An Introduction To Color Theory

Color theory is a body of practical guidance to color mixing and the visual impacts of specific color combinations

-Wikipedia (color theory)

We’ve all seen it/felt it – It might have been a logo, a website or even the clothes you were wearing – but when you looked at it something was just… off. Color is one of those things that may not draw much attention when its right, but it certainly makes an impression when its wrong. While some people have a natural nack for it, there is a lot of science behind matching up hues in a color scheme – that’s where a little understanding of color theory comes in handy.

Color theory is essentially just a structured way of organizing and using color in design, but in order to better understand color theory it might help to learn a bit about its origins.

Color Theory Basics: Starting at The Beginning

The long and sometimes controversial history of color theory has been influenced by some of the most notable names in science and art.  The earliest concepts related to color theory emerged during the Renaissance when Leonardo da Vinci & Leone Battista Alberti postulated on ‘optics’ (the study of the behavior and properties of light) among other things.

However, full fledged color theory didn’t really emerge until much later with Sir Isaac Newton’s own experimentation into optics where he discovered the color spectrum.

The Color Spectrum

Through his various experiments Newton demonstrated that white light, when separated using a prism, was really a spectrum (or an array) of various colors combined. His experimentation exposed the existence of the visible spectrum of light, which he  studied extensively dividing it into 7 distinct color bands – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. It has since been argued that indigo, being relatively undetectable to the human eye, shouldn’t be considered a separate color. Goethe’s own color model for instance opts for only 6 distinct color bands, neglecting Indigo.

The Color Wheel

To help visualize color relationships, Newton developed the color wheel. A simplified model of the color spectrum, the color wheel starts at red and cycles clockwise through the hues to violet. The key to the color wheel is observing how one band of color relates to another band based on its proximity or position.

While Newton’s original color wheel had 7 distinct hues, Goethe’s Theory of Color introduced a symmetrical 6 hue color wheel (with-out Indigo). Goethe’s color wheel positioned colors directly opposite of one another, allowing each color to be “diametrically opposed” to its color counterpart – our first scientific peek into the contrasting & complimentary nature of color relationships.

Color Theory Recap

While the term Color Theory itself can sound a bit lofty, keep in mind, it’s just a simple, structured way of organizing colors and understanding color relationships. The basics are simple & can be applied by even the most novice of artists/designers. Hopefully, armed with a little color theory knowledge we can make smart color choices that improve our design efforts.

But Color Theory is just the beginning – continue reading the Color and Design series to discover more about how color can influence your design for the better. Also, be sure to check out the 3rd party resources listed below for more on Color Theory. And as always, your comments are encouraged and appreciated.

Color Theory Resources

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_theory
• http://www.colourlovers.com/blog/2008/05/08/history-of-the-color-wheel/
• http://www.worqx.com/color/
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RYB_color_model
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_Colours_%28book%29
• http://www.cs.brown.edu/courses/cs092/VA10/HTML/ColorModels.html
• http://www.colormatters.com/colortheory.html
• http://www.johnlovett.com/colour.htm
• http://www.colorcube.com/articles/models/model.htm
• http://www.colorcube.com/articles/theory/theory.htm

Color and Design Introduction

Two of the greatest weapons in any design ninja’s arsenal are a keen understanding of color, and a strong grasp on how to apply it in design. Color, both evocative and visceral, compels an emotional response engaging the audience both instantly and deeply. Color… is powerful.

However, color’s power is raw & primal, and with-out direction it can quickly overpower your design. Like other visual elements at a designers disposal, color is a tool that must be managed and applied purposefully to achieve its maximum effectiveness. In concert with line, form (or shapes), proportion, texture and balance, color can attract or deflect attention, infer weight & momentum, imbue mood or completely modify the meaning of a design.

Color and Design Series

Over the course of several articles we’ll uncover some of the essential principles that govern color, and explore methods of effectively leveraging color in design.

Key articles in this series will include an introduction to Color Theory, an exploration of the Color Wheel and related color schemes (primary, secondary, tertiary, complimentary, split complimentary etc), a study of the various color models (RYB, CMYK and RGB), a look at defining the difference between saturation and value (tints, tones, and shades), a discussion on color psychology & color meanings, and collections of HTML color codes, color scheme tools and other color & design related resources & inspiration.

The Color and Design article series avoids the extensive complexities of mathematical color science (mathematical formulas & physics), and focuses more on the essential principles of color and design that relate most directly to how designers use color in our work.

I hope you enjoy reading the series as much as I have enjoyed collecting the data and writing the articles.