Contents

Introduction
I.

Basic concepts in colour science

II.

Interrelations between people and colours

III. Colour space architecture

IV. Harmony of colours
V.

A short history of colour science

Modern colour systems

Colours in architecture colour dynamics

Introduction
Colours and architecture are inseparable in the same way as colours and shapes are
conditional upon one another.
The frontal appearance of buildings and the functional arrangement of the internal spaces is
impossible without choosing the right colours or group of colours. When we talk about
colours we do not only mean painted surfaces or coloured architectural elements, but we
should also take into consideration the colours of structural materials having their own natural
appearance (such as bricks, stone, slate, different types of wood). Just think about light,
yellowish maple-wood or reddish cherry-wood or brownish nut-wood and we could
continue giving a long list of the colours of natural types of wood, which can determine the
colour appearance of buildings. Architects, if their aim is to create a harmonic and aesthetic
looking building in every respect, must be aware of all the laws that help us find our way in
the world of colours to be able to choose the most appropriate use of colours that suits their
plan the most and is the most favourable both functionally and aesthetically.

I. Basic concepts in colour science

Before describing in detail the laws of the world of colours, it is important to become familiar
with the different technical terms, basic concepts and the basic characteristics of colours.
Colour colour stimulus perceived colour
Colour is basically a physical notion, radiating energy.
On passing through a prism white light splits up into the following colours:
~ 390 - 450 nm wavelength: violet
~ 460 - 480 nm wavelength: blue
~ 490 - 530 nm wavelength: green
~ 540 - 580 nm wavelength: yellow
~ 590 - 640 nm wavelength: orange
~ 650 - 800 nm wavelength: red
The radiation entering the eyes is called colour stimulus.
The human brain transform colour stimulus into perceived colour.
In everyday life and in the course of learning the present subject first of all we deal with
perceived colour, and we shall always mean this when using the simplified expression
colour.
Colour mixing
By mixing any two or more colours new colours can be made.
Colour mixing has two basic methods:
additive colour mixing
A method of mixing colours of light, in the course of which coloured light is added to
coloured light and a brighter light is created, the coloured lights are blended.
subtractive colour mixing
In the course of this method the colour mixed to another colour subtracts certain light from
the colour it is added to.
In everyday life subtractive colour mixing is realised when paint pigments are mixed, so in
the following first of all I shall mean subtractive colour mixing when I talk about colour
mixing.
Determining colours
In order to determine any colour appearing in our environment we need three pieces of data,
which are the three characteristics of the given colour:
hue
brightness
saturation
Hue
It can be said to be the most important, most decisive characteristic of colour, this is what is
meant by colour in everyday language, so this is what determines whether a colour is
yellow, blue, red, etc. A spectral colour is a colour induced by spectral colour stimulus.
Neutral colours are colours without hue, so they are white, black or grey.

And there are colours with hue.

On the basis of their hue colours can be grouped around six basic colours.
The six primary colours consist of primary and secondary colours.
Primary colours:
yellow
blue
red
Secondary colours:
green created from the mixture of yellow and blue
violet created from the mixture of blue and red
orange created from the mixture of red and yellow
The changing of hue is a continuous curve starting over and over again, the so-called colour
circle. The different colour systems (to be discussed later) created different colour circles,
which, however, have the same basic characteristics. (E.g.: Goethe, Chevreul, Coloroid colour
circles.)
On the basis of their hue we can talk about warm and cold colours.
Warm colours are perceived colours in the long wavelengths of the spectre (first of all red
and orange colours).
Cold colours are perceived colours in the short wavelengths of the spectre (first of all blue
and greenish blue colours).
Brightness
A characteristic feature of colour, which shows the distance of the colour from the absolute
white (in the case of certain colour system the distance from the absolute black).
In the case of subtractive colour mixing brightness can be increased first of all by mixing
white to the given colour.
The brightness of a colour can also be interpreted so that every colour can be clearly allocated
to the grey of the same brightness on the grey scale.
Saturation
It shows the position of a given colour between the spectral colour of the same hue and the
grey of the same brightness as this spectral colour.
So the saturation of a colour can be changed, that is reduced, by mixing it with grey of the
same brightness, as a saturated colour is a perceived colour in the case of which the colour
content of the inducing light stimulus is high; unsaturated colours are also called broken
colours.
(In architecture first of all broken-unsaturated colours play a significant role, as the use of
saturated colours is rather restricted because of their vivid appearance.)
On the basis of the above any colour can be clearly determined on the basis of their
three characteristics, and any desired shade can be achieved by changing the three
characteristics.
Colour scales uniform according to perception, or aesthetically uniform colour scales

