A Guide to Using Color Effectively

A GUIDE to
USING COLOR
EFFECTIVELYV1.02 DIGITAL MEDIA & MULTIMEDIA DESIGN
By Gabriel D’Amato

WHAT EXACTLY is
COLOR THEORY?
Color theory can get very complex, so we will
attempt to keep it relatively simple by focusing on
some key aspects of color that are an everyday part
of a designers life.
• The Basic Color Wheel
• Color Relationships
• Complimentary Colors
• Triad Colors
• Split Complement Triad Colors
• Analogous
• Shades & Tints
• Warm & Cool Colors
• CMYK v. RGB (Screen v. Print)
*COLOR THEORY (DESIGN)
A body of practical guidance to color mixing and the
visual effects of a specific color combination. There are
also definitions (or categories) of colors based on the
color wheel: primary, secondary and tertiary color.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_theory
THIS IS FOR REALLY DRIVING THE POINT HOME

PRIMARY
COLORS
IMAGINE YOU HAVE A BOX OF
WATER COLORS… THERE IS NO
WAY TO MIX PURE YELLOW,
RED or BLUE FROM OTHER
COLORS.
The color wheel begins with Yellow, Red
and Blue, which are the primary colors.
They are called Primary Colors because
they are the only colors you can’t
create from mixing other colors.
With these three colors, you can create
almost any other color.

SECONDARY
COLORS
Yellow + Blue = Green
Blue + Red = Purple
Red + Yellow = Orange
Secondary colors are created from mixing
the two colors next to one another into a
new color.

TERTIARY
COLORS
WE NOW HAVE A BASIC
TWELVE COLOR WHEEL TO
WORK WITH.
In order to create Tertiary Colors you
continue to mix two colors next to one
another.
They create new and interesting colors
that you can start to work with to build
various combinations.
You could continue to mix colors, but let’s
stop where we are to keep it simple.

REMEMBER: USING COLORS EFFECTIVELY
MEANS UNDERSTANDING COLORS FIRST.
• DO YOUR RESEARCH. THE MOST COMMON COLORS
MAY NOT BE WHAT YOU WANT IN YOUR DESIGN.
• LEARN TO MIX VARIOUS TYPES OF COLOR PALETTES TO
ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL.
• LOOK AT OTHER DESIGN WORK CRITICALLY. CAN YOU
PICK OUT VARIOUS PALATTES?
• ALWAYS KEEP IN MIND, COLORS MEAN DIFFERENT
THINGS TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE. WHAT BLUE MEANS TO
YOU MAY CREATE A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT
EMOTIONAL RESPONSE IN SOMEONE ELSE.
TIPS FOR NEWBIES:

COMPLIMENTARY
COLORS
COLORS THAT ARE FOUND
DIRECTLY ACROSS FROM
ONE ANOTHER ARE
CALLED COMPLIMENTS.
Because they are so opposite from one
another, they often work best when one is
a main color and the other is an accent.

TRIAD
COLORS
A SET OF THREE COLORS
EQUADISTANT FROM EACH
OTHER ALWAYS CREATES
A TRIAD.
You will find and create some uncommon
and exciting color combinations using this
technique.

SPLIT
COMPLIMENT
TRIAD COLORSINSTEAD OF USING A
COMPLIMENTING COLOR,
USE THE TWO NEXT TO
THE COMPLIMENT.
Again, this technique creates some very
interesting combinations, so don’t be
afraid to experiment this way.

ANALOGOUS
COLORS
USE THREE COLORS THAT
ARE DIRECTLY NEXT TO
ONE ANOHTER.
By using Analogous colors, no matter
which three you choose they will all share
a common undertone.
This technique creates harmonious
color combinations.

DON’T FALL INTO A DESIGN RUT WITH COLORS.
MIX AND MATCH DIFFERENT STYLES BASED ON
THE PROJECT.
• IT IS ALL TOO EASY TO FALL INTO A RUT. STAY
CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE.
• HOWEVER, WHEN IT COMES TO BRANDING, REMEMBER
THAT YOU DO WANT TO USE THE SAME PALETTE OVER
AND OVER.
• FOR PRACTICE, TRY TO REVERSE ENGINEER THE
COLORS FROM OTHER DESIGNS. WHAT TYPES OF
PALETTES DID THE DESIGNERS USE?
• BE BOLD WITH YOUR COLOR CHOICES (PROJECT
PERMITTING, OF COURSE).
TIPS FOR NEWBIES:

SHADES
& TINTS
THE BASIC COLOR WHEEL
ONLY INVOLVES PURE “HUES”.
The base color on the wheel is called the HUE.
By adding black to the hue, you are creating
SHADES.
Adding white to the hue, you are creating TINTS.
By using Shades & Tints we will exponentially
expand the basic color wheel.
TINT
SHADE
HUE

