Color comes from light interacting with objects. It has three main components - hue, value, and saturation. There are several color schemes that can be used in design including complementary, analogous, monochromatic, and triadic colors. Each color scheme has benefits and uses. Psychological implications of color include red being associated with danger/passion and blue suggesting coolness/sadness.

1. COLOR
The impacts of color in design

3. 4. COLOR
Definition:
 Color is the response of the eye to differing wavelengths of
radiation within the visible spectrum. The visible spectrum is what
we perceive as light. It is part of the electromagnetic spectrum that
we can see. The typical human eye will respond to wavelengths
between 400-700 nanometers (nm), with red being at one end
(700nm), violet at the other (400nm) and every other color in
between the two.

4. COLOR CONT’D…
 Color components:
 Hue:
 Hue deals with where color is positioned on the color wheel. Terms such as red, blue-green, and
mauve all define the hue of a given color.
 Value:
 Value is the general lightness or darkness of a color. In general, how close to white or black a given
color is.
 Saturation:
 Saturation is the intensity, or level of chroma, of a color. The more gray a color has in it, the less
chroma it has.

5. COLOR CONT’D…
Value - Color Value – B&W

6. COLORS CONT’D…
Pigment based Color Categories:
 Primary Colors
 Red, yellow, blue (art purposes)
 Cannot be made by mixing
 Secondary Colors
 Orange, violet, green
 Made by mixing 2 primary colors
 Intermediate Colors (tertiary)
 Red-Orange, Yellow-Green, Blue-Violet
 Made by mixing primary with secondary color
 Produces 12-point color wheel

7. INTERESTING ABOUT PRIMARY
COLORS
 What is interesting about primary colors?
 Red and Blue are primary colors in both pigment (paint) systems as well as in
the RBG Color System based on light
 Yellow is a primary color in Pigment System, however, is created through the
combination of colors in a Light System
 Adding all color pigments (paints) together gives you an ugly dark brown color
 Adding all colors of light together gives you the perfect color – “White”

8. HOW COLOR IS CREATED
 Light travels as waves
 Light is energy – Electromagnetic Spectrum
 Small part of the spectrum is visible light energy
 Different wavelengths of energy appear as different colors
 Color is created when light interacts with an object
 Absorption – Light energy goes into the material and converted to heat
 Transfer – Light energy passes through a material unchanged
 Reflection – Light energy bounces off the surface
 When absorption and reflection occur, the light that is reflected changes in
composition based on the color and make-up of the base material
 What color we see is dependent upon the color of the base material
 This phenomenon is called “The Color Effect”

9. HOW WE SEE…….
 What is the basis for how we (humans) see?
 Physiology:
 The retina contains cones and rods – light sensors in the
eye
 Three types of Cones (RGB)
 Activated Cones send signal to the brain
 Humans can perceive the difference between about
10,000,000 colors
 Where Humans meet Electronics
 Devices use the notion of RGB to send only three signals
 RGB – is used to create a wide variety of colors
 16,777,216 colors using RGB (2^8 * 2^8 * 2^8)
 The brain interprets the combination of difference
wavelengths to be different independent colors

10. QUESTION….
 Do we see yellow?
 Answer:
 Not Exactly…
 Our eyes only have the ability to perceive Red & Green
 Because each is equally close to yellow, when those sensors are activated
simultaneously, our brain translates the surface into the color yellow
 This is the same end result occurs whether we see something
 actually yellow - like a banana
 Something red and green over-layed

11. DESIGNING WITH COLOR
 How many colors?
It is hard to give an exact answer to this question, but in general one can say that the risk of
using too many colors is greater than the risk of using too few.
Too many colors will make the page feel too busy and it usually makes it harder for the viewer
to find the information he or she wants. It is also more tiring to the eyes.
A page with too few colors, on the other hand, risks being seen as a bit boring, but this need
not always be the case.

One commonly used rule in these matters is to use three
colors.
 Primary color: This is the main color of the page. It will occupy most of the area and set the
tone for the design as a whole.
 Secondary color: This is the second color on the page, and it is usually there to "back up" the
primary color. It is usually a color that is pretty close to the primary color.
 Highlight color: This is a color that is used to emphasize certain parts of the page. It is
usually a color which contrasts more with the primary and secondary colors, and as such, it
should be used with moderation. It is common to use a complimentary or split-complimentary
color for this (see below).

12. COLOR HARMONIES
 Complementary Colors
A relationship of two colors that appear opposite each other
on the color wheel. These two colors when placed next to
each other tend to enhance the intensity (chroma) of each
other with a contrasting appearance.
Ex: Blue & Orange, Red & Green

13. APPLYING COMPLEMENTARY COLORS
 Generally used when both colors occupy elements in a
single design or visual area
 Benefits:
 High contrast make them standout
 Attention getting
 Breaks up monotony
 Uses:
 Color boxes behind or around objects
 Alternating colored text
 Highlights or drop shadows
 Headlines and alternate design elements

14. DESIGNING WITH COMPLEMENTARY
COLORS
 Complementary Colors
The complementary colors are the colors which
are directly opposite from one another on the color
wheel. Complementary colors are contrasting and
stand out against each other. Often it is a good
idea to use a complementary color as the highlight
color, as described above.

