Color Theory

 What is ¨Color Theory¨:

Color theory is the science of manipulating color in order to find the best color combination. The color wheel, which was created by Sir Isaac Newton in 1666, is the base of understanding color theory (picture to the left). On the color wheel, each color is described as primary, secondary, or tertiary based on its wavelength. 

There are two types of color wheels, the RGB (made for online use) and the RYB (made for mixing paint), however, the main focus of this post will be the RGB color wheel. The primary colors for the RGB color wheel are red, green, and blue, the secondary colors are mixes of the primary colors, and tertiary colors are mixes of the primary colors and secondary colors. The color wheel shows the relationship between all the colors. Designers strive to find the perfect combination of two or more of these colors to create the most pleasing effect on the reader; this is called color harmony.

The colors on the color wheel can also be divided into two more categories, cool and warm.

This is based on the science of color temperatures. Colors that are considered warm are typically associated with energy and brightness whereas cool colors are associated with calmness and peace.

There are also things called the properties of color, including the hue, shade, tint, and tone of colors:

Hue: The hue of a color is simply how it appears. An example of this is saying a color appears blue.

Shade: A shade is created by adding black to the base hue, which darkens the color. This is used to convey a dramatic color.

Tint: A tint is when white is added to the base hue, which lightens the color. This lessens the intensity of a color.

Tone: A tone is when gray is added to the base hue, which lightens a color, but not as much as a tint. This lessens the intensity of a color as well.

In order to get the perfect color harmony that was mentioned before, designers use the color wheel to find what are called color combinations in order to obtain higher quality promotions and marketing. These color combinations are as they sound, combinations of colors. There are a few different color schemes that designers can implement in their products and these are the complementary, analogous, monochromatic, triadic, and tetradic color combinations. 

Complementary:

A complementary color combination is two colors from opposite sides of the color wheel. This maximizes the contrast between the colors in order to achieve color harmony. An example can be seen in the image below where red and green are a complementary combination. This same combination of red and green can also be seen in the Mountain Dew logo.

Analogous:

The analogous color combination is when there are three colors besides each other, with one color with dominance, and the other two is a dominant color such as orange-red and two colors to accent it, as is shown in the image below. An example of this being implemented is in the BP logo.

Monochromatic: 

The monochromatic color combination features three different shades, tones, and tints of one hue, in order to present a subtle and harmonious design. An example of this color combination is three different types of yellow. This is also very easy to manipulate as it is very versatile. An example of a logo with this color combination can be seen in the Animal Planet logo.

Triadic:

A triadic color combination consists of three colors that are equally spaced out. This combination allows for high contrast, allowing for it to be greatly versatile and can result in color harmony. This scheme also allows for the image to "pop" out to the viewers. Burger King effectively implements this color combination in their logo, by using the colors red, blue, and yellow.

Tetradic: 

A tetradic color combination follows the same guidelines as the triadic combination, except there are four colors spaced out instead of three. Since this has four colors, it could also be said that it is a group of two complementary pairs. This combination is best used when one color is set to be dominant and the other has the role of supporting. Another key part about this combination is that there will be an appealing balance between cool and warm colors. Windows has a clear use of this with the colors red, blue, green, and yellow.

How to use find these combinations:

To use the color wheel and combinations, the most efficient way is to use the internet. There are many sites such as Canva that include a built-in color wheel where you can evaluate the many different combinations and colors.

What emotions each color can induce:

While there are many color combinations that can be utilized, it is all useless without knowing the emotion of each color. The colors that will be researched are the primary colors of the RGB color wheel, which are red, green, and blue.

Red - 

Red may influence viewers to feel a range of intense emotions from anger and danger to emotions such as passion and enjoyment. The reason for this is the history behind the use of this color. The Ancient Egyptians believed that red is the color of vitality, but also evil and destruction. This color would later be used prominently in elegant outfits and art. Red is used in an extremely large number of companies to cause their target audience to feel excitement and joy towards the company.

Green - 

Green is widely seen in money and nature. Because of this, it can cause a person to feel emotions of wealth and greed, but also renewal and growth. This color is used in the Animal Planet logo, to tie the show to the environment, which is one of the major themes that is included in this channel.

Blue -

Blue is a color that is associated with royalty, art, military, and business. The cause of this is the history of it dating all the way back to the times of Ancient Egypt, just like red. Azurite, a blue mineral, was widely used in Ancient Egypt for jewelry and decoration. Azurite was later developed into an expensive blue paint during the Renaissance. This color has spent the rest of its time up until today used in elegant decorations and paintings. An example of blue being used for a company can be seen in Intel. Blue helps the company appear elegant and modern, which is what the company is going for as it is a technology-based company.

What colors/combinations are used in tech magazines?:

When it comes to colors, blue is the predominant color in tech magazines, but companies still use other colors as well. For color combinations, the analogous combination is popular but there isn't one go-to color combination, and any combination can be useful. The reason why tech magazines attempt to approach these colors is that they want to appear unique and modern to their buyers.

An example of these colors can be seen below. In both images, they are manipulating an analogous color combination which can be seen in the different shades of gray on the left, and the different shades of red on the right.

Sources:

“The Importance of Colour Theory: Painting Pixels.” Painting Pixels | Full Service Digital Marketing Agency, 21 Dec. 2020, www.paintingpixels.co.uk/the-importance-of-colour-theory/.

“Color Wheel - Color Theory and Calculator | Canva Colors.” Canva, www.canva.com/colors/color-wheel/.

“What Is Color Theory?” The Interaction Design Foundation, www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/color-theory.

Decker, Kris. “The Fundamentals of Understanding Color Theory.” 99designs, 99designs, 7 July 2020, 99designs.com/blog/tips/the-7-step-guide-to-understanding-color-theory/.

“Color Meanings: Color Names and Symbolism | Canva Colors.” Canva, www.canva.com/colors/color-meanings/.