The Color Wheel

Why study color? It is the most important element of a design It is one of the few visual design elements

that people notice

Properties of Color Hue: property that gives a color a name (ex: red) (Hue are you??)

Value

relative lightness or darkness of a color

Changing the Value of a Color

Adding black produces a shade

Adding white produces a tint

Intensity

brightness or concentration of a color

Changing the Intensity of a Color

Colors can be dulled or neutralized to produce a tone

Adding gray to a color will create a tone

Mixing a color with its complement will also create a tone

Color Wheels!! Hue Tint Shade Tone

HOW DO THESE

COLORS MAKE

YOU FEEL?

HOW DO THESE

COLORS MAKE

YOU FEEL?

Psychological Effects of Color

Warm Colors: red, orange, yellow associated with sun, heat, and fire evoke warm and happy feelings warm colors will dominate when in an

arrangement

Cool Colors: blue, green, violet associated with grass, water, ice create restful, soothing feelings fade into background of a design

White Blends easily with other colors

Adds brightness and contrast

Portrays elegance and sophistication

Red

Embodies strength and dominance

Can often become overpowering if used too much

Pink

Combines well with other colors

Light pink portrays romance and femininity

Bright and deep colored pinks draw more attention than pastel tints

Orange Radiant color

Often used for autumn and Halloween designs

Tints or shades of orange (such as peach or rust) blend well with other colors

Yellow Vibrant and highly visible color

Cheery and sunny

Combines well in a design but if used alone can become monotonous

Green Serves as a natural background color

Green containers don’t attract attention and are very common

Natural color for foliage plants in a design

Blue Peaceful, quiet, and cool

Recedes into the background of a design

Large quantities of dark blue can be depressing

Purple (Violet) Color of royalty

Can be seen as either a warm or cool color depending on the accompanying colors

when mixed with reds, the blueness of purple is evident and it becomes cool

when mixed with blues, the redness of purple is evident and it becomes warm

Monochromatic

Uses variations of a single hue

To avoid boredom, make sure to include various tints, tones, and shades of the hue

Monochromatic

Analogous

Color scheme incorporating three or more colors that are next to each other on the color wheel

Can include the hue as well as tints and tones of the hue

Analogous

Complementary

Two hues that are directly opposite of each other on the color wheel

Complementary colors intensify each other

Complementary

Triadic Use of three colors equidistant on the

color wheel

Can often be difficult to use in a design

Ex: red, blue, and yellow

Triadic

Double-Complement

Uses a total of four colors (two pairs of complements)

This scheme can offer a variety of visual effects

Double-Complement

Alternate Complement

Use of a triad plus the complement of one of the colors in the triad

Ex: yellow, red, blue, and violet

Alternate Complement

Tetrad

4 colors equidistant on the color wheel

Ex: yellow, violet, blue-green, and red-orange

Tetrad

Balance Dark colors are heavier than light colors Putting darker colors at the base of a

design will add balance

Depth Using a combination of warm and cool

colors will maximize depth This combination causes warm colors to

advance forward and cool colors to recede into the background

Focal Point Bright colors immediately attract

attention

Focal points can be created by simply using contrasting colors

Rhythm Using similar colors throughout a

bouquet or design creates rhythm

If the same or corresponding colors are used as a focal point and again throughout an arrangement, eye movement is increased

Harmony & Unity

Achieved by the repetition of colors throughout a design

Using similar colors pulls the design together

What influences color selection? Seasons or holidays

Special Occasions (ex: weddings)

Symbolism

Favorite Colors

Existing Colors