In the case of colour scales or colour systems regular according to perception the aim of the
creators was to have regular distances between the individual colour points and regular
difference between the colours.
In the case of aesthetically regular colour scales there are the same differences between
neighbouring colours not smaller than harmony colour difference, where by harmony
colour difference we mean the smallest colour difference needed for using two colours in the
same harmonic colour composition, in a way that they can be distinguished from each other
and aesthetically interpreted.
When more than one colour is used, they become interrelated with each other, and a tension
appears between them. Colour contrasts are the possible types of connections or
interrelations between the colours.
When this difference reaches its maximum, it is the so-called contradictory contrast.
Generally there are the following colour contrasts:
Hue contrast
We talk about hue contrast when two (or more) colours have different hues. The most
pronounced example is the complementary contrast, where the hues appearing in the
contrast are each others complementary colours, and they are facing each other at opposite
points of the colour circle, so the hue difference between them is the maximum.
(When complementary colours are mixed with each other in the same proportion, on the basis
of the rules of subtractive colour mixing they result in grey.)
Typical complementary pairs:
green red, orange blue, yellow violet
The use of complementary pairs has been popular in fine arts for a long time, it results in a
balanced picture surface, which radiates high tension at the same time. In the paintings shown
as an example the decisive presence of complementary contrast can be seen very well.
Especially Van Gogh and expressionism subsisting upon his art exploited the possibilities of
expressing emotional tensions with the help of complementary contrast to the extremes.
Complementarity can also be used well in architectural compositions, it is an elegant solution,
obviously in the mellow world of broken colours.
Exclusively hue contrasts are rare in colour compositions, generally they determine the
appearance of colour compositions together with other contrast effects.
Cold-warm contrast
In fact it is a special type of hue contrast, but because of its basic emotional effects and its
influence on the vegetative nervous system it is regarded as a separate contrast effect. In
simple words it is a colour tension between cold and warm colours.
It has a strong associative effect, and the opposites in connection with it are:
far-close, light-heavy, wet-dry, etc.
Saturation contrast
Colours in clear saturation contrast with each other only differ in their saturation (grey
content) from each other.
It is a very elegant, subtle contrast effect, although it is rarely used on its own, but it is an
essential element of fine, balanced compositions.
Generally the saturation contrast differences of warm colours can be perceived more
intensively than in the case of cold colours.

Brightness contrast
It is a very characteristic, general contrast effect, where the brightness values of the
contrasting colours are different. Human eyes can clearly perceive brightness contrast even in
the case that there is a small difference. A dynamic, intensive contrast effect can be reached
with it, which, in the case of sufficient difference, can also create tension similarly to
complementary contrast. (It was a typical tool used in baroque painting.) As you will see later,
brightness contrast plays a significant role in architecture both because of its threedimensional and two-dimensional distinctive character.
Quantity contrast
Its main point is that different colours have different intensity, so the size and proportion of
colour carrying surfaces is very significant, if the aim is to create a balanced, harmonic
composition. The architectural significance of this type of contrast was first recognised and
studied in detail in Bauhaus, as a primary aim of a planning architect is to achieve an
equilibrium state, and it is important that the colour appearance does not make mass and space
conditions worse, but corrects them, if necessary.
Equilibrium surface ratios in the case of complementary pairs
(according to J. Itten) orange: blue = 1/3:2/3
red:
green = 1/2:1/2
yellow: violet = 1/4:3/4
Quality contrast
It is a contrast effect, which important typically in architecture, and its main point is that the
actual nature of the colour carrying surface material surface, texture can influence colour
appearance. The same colour can have a different effect on materials of different quality: e.g.:
metal, wood, glass, etc. It is essential to take it into consideration in architectural colour
planning. It is not favourable when on a building (or in an internal space) the same colour
appears on surfaces (textures) of different quality.
Simultaneous contrast
Its main point is that the colours appear simultaneously and together, and they have an effect
on each other, influence each other.
Colour values, when they are put next to each other, change their character. This is called
simultaneous contrast. Goethe (1790)
So it is important to examine the planned colours as they interact and then create the final
composition.
Simultaneous contrast is demonstrated well by J. Albers, and it can be seen clearly that the
same colour has a different effect when its colour environment is changed, and different
colours can have a similar effect in the right colour environment.
Successive contrast
Its main point is that colours influence each others appearance not only when they are viewed
simultaneously, but this effect can also be observed when they are viewed successively, due
to the so-called colour memory as a result of which the brain remembers an intensive
colour seen before.
So first of all this contrast should be taken into consideration in the case of colouring
successive spaces, especially if in the individual spaces the viewers get an intensive colour
stimulus, and the effect of the contrast is even more pronounced.

