compare the effect of intensity in these paintings. Hartigan’s intensity explodes, while Gorky combined the
effects until the shapes appear to glow.
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7. Color Schemes
• Monochromatic: Variations on a single hue.
• Analogous: Adjacent colors on the color wheel.
• Complementary: Opposites on the traditional color
wheel.
• Split Complementary: A complementary color plus
two colors on either side of one of the complements.
Various theories of color harmony for each term listed above. A monochromatic color scheme offers a high level of unity,
but also a potential disadvantage due to boredom. Analogous colors maintain a high degree of unity and greater variety.
When complementary colors are mixed, they can lower intensity and produce a wide range of browns. When paired in a
composition, complementary colors become ideal partners. Each increases the power of the others. Violet and yellow
provide the widest value range, while orange and blue provide the widest range in variations in temperature. Red and green
are closest in value and create extreme agitation when placed side by side. An even wider range of possibilities is offered by
the split complementary color scheme.
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8. Harmony and Disharmony
Triadic color schemes: Three colors equidistant on
a color wheel.
Chromatic grays: A gray made from a mixture of
various hues.
Earth colors: Made from pigments found in soil.
Disharmony: Used for emotional or visual impact.
The triadic color scheme pushes the choices even further apart and is used when variety and a strong impact are essential.
Chromatic grays are an alternative for a simple blend of black and white, and result in a subtle and vibrant color harmony.
Earth colors are usually warm in temperature and create a type of analogous harmony. Cultural definitions of harmony are as
changeable as popular music. Designers in all fields invent new color combinations each year. Disharmony is often used
when the subject matter is disturbing or when an unusual visual approach is needed. The degree and type of harmony used
must depend on the ideas behind the image and on the visual context in which an image will appear.
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Suggested visuals:
Figures 2.27, 2.38, 2.39, &
2.40.

9. Composing with Color
o Illusion of space
o Weight and balance
o Distribution and proportion
o Color as emphasis
The effect of color on compositions is profound. In most cases, cool, low-intensity colors tend to recede,
while warm, high-intensity colors tend to advance. Figure 2.46 visually tells the story of the boy who flew too
close to the sun, melting his wings and plunging into the ocean. The black body falls into the surrounding
blue background, while a red heart seems to pull the figure upward, away from death. Six bursts of yellow
add energy to the composition and meaning to the myth. Through careful distribution, even the most
disharmonious colors can work together beautifully. An even distribution of colors creates a unified and
vigorous composition. Proportional distribution is another way to harmonize seemingly incompatible colors.
Graphic designers often use color to emphasize critical information in a composition. In the map of figure
2.47, red clearly locates the viewer.
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Suggested visuals:
Figures 2.44, 2.45, 2.46, & 2.47.

10. Color Emotion and Expression
o Color keys
o Symbolic color
o Expressive color
Colors are never emotionally neutral. A dominant color or color key can heighten psychological as well as compositional
impact. Color can be used to represent reality or to heighten emotion. Color meanings vary widely from culture to culture. In
Hopi culture, colors symbolize spatial location and geographic direction. The Kachina doll represents Butterfly Maiden, a
benevolent spirit. Red represents a southerly direction: white, the east or northeast: blue or green, the west. Color and value
each have unique strengths. Color can increase the power of a given shape, shift compositional weight, and create a focal
point. It can enhance the illusion of space, suggest volume, and heighten emotion. Well used, color is one of the most
expressive elements of art and design.
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Suggested visuals:
Figures 2.48, 2.50, & 2.54.