15. COLOR HARMONIES
 Analogous Colors
Colors that appear adjacent to one another on
the color wheel. These colors tend to be
displayed in color families.
(Ex: Blues = blue, blue-violet, blue-green)

16. APPLYING ANALOGOUS COLORS
 Generally used when three colors occupy elements in a single
design or visual area
 Benefits:
 Makes strong connection to a single color family
 Creates a sense of harmony
 Uses:
 Adds color without excessive contrast
 Allows use of color as part of theme
 Breaks up color without distracting variety of colors

17. DESIGNING WITH ANALOGOUS
COLORS
 Analog Colors
The analog colors are those colors which lie
on either side of any given color. Often these
are color schemes found in nature. A site that
makes use of analogous colors usually feels
harmonious. The secondary color, as
described above, can often be an analogous
color.

18. COLOR HARMONIES
 Triadic Colors
A relationship of three colors equidistant from one
another on the color wheel. The three primary
colors form a color triad.
Ex: Red, Blue, and Yellow

19. APPLYING A COLOR TRIAD
 Generally used when three colors occupy elements in a single
design or visual area
 Benefits:
 Adds variety of color to a visual area or design
 Eye catching without overusing one color
 Even balance of various color weights
 Uses:
 Various types of design elements
 Draw attention to text, graphics, and highlights

20. DESIGNING WITH A COLOR TRIAD
 Triad Colors
Triad colors are three hues
equidistant on the color wheel.
When you want a design that is
colorful and yet balanced, a triad
color scheme might be the way to
go.

21. COLOR HARMONIES
 Monochromatic
A series of colors at different levels all based on a single
color hue, creates the appearance of multiple colors
without changing the base color being used for better
uniformity

22. APPLYING MONOCHROMATIC COLORS
 Generally used when up to three colors
are used all based on the same original
hue
 Benefits:
 Simple design structure
 Little distraction or potential disaster
 All things are made to look even in importance
 Uses:
 Headlines, body type, and other elements all
color balanced
 Design elements balanced with main ideas
 Connects components through similarity

23. DESIGNING WITH MONOCHROMATIC
COLORS
 Monochromatic Colors
Monochromatic colors are all based on the
same color hue and altered lighter by
adding white (tint) or darker (shade) by
adding black. By staying in the same color
family, there is a certain uniformity in
design elements.

24. DESIGNING WITH COLOR
 Have a purpose when selecting colors
 Colors say a lot in which are used
 Select those that connect with the content and audience
 Don’t use more than 3 colors
 Decide if you need more colors and what they would be used for
 Determine what color scheme would best compliment the details/information
 Stay within the same band of value
 Don’t mix different values together
 Exception being Monochromatic

25. WHICH COLOR SCHEME IS USED?
Analogous Complimentary

26. WHICH COLOR SCHEME IS USED?
Monochromatic Triadic

27. WHAT COLOR RELATIONSHIP AM
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30. WHAT COLOR RELATIONSHIP AM
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31. WHAT COLOR RELATIONSHIP AM
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33. WHAT COLOR RELATIONSHIP AM
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34. COLOR THEORY
Color Spaces:
 Subtractive Color Theory
 A subtractive color space is the traditional color space that most
people refer to when they talk about color. It is pigment-based color,
like when mixing paint. In a subtractive color space, the pigments
manipulate the wavelengths that our eyes see. The absence of any
pigment produces white, and all pigments blended together
produces black. (Red, yellow, & blue)
 Additive Color Theory
 An additive color space is an electronic color space. It is light-based
as in differing amounts of color on a computer screen. In additive
color space, light is added to the screen in differing amounts to
produce color. The absence of light is black and the presence of all
light or full intensity is white. (Red, blue, green)

35. COLOR QUESTIONS???
Where does color come from?
 In Paintings?
 In Screens/Displays?
 In Nature?
What colors work well together?
How can colors be used to benefit
design?

36. PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF
COLOR
 Red is associated with blood, passion, or danger and with feelings that are
energetic, exciting, and passionate. Most colors carry both positive and negative
implications. The downside of red evokes aggressive feelings, suggesting anger or
violence.

37. PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF
COLOR
 Orange is the color of flesh, or the friendly warmth of the evening sun and
signifies a certain outgoing personality. The positive implications of this color
suggest approachability, informality. The negative side might imply accessibility to
the point of suggesting that anyone can approach-- a lack of discrimination or
quality.

38. PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF
COLOR
 Yellow is the color of sunshine. This color is optimistic, upbeat, modern. The
energy of yellow can become overwhelming. Therefore yellow is not a color that
tends to dominate fashion for long periods of time.

39. PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF
COLOR
 Green In its positive mode, green suggests nature (plant life, forests), life, stability,
restfulness, naturalness. On the other hand, green in some tones or certain
contexts (such as green skin) might instead suggest decay (fungus, mold), toxicity,
artificiality.

40. PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF
COLOR
 Blue suggests coolness, distance, spirituality, or perhaps reserved elegance.
Some shade of blue is flattering to almost anyone. In its negative mode, we can
think of the "blues"-the implication being one of sadness, passivity, alienation, or
depression.

41. PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF
COLOR
 Violet is the color of fantasy, playfulness, impulsiveness, and dream states. In its
negative mode, it can suggest nightmares, or madness.