II. Interrelations between people and colours

When creating a colour composition it is important to know well and apply properly all the
laws relating to interaction between colours and people. The effect colours have on people can
be a direct biological effect or a factor influencing ones emotional state. In the interaction
between colours and people the following important aspects need to be taken into
consideration:
colour preference
The expression means that certain colours are more popular than others, they have a nice
effect.
The so-called personal colour preference is difficult to define but important, it is typical of a
person, psychologically based and in the case of buildings planned for individual persons it is
one of the most important aspects to be taken into consideration.
However, apart from personal colour preference mentioned above, which is difficult to define,
we can also talk about colour preference, which can be more or less generalised and is
characteristic of certain groups of people or historical periods.
Colour preference can be divided into the following classes:
historical colour preference
In different periods of cultural history the preference of certain colours was different. It partly
means the changing of hue preference: in the Middle Ages the Gothic style preferred cold
colours, while in the architecture of new age history (Renaissance, classicism) first of all
warm colours are dominant, and then in modern and mainly high-tech architecture cold
colours are favoured again. The preference of saturation also changed during the history of
architecture: while in the Gothic style saturated, intensive shades were more popular, in the
period of classicism colours faded, and first of all unsaturated colours came into the
foreground. In respect of brightness, the third characteristic feature of colours, a clearly
increasing trend can be observed: from the Gothic style until the modern ages there was a
continuous brightening of colours, light shades became more popular. Obviously the colour
preference of the individual historical ages was influenced by the nature of the colour
pigments that could be produced, and for example this explains the fact that the use of warm
earth colours was so dominant in the ancient times, as this pigment was available in the
greatest quantity.
It is essential to know historical colour preference in the course of the restoration of a
monument, creating an authentic atmosphere or making a townscape colour plan.
colour preference according to age
Peoples colour preference changes in the different stages of their lives, so in the course of the
colour planning of certain buildings (e.g.: nursery school, home for the elderly) it is important
to take into consideration the relationship of the age group using the building to colours. It can
be observed that while children are first of all attracted to saturated and warm colours, in
adulthood broken and cold colours are preferred, and in old age unsaturated and dark colours
come into the foreground.
social/geographical colour preference

Certain societies, on the basis of strong geographical determination, prefer different colours or
colour compositions. Let us just think about the intensive, saturated colour composition of
African costumes, or the preference of warm earth colours in certain Mediterranean cultures.
It is important for architects to know that if they are planning a building in a foreign country,
not in the well-known colour preference conditions of their own society, they must study and
take into consideration the colour preference of the locals in the course of colour planning.
Colour preference studies are also made in special social groups, such as criminals or
mentally handicapped people, but describing the results of these studies is beyond the
possibilities of this subject because of a lack of time, but in the case of planning certain
concrete buildings these must also be taken into consideration.
In connection with colour perception two basic characteristics of the human eye (and brain)
must be mentioned, namely chromatic adaptation and colour constancy.
chromatic adaptation:
The adaptability of the eyes to the environment lit by light sources of different brightness
(luminance) and different colour.
colour constancy:
Colour constancy is a process in the course of which the changes of the stimuli affecting the
eyes are still followed by the constancy of the colour experience. Memory (the remembered
colour) and the so-called central correlation process created as a result of a higher nerve
function play a significant role in the creation of colour constancy.
As a result of chromatic adaptation and colour constancy the changing of lighting does not
necessarily result in the changing of the colour of an object in the mind, so within certain
limits a given colour can also be evaluated independently from lighting.
The biological effect of colour
Colours have a direct effect on peoples physiological parameters, and these effects must be
taken into consideration in the course of planning the colours of an environment.
Unfavourably chosen colouring may have a damaging effect on physiology, whereas
appropriately planned colouring may even reduce environmental damage.
red has a stimulating effect on the nervous system, it increases blood pressure
orange has a favourable effect on the operation of the digestive system
yellow stimulates brain activity
green has a smoothing effect on the nervous system, it reduces blood pressure
blue has a temperature reducing effect, it relieves pain
violet has a favourable effect on the heart action, it stimulates the hearts operation
The emotional content of colours
Apart from human biology colours also affect the psyche.
According to Goethe: Experience teaches us that the individual colours all radiate different
moods...
The colours of the positive side are: yellow, reddish yellow (orange), yellowish red (red lead,
cinnabar red). These colours put people in an active, lively, industrious mood.
The colours of the negative side are: blue, reddish blue and bluish red.
These colours put people in a restless, soft and yearning mood.
Green: the human eye finds real satisfaction in this colour.
I think there is nothing to add to the quotation above, the emotional content of colours was
just as obviously perceivable and assessable two hundred years ago.

