Color is the building block of art. Whether it’s a handmade painting or a graphic design – choosing the right colors can make or break your work. But how well you are able to do this depends on how much you know about basic color theory.
To ease you into it, WordLayout made a visual glossary of some of the most commonly used terms and ideas in the color world. In particular, we look at types of colors, as well as the typical color schemes you can find on a color wheel. Our Chart also graphically illustrates the meaning of the six most basic qualities and dimensions of a color (Hue, Chrome, Saturation, Tint, Tone and Shade).
For aspiring artists, designers, and even color enthusiasts, this Chart is a great way to learn more about what colors are, and how they relate to one another.
Now, let’s go over each part of our Chart in more detail:
Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Colors
You might remember these terms from elementary school.
Primary colors are the reds, yellows and blues. According to Isaac Newton, these are the only three colors (or colored lights) you need to create white light. None of these can be made by mixing other colors; and all other colors are variants of these basic hues.
While red, yellow and blue are shown in this Chart, they are not the only primary colors used by artists and designers. Digital models such as RGB use Red, Green and Blue.
Why? Because there are two different color theories; One for colored light (Additive Color Mixing), and one for “material colors” like physical pigments or dyes (Subtractive Color Mixing). The distinction here really comes down to the nature of the objects involved and how they reflect light.
Our next wheel shows secondary colors – formed by mixing two primary colors. Since this chart is based on traditional color theory, our secondary colors are:
- green (yellow + blue)
- orange (red + yellow),
- purple (red + blue).
In the last wheel, we have tertiary colors formed by mixing a primary color with a secondary one, resulting in hues like red-orange and blue-purple.
Color Schemes
In this section, we look at the 7 major color schemes you can spot on a color wheel:
Complementary
A complementary scheme is based on any two colors that are opposite to each other.
Naturally, this scheme offers a high level of color contrast such as blue and orange, or yellow and purple. You can adjust intensity by using different tints, tones, and shades, to make your design look more seamless.
Start by choosing one color to be dominant while using the other one as the accent color. The high level of contrast and intensity you get in a complementary scheme often makes it a welcome choice for website landing pages and app designs.
Monochromatic
A monochromatic scheme uses a single color. While it lacks a striking contrast, you can use varying shades, tints and tones to create a more dramatic and visually appealing palette.
Below, is the monochrome palette of Red:
These color schemes are used in home decor to create a smooth visual feel, or in product packaging to create a signature, customized look for your brand.
Analogous
An analogous scheme is when you pair a main color (your base hue) with the two colors next to it on the color wheel.
This scheme has a harmony you find in monochromatic designs, with a soft and gently graduating color palette.
Since the elements blend together nicely, it’s perfect for catering to one kind of emotion or aesthetic, such as seasonal clothing lines or gothic makeup looks.
Triadic
This scheme is based on colors that are equally placed around the wheel. For example, yellow, blue and green, as shown in our Chart:
Triadic schemes are ideal if you want to add a high-energy effect which also explains why most cartoons and cartoon characters have this scheme.
But here’s the tricky part – thanks to their striking contrast, triadics can be overwhelming. To avoid this, try to build some form of color hierarchy in your work. For example, you can choose a dominant color and use the others sparingly, or you can go for a softer hue for one of the colors to balance out the other two.
By bringing in touches of white, gray, or black, you create more visual balance, and tone down the vibrancy of your overall color palette.
Tetradic
The tetradic color scheme is based on two pairs of complementary colors. For example, green with red, or blue with yellow, forming a square or diamond shape on your color wheel.
This rich scheme adds visual interest and vibrancy, making it perfect for logos, website headers, and promotional flyers.
When using it in a design, make sure you don’t cram all four colors at high brightness levels as your design might end up looking too busy or chaotic.
Split Complementary
A split complementary scheme is based on one dominant color and two colors that are next to its color complement.
In our Chart, we chose yellow as the dominant color. The color complement of yellow is blue, which gives us:
A split-complementary scheme is less ‘out there’ than a regular complementary one (in terms of contrast), but creates a more nuanced and sophisticated look while still retaining the benefits of contrasting colors.
That said, it can be hard to find the right balance between your colors so it’s best to adjust saturation, brightness and chroma levels till you find the exact color harmony you’re looking for.
Whether you go for a loud complementary scheme or the calm, tonal hues of a neutral one, there’s a type of color scheme for every mood. If you want to have some fun creating your own palette, feel free to check out this interactive online tool.
Hues, Shades, Tints and Tones
For most of us, we can probably get by life knowing the names of the seven colors in a rainbow. But did you know the human eye can see up to 10 million different colors? That’s because colors can be divided quite endlessly into four categories: hues, shades, tints and tones.
Understanding these terms can help you master the art of color mixing and matching.
Hue
Hue speaks to the origin of a color, and is independent of a color’s intensity or lightness. The Primary and Secondary colors (Yellow, Orange, Red, Violet, Blue, and Green) are considered hues (or color families). In color theory, a hue is a pure pigment — one without tint or shade.
Tint
Tint is the lighter version of a pure color made by adding white. In this case, when white is added to red, we end up with a soft pastel pink.
Tints are colors with low intensity that still retain the character of the original color. All pastel colors are tinted colors, and best known for their soft, calming vibe.
Tone
Tone is what you are left with if you mix a color with gray. Being a neutral color, gray is equal parts black and white. Adding gray to your base hue will make it less intense and vibrant.
While the right tonal contrast can give great visual depth to paintings, you must be wary of adding too much gray as it can end up making your design look too dull or lifeless.
Shade
Shade is when you add black to a color. When creating a darker shade, begin with the color itself, and add black one drop at a time.
As an artist, different shades can help you set the mood for your design, indicate dimension, and add light effects by creating a sense of depth and contrast.
Chroma & saturation
Chroma speaks to how vivid or dull a color is. A high-chroma color has no black, white, or gray in it. Conversely, a color with low chroma has a tone of gray, making it look soft or weak.
Chroma and saturation both measure a color’s purity. But saturation is a measure of how pure a color is based on its environment, especially the light. While chroma is a measure of how pure a color is compared to a white area receiving the same amount of light.
Saturated colors are bright and tend to attract attention, such as cadmium red and ultramarine blue.
Warm vs. Cool Colors
Do some colors have a special impact on our brain? Here we examine a popular categorization of colors into warm and cool.
This property of a color has nothing to do with its reflective properties or saturation value. Instead, it’s based on the emotions and mental response a color evokes in us.
A color is seen as cool or warm depending on its position on the color wheel. While there is no commonly agreed upon “warmest” or “coolest” color, warm colors are often said to be hues from red through yellow.
Warm colors are more stimulating, and tend to draw attention to themselves. They evoke a sense of energy and happiness, making them popular choices for entertainment venues such as restaurants and nightclubs.
Cool colors are hues from blue-green through blue-violet. They are more subdued than warm colors, giving them a more soothing and calming quality (think calming blue waters or azure skies).
Knowing these basic terms and concepts will help you interact with color in a more effective way as you learn to visualize or describe a color, and play with different hues to create a more harmonious and visually impactful color scheme.
Our professionally designed graphic Chart: Hues, Tints and Schemes is just a click away, and downloadable in PDF and ADOBE formats. A blank version of the chart has also been provided to help you refine your own design or artistic skills.
Be aware that the combinations and schemes shown in these charts may vary significantly based on the medium used (e.g., watercolor, acrylic, digital) and the color model (e.g., CMYK, RGB, HSL).
In addition, display settings (such as night mode and resolution) can also affect color appearance. To avoid errors, always test colors in your specific context for more accurate results.