MONOCHROMATIC
COLOR PALETTES
USING A MONOCHROMATIC
COLOR SCHEME IS COMPOSED
OF ONE HUE, WITH ANY
NUMBER OF CORRESPONDING
TINTS & SHADES.
When creating a Monochromatic Color Palette,
remember that you can use any number of
Tints and Shades…
…not to mention any variation of grey you want
as well.
TINT
SHADE
HUE

WARM & COOL
COLORS
SIMPLY PUT, WARM
COLORS HAVE ADDED
REDS & YELLOWS, WHILE
COOL COLORS HAVE
LEVELS OF BLUE.
You can “warm up” colors by adding
various amounts of yellows or reds, even
to different shades of grey.
“Cool” them back down by adding in blues
and purples, even the cool side of green
will work in some cases.

BE BOLD WITH YOUR CHOICES, BUT DON’T BE
OVER THE TOP.
• CHOOSE YOUR COLORS CAREFULLY. BAD COLOR
SCHEMES IN A DESIGN WILL LITERALLY KILL IT.
• GET USED TO USING SHADES & TINTS IN YOUR DESIGN
WORK. THEY WILL ADD DEPTH TO THE DESIGN
WITHOUT OVERPOWERING IT.
• START WITH MONOCHROMATIC COLOR COLLECTIONS.
IF YOU CAN MAKE A DESIGN LOOK GOOD THIS WAY, YOU
WILL ONLY GET BETTER AS YOU GO.
• PICK A HUE, THEN MAKE A SHADE, THEN MAKE A TINT,
THEN MAKE THREE VARIATIONS OF GREY. THAT’S
USUALLY A GOOD PLACE TO START.
TIPS FOR NEWBIES:

RGB v CMYK IF THE DESIGN IS MEANT TO BE ON
A SCREEN, YOU WILL ALWAYS US
THE RGB MODEL.
The RGB model is so important to graphic design because
it is used in computer monitors. Therefore, when designing
websites (and other on-screen projects such as
presentations), the RGB model is used because the final
product is viewed on a computer display.
When two or three of them are combined in different
amounts, other colors are produced.
For example, combining red and green in equal amounts
creates yellow, green and blue creates cyan, and red and
blue creates magenta.
As you change the amount of red, green and blue you are
presented with new colors.
Additionally, when one of these primary additive colors is
not present you get black.
*RGB (DESIGN)
The RGB color model is based on the theory that all
visible colors can be created using the primary
additive colors red, green and blue. These colors are
known as primary additives because when combined in
equal amounts they produce white.
http://graphicdesign.about.com/od/colorbasics/a/rgb.htm

RGB v CMYK
IF YOUR DESIGN IS GOING TO BE
PRINTED, YOU WILL ALWAYS USE
THE CMYK COLOR MODEL.
The RGB color model (made up of red, green and blue) is
used in your computer monitor, and is what you will view
your projects in while still on screen.
These colors, however, can only be viewed with
natural or produced light, such as in the computer
monitor, and not on a printed page. This is where
CMYK comes in.
The four-color printing process uses four printing plates;
one for cyan, one for magenta, one for yellow and one for
black.
When the colors are combined on paper (they are actually
printed as small dots), the human eye sees the final
image.
Digital files should be converted to CMYK before sending
to printers, unless otherwise specified.
*CMYK (DESIGN)
The CMYK color model is used in the printing
process. It uses the colors Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and
a separate Black in order to create colors that will be
seen properly by the human eye when not on a screen.
These are also known as subtractive colors.
http://graphicdesign.about.com/od/colorbasics/a/cmyk.htm

IF YOU ARE NEW TO THE IDEAS OF RGB AND
CMYK, HERE ARE SOME TIPS:
• PRINTING IN RGB IS HIGHLY UNRELIABLE. WHAT YOU
SEE ON SCREEN IS NOT WHAT YOU WILL SEE ON
PAPER.
• REMEMBER, IF YOU ADD ALL THE RGB COLORS
TOGETHER, YOU GET WHITE… NOT BLACK.
• YOU CAN WORK ON FILES IN RGB, THEN CONVERT
THEM TO CMYK BEFORE YOU PRINT.
• CMYK COLOR MODES MAKE SLIGHTLY HIGHER FILE
SIZES FOR DOCUMENTS ON COMPUTERS.
• JUST REMEMBER, IF ITS BEING PRINTED USE CMYK.
TIPS FOR NEWBIES:

GO ONLINE AND FIND AT LEAST THREE
EXAMPLES OF VARIOUS COLOR SCHEMES.
Use your new best friend (google.com) to find at least
three examples of different color palettes used for
website designs.
LOOK FOR ONE COMPLIMENTARY, ONE TRIAD
AND ONE MONOCHROMATIC.
FIND EXAMPLE COLOR
COLLECTIONS

A Guide to Using Color Effectively

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