The so-called colour association is closely related to the phenomena described above, and it
is one of the most important elements of the relationship between colours and people. Colour
association can be realised at three content levels: it has a biological, aesthetic and symbolic
basis.
The biological basis of colour association
Professor Antal Nemcsics, with his experiment carried out in the course of his research in
colour dynamics, demonstrated that the association red-warm has a biological basis, as the
subjects of the experiment found that in a room lit with red light a lower temperature was
more comfortable than in the case of cold-blue lighting.
The biological content of colour association is closely related to the colour-physiological
connections.
The aesthetic content of colour association
Colour associations are usually connected to sensations created through other sense organs, so
for example colours may carry musical or poetical associations. The aesthetic content of
colour association is based on the emotional effect of colours.
The symbolic content of colour association
Symbolic contents may have a religious, political, historical or status nature.
The most basic symbolic associations obviously occur in meanings, which evidently follow
from the nature of the given colours. E.g.: red-blood, life; yellow-light, etc.
The origin of the symbolic content of colours reaches back to the prehistory of human kind
(e.g.: the dark blue of the sky = tranquillity, passivity), and it was continuously expanded by
the religions and cultures created during history.
Naturally symbolic contents are not permanent, they depend on historical and cultural
circumstances. Here are a few examples of symbolic contents created in different eras of
cultural history:
- in ancient Egypt blue and green were regarded as spiritual colours (as symbols of Amon
Osiris)
- in the liturgical and heraldic colour symbolism of the Middle Ages green represented
hope, while red was the symbol or courage.
It is important for the architect to be aware of the system of colour symbols of a given society,
culture or religious group to avoid creating a completely different effect than intended
because of not knowing the symbols.

III. Colour space architecture

After discussing the basic characteristics of colours and the significant laws of interaction
between people and colours, it is time to talk about the connection between colour-spacearchitecture, that is the basic principle determining the possibilities of using colours in
architecture.
Colour and space
First of all we must talk about the space expressing abilities of colours and their appropriate
use in interior spaces.
The space sensation modifying role of colours and its laws can be described as follows:
The space sensation modifying role of hues:
It is a basic principle that warm colours bring things closer, while cold colours make things
more distant. J. Itten, on the basis of his experiments, came to the conclusion that the
graduation of the space defining depth effect of the six primary colours conforms with
extreme and mean ratios, and from cold and warm colours of the same brightness warm
colours press forward, while cold colours press downwards.
Using this law and colouring appropriately the individual limiting walls of the space, an
optically different effect can be reached than the real dimensions of the space.
The space sensation modifying role of saturation and brightness differences
It is a general rule that saturated and bright colours seem to be closer than unsaturated, dark
colours. In the case of saturated and extremely saturated colours small modifications in
saturation result in hardly any change in the sensation of distance. At the same time the
smallest modification in the saturation of average saturated colours has a strong effect on the
sensation of distance.
So on the basis of the laws described above the ceiling of an interior space should be given a
cold, unsaturated colour to make the space look higher, at the same time a warm, saturated
floor colour makes the floor look more concrete and close, which has a good effect on our
feeling of security.
It is a general rule that in the case of interior spaces from the aspect of brightness it is best to
determine the floor wall ceiling brightness scale in a way that the floor is given the darkest
colour and the ceiling is given the brightest colour.
A dark ceiling may make the space look depressed, while a too bright floor may make it
insecure.
Building mass, faade appearance
Colours can also influence the sensation of mass: saturated colours make objects look bigger,
while unsaturated colours make them look smaller. The same stands for light colours: the
brighter the object, the bigger it looks.
Consequently colours also have a mass sensation modifying effect, which can be exploited in
architecture. Building parts of a smaller mass, which are important at the same time and must
be made more pronounced, should be given a more saturated, bright colour to emphasise their
significance, and vice versa: the optical size of a disproportionately big building mass can be
reduced with a darker, unsaturated colour.
The structure of a building can also be emphasised with colours. Not too saturated tones are
suitable for pronouncing levels and floors. Emphasising functional structures with the use of
colours helps to make the visual appearance of a building radiate a feeling of stability.

