Colour Theory

03

What’s the point?

What’s the point?

Colour WheelBy Sir Isaac Newton

Newton and the First Colour Wheel

http://microcosmos.uchicago.edu/newton/glassworks

Colour Wheel

Subtractive vs. Additive Colour

http://images.bit-tech.net

Colour theory is based on subtractive model

http://images.bit-tech.nethttp://images.bit-tech.net

Primary hues: Red, Yellow and Blue

Red, yellow, and blue are referred to as the three primary colors: the basic components from which other colors are created. This is additive.

Secondary hues: Orange, Violet and Green

When you mix adjacent primary colors, you get the three secondary colors of:

orange (red+yellow), green (yellow+blue), & purple(blue+red).

Primary + Secondary = Tertiary hues on the Subtractive Colour Wheel

Tertiary colors are the six intermediatecolors formed by mixing a primary with a secondary

Primary + Secondary + Tertiary hues = Additive Colour Wheel

Colour Harmonies: different sets of colour combinations that work well together.

Complementary

Triadic

Analogous

Monochromatic

Colour Harmonies: different sets of colour combinations that work well together.

Analogous

If you are looking to pick a family of colors that work together harmoniously, look at colors that are adjacentto each other on the wheel.

These are known as analogous colors. Their proximity means they sharea common primary or secondary color as their base,which in turn ties them together.

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Colour Harmonies: different sets of colour combinations that work well together.

Analogous

Make sure you have enough contrast when choosing an analogous color scheme.

Choose one color to dominate, a second to support.

The third color is used (along with black, white or gray) as an accent.

http://www.tigercolor.com

Colour Harmonies: different sets of colour combinations that work well together.

Complementary

On the other hand, if you are looking for colors which contrast with each other to create maximum attention

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Colour Harmonies: different sets of colour combinations that work well together. Think of Christmas and Easter colours.

ComplementaryComplementary colors are really bad for text.

http://www.tigercolor.com

OUCH MY EYES

Split Complementaries consist of three hues: the principle hue,and the two hues directly adjacent to the complementary hue.

Colour Harmonies: different sets of colour combinations that work well together.

Triadic Colours

A triadic color scheme uses colors that are evenly spaced around the color wheel.

Triadic color harmonies tend to be quite vibrant, even if you use pale or unsaturated versions of your hues.

http://www.digitalscrapbooking.co.za

Colour Harmonies: different sets of colour combinations that work well together.

Monochromatic

Monochromatic colors are all the hues (tints and shades) of a single color.

http://www.digitalscrapbooking.co.za

Cool vs Warm: The colour wheel can be divided into two analogous groups of hues - warm and cool.

http://www.colourlovers.com/pattern/1807684/leaves_and_twigs

http://www.colourlovers.com/

Hue: the name of a colour

Tint and Shade: Tint refers to the amount of white we add to a hue. Shade refers to the amount of black we add to a hue

Brightness or value: the subjective brightness

Saturation: the amount of hue in a given object, independent of value

Achromatic Colour Wheel

CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow & Key)

cyan, magenta, yellow and black

Major Manufacturers of CMYK Inks for Publishing

http://www.colourlovers.com/trends

• Logo Critique

35

The Components of a Logo

Logotype: The logotype is the name of the business set in a unique typeface or arranged in a particular way. A good example would be the stylized type of the "Coca Cola" brand name.

Icon: This is the actual symbol or brandmark with its high visual appeal, for instance the Nike "swoosh."

Slogan: The slogan is either a brief description of the company or a phrase suggestive of something the company does especially well. The Kentucky Fried Chicken slogan, "Finger lickin' good," would be an example of such a phrase.

http://www.brochuremonster.com/brochure-articles/logo-first-impression.php

Elements of an Effective Logo

In order for a logo to "work" it must do the following things:

portray the company as unique in its field

convey a clear, recognizable image to the consumer

function in many different contexts, potentially even in foreign languages

function in many different sizes from billboards to small formats like business cards,

be unique enough to avoid confusion with other companies but not be outlandish or "over the top"

The "Don'ts" of Logo Design

Simple designs work best for logos. You are attempting to catch the eye and to give the brain something it can instantly memorize. Avoid using:

heavy decorations smooth gradient color transitions photography complex imagery culturally sensitive imagery

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