Favourably the hue, saturation and brightness of the colour of doors and windows (or other
important architectonic elements) should be distinctively different from that of the walls.
At the same time it is important to take into consideration the geographical position and
orientation of a building when choosing the right colours. For example the Mediterranean
sunshine invigorates white and light tones. On the faades of areas with less sunshine
extremely saturated, contrasting colours are the most suitable. Red and yellow comes to life in
sunshine, while blue and green are more effective first of all in shade.
Obviously in the course of colouring a building the so-called colour tradition of the given
region or architectural style or function should always be taken into consideration. And
naturally the building material presented in its natural colour, whether it is concrete, wood,
stone, metal, etc., is a decisive element of the colour composition of a building. When
colouring individual surfaces the planned colour should be in harmony with the nature of the
carrying surface, because this is the only way to ensure the elegant appearance of the quality
contrast described above.
Colour and function
When planning the colours of a building the function of the planned building must be taken
into consideration. Completely different colours are suitable in the case of a hospital,
residential house, school or place of entertainment.
Instead of just talking in general let me put down an instruction here that the colour sciencebased analysis of successful buildings of the right function must always precede making the
colour plan of the buildings. At the same time it is a generally accepted rule that in the case of
buildings of a complex function colouring should possibly help people to find their way inside
the building.
In the case of spaces planned for permanent occupation the use of strong, saturated colours or
such contrasts on large surfaces should be avoided.

IV. Harmony of colours

After discussing the basic laws of the relationship between colour-people-architecture, we
have come to the most essential point: how to create harmonic, balanced colour compositions,
what types do they have, and what criteria should be fulfilled to create them?
Harmonic colour compositions can be grouped on the basis of the hue parameters of their
colours. On the number of hues appearing in the composition there are monochromatic,
dichromatic, trichromatic and tetrachromatic harmonies, which contain colours belonging to
one, two, three or four different hues. There are also so-called polychromatic harmonies,
which contain more than four hues, but from the aspect of architectural use they are too
colourful, and they are not used in planned architectural colour compositions.
Monochromatic harmonies
It is the simplest version of colour harmony compositions. The colours used in the
composition belong to the same hue.
Three different types of harmony can be created:
a.) only the brightness value of the colours used in the composition is different.
b.) only the saturation value of the colours used in the composition is different.
c.) both the brightness and saturation values of the colours used in the composition are
different.
If
a.) only the brightness of the colours used in the composition is different, we get a very
simple composition, which is suitable for creating dynamic harmony. It is a popular colour
composition in modern architecture.
b.) only the saturation of the colours used in the composition is different, we get a very fine,
decadent colour harmony. This type of harmony is rarely used on its own, it has
insignificant dynamics, but at the same time it has a serious aesthetic content.
c.) both the brightness and saturation values of the colours used in the composition are
different, we get a complex, rich colour composition, where the dynamics of the brightness
contrast and the fine aesthetics of the saturation contrast are asserted at the same time.
It is true in the case of each type of monochromatic harmony (and obviously in the case of the
multicoloured compositions discussed later) that the colour composition has a harmonic
effect, if the brightness and saturation conditions of the colours are on a scale, that is there is
the same distance between the brightness and saturation values of the individual elements.
This makes the harmony more balanced.
Dichromatic harmonies
These are harmony compositions the colours of which belong to two different hues.
In this case too the brightness and saturation values must be on a scale.
So-called complementary harmonies are of outstanding significance, in this case the two hues
are in complementary contrast with each other.
Compositions where the hues are at a 130o angle with each other in the colour circle (e.g.:
blue and red) have a similarly important aesthetic content. Generally these compositions also
include a cold-warm contrast.
If we consider all the possible different brightness and saturation values, we shall see that
dichromatic compositions offer the possibility of a really great diversity of colour.

Trichromatic harmonies
In this case the colours of the harmonies belong to three hues. These are very rich harmonies,
but their emotional content is less as evident as compared to dichromatic harmonies.
So-called triad harmonies are of outstanding significance, where the hues are situated on the
colour circle more or less symmetrically (that is approximately at 120o from each other)
creating a fairly complete colour composition.
So-called group harmonies are also very important, they consist of two hues, which are close
to each other and a hue at 34o from them. They are harmonies with a clear emotional content,
as a given hue is dominant in them, which is finely modulated by the other hues.
Tetrachromatic harmonies
In this case the colours of the harmonies belong to four hues, literally they can include the
complete colour circle, consequently they are very varied.
So-called tetrad harmonies bear special significance and they are often used. In this case the
hues are situated at 34o 130o 230o, or 130o 230o 326o from each other, so they are regularly
positioned on the colour circle.
Tetrachromatic harmonies created from double complementary pairs must also be mentioned,
but in their case it is difficult to avoid an unbalanced, variegated visual effect.
The compositions described above can only achieve a real colour harmony on architectural
compositions, if apart from complying with the above criteria the laws discussed in the
previous chapters are also observed: colour preference, colour association, the architectural
appearance and function of colours express the architectural intention together, in a uniform
way, on the basis of the architects plan.
We must not forget about the conditions of lighting either, as it is a basic condition of colours.
Obviously the direction, intensity and temperature (cold or warm lights) of the lighting may
have a basic influence on the final appearance of colour compositions and on creating the
intended harmony.
It is easy to understand that architectural colour harmony is a complex unit, and architects
must be aware of all its elements and laws to create a nice building, which complies with
the aesthetic aims.
The study of colour dynamics and colour science can help them to reach this aim.

IV. A short history of colour science

Modern colour systems
A short history of colour science
Ever since the European renaissance artists and scientists have been concerned about defining
and explaining colours, their laws and systematisation. Leonardo and Newton were also
deeply involved with the science of colours is, but the first basic work in colour science,
which is regarded as modern and certain elements of which still have their effects today,
was Colour Science (Zur Farbenlehre) by J.W. Goethe, at the very beginning of the 19th
century. He named the six spectral colours, and he assumed that colours were created from a
mixture of light and darkness: that is when white is gradually darkened, yellow appears first,
and when black is gradually lightened, blue appears first. This assumption is regarded as the
first formulation for arranging the primary colours in order of brightness. Goethes colour
theory describes the emotional content of colours, and the principle of complementarity also
appears first in his work, and becomes generally accepted later on during the 19th century. In
connection with Goethes colour theory we must mention the name of a German painter,
Philipp Otto Runge, who shared Goethes views on colour theory, and created his colour
system according to them, the so-called colour sphere, which classes colours both on a
brightness scale and on a grey scale.
The next important stage in the history of colour science was the colour sphere created by a
French chemist, Chevreul in the middle of the 19th century, and his book On the laws of the
assortment of coloured objects and the simultaneous contrasts of colours, in which he deals
with contrast phenomena, first of all complementary contrasts.
Chevreuls colour theory had a great effect on French painting, and so it indirectly became a
basically decisive factor in modern painting.
In 1850 James Clerk Maxwell, a Scottish physicist, carried out an experiment to demonstrate
that colours can mix even in the eyes, and not only on the palette or on the canvas, and in
1879 an American scientist, Ogden Rood supplemented this discovery by saying that if
different colours are juxtaposed in the form of lines and dots, when they are viewed from the
right distance, their mixing is mostly performed by they eyes. The trend of pointillism in
painting subsisted on this recognition, and the appearance of colour printing procedures based
on raster points was also based on this.
The creation of modern colour theory, which still has its effects today, is related to the
German Bauhaus school and its two leading teachers, Johannes Itten and Josef Albers.
Itten described his views on colours and their interactions in his book The Art of Colour,
and Albers in his book Interaction of Colour; their theories became starting points of
modern colour systems, and the present subject is also based on them.

Modern colour systems

People are able to distinguish several millions of surface colours, so there has always been
a demand for the systematisation of colours. Basically in modern colour systems the colours
are positioned in a three-dimensional space. Colours are identified on the basis of catalogues
containing so-called colour patterns, and generally a three-component code belongs to the
colours patterns showing hue, brightness and saturation values (in certain systems the code
numbers show the colour mixing components of the colours).
Modern colour systems are classed in the following categories:
colour systems based on additive colour mixing
colour systems based on subtractive colour mixing
colour systems based on equally spaced hues according to perception
colour systems based on additive colour mixing
These systems regard colours as individual colours of the colour circle, and the additive
mixture of white and black.
The most significant system based on additive colour mixing is the
Ostwald system
The basic system was created in 1915.
The possible hues are groups according to the following:
primary colours
bright colours (primary colour + white)
dark colours (primary colour + black)
dull colours (primary colour + white and black/grey)
The practical realisation of this colour system was a collection of colour patterns published in
the USA with the title: Color Harmony Manual. The fault of this colour system is the lack
of equally spaced hues according to perception.
colour systems based on subtractive colour mixing
These systems describe colours as a mixture of colour pigments.
A typical example is the Coloriser colour system created in the USA in 1947.
The colour collection contains 1322 colour patterns. The colour space is not continuous and
not equally spaced.
colour systems based on equally spaced hues according to perception
In the model of these systems there are equal spaces between the colour points. These are the
most widely used colour systems, and the first one was the
Munsell colour system (in 1915)
The colours are described with the following three data:

hue (H)
chroma (C)
value (V)
The colour circle, the hue scale is divided into 100 equal parts according 10 hues of the 5
primary colours and 5 mixed colours each:
R-red, YR-yellow-red, Y-yellow, GY-green-yellow, G-green, BG-blue-green, B-blue, PBpurple-blue, P-purple, RP-red-purple.
The latest colour collection is Chroma Cosmos 5000, which was published in Japan in 1978
and contains 5000 colour patterns.

DIN colour system

It is a standard German colour system since 1953. The system divides the colour circle into
approximately equal parts according to 24 perceptions:
The saturation value of the colours is marked with the letter S, the saturation value of the
achromatic point is S=0.
The brightness value of the colours is marked with the letter D.
The latest colour pattern collection is DIN 6164 Glnzende Farbmuster published in 1983,
and it contains 571 colour patterns.
NCS (National Colour System) (1972)
The system is based on that there are six primary colour perceptions:
white (W), black (B), yellow (Y), red (R), blue (B), green (G), and all the other colour
perceptions are more or less related to these. The NCS describes each colour with their extent
of similarity to the six selected colours.
Its colour pattern collection is Color Atlas SS 019102 published in 1979, and it contains
1412 patterns.
The Coloroid colour system (1979)
The novelty of this colour system is that colours are systematised based on aesthetically
equal spacing:
On the basis of hue (A), saturation (T) and brightness (V).
Its creator is professor Antal Nemcsics, who worked out this colour system at the Department
of Design of the Budapest Technical University.
The numbers of the system allocated to brightness and saturation values are extremely
suitable for creating a scale, which is a basic condition of colour harmonies, so the colour
system is very suitable for the purposes of practising and teaching colour planning.
The Coloroid system operates with 48 primary colours (hues), which are marked with a twofigure number:
10-16 yellows
20-26 oranges
30-35 reds
40-46 magentas and violets
50-56 blues
60-66 cold greens
70-76 warm greens
Saturation is the second characteristic or co-ordinate of the colour. The saturation of Coloroid
clear colours (boundary colours) is 100, and the saturation of achromatic grey is 0.
Coloroid brightness is the third characteristic or co-ordinate of the colour.
The brightness of the Coloroid absolute black is 0, and the brightness of the absolute white is
100.
Coloroid brightness shows the distance of the colour from the absolute black on a scale the
division of which is aesthetically even.
As the Coloroid colour circle does not consist of colours of equal absolute brightness, it is
obvious that in a three-dimensional colour space the colour circle is a spatial curve returning
into itself, and the volume bordered by this curve and the absolute black and absolute white is
the so-called Coloroid colour solid.
Colour dynamics studies at the Department of Design are taught on the basis of the Coloroid
colour system.

The systems colour collection is the Coloroid Colour Atlas published in 1988, and it contains
1617 colour patterns.

Literature:
Nemcsics, Antal:
Porter-Mikellide:
Goethe:
Itten:
Nemcsics:

Szndinamika, Akadmiai Kiad

Color for Architecture, Studio Vista
Szntan, Corvina Kiad
Kunst der Farbe, Otto Maier Verlag
Klnbz korok ptszeti Stlusainak
Sznhasznlata,
Szn
s

Fny

Alaptvny