Conquering Color. Dina Wakley

Transcription

1 Conquering Color Dina Wakley The Color Wheel: There are many systems for explaining and displaying color, but the most common is the 12- color color wheel. Memorize the Color Wheel One of the best ways to become good with color is to become very familiar with color. You need to know the color wheel like the back of your hand. If I asked you what the complement of violet is, you should immediately be able to tell me, Yellow! Knowing the color wheel will help you make informed color choices. And, when your page colors aren t working, you can turn to the color wheel to find out why. Use a Classic Color Scheme

2 What s great about classic color schemes is that they re guaranteed to work. There s no guesswork involved. Most of my work falls into one of these classic schemes. We ll practice the color schemes together. Think About Proportion My absolute favorite color schemes are complementary, but complementary schemes can be the most difficult to manage. Why? Because complementary colors provide high contrast, and too much contrast can clash and be distracting in a layout. One way to make color work for you is to think in terms of proportion. Instead of using equal amounts of color, follow the gallon, quart, ounce rule for guaranteed color prowess. Here s how: 1. Choose a dominant color. This is your gallon color. It will cover 70% of your page. You can use different tints and shades of this color, if you like. 2. Choose a secondary color. This is your quart color. It will cover 20% of your page. 3. Choose a third color. This is your ounce color. It will be 10% of your page. In general, I choose a calm, pleasing color for my gallon color. You won t ever see me choose red as my gallon color, because red is so visually stimulating and hard to control (and I watch too much CSI and red can turn into crime scene quickly). For me, red works better as a quart or ounce color. However, I have friends who love red and are able to make it work as their gallon color by carefully controlling the type of red they use (pinkish red, orangey red, etc). I have been analyzing my pages, and I realized that I have my own version of the gallon, quart, ounce rule. I noticed that my gallon color is often a neutral (usually the white of the page). Then I add one or two secondary colors, leaving lots of white space (or neutral color) open. I keep those colors analogous. Then I add my color pop, a complement to one of the secondary colors. Analogous Complementary Double Complementary Triad Monochromatic Split Complementary

3 Classic Color Scheme Practice Monochromatic. Various shades (or values) of one hue. Monochromatic color schemes are calm and serene, and easy to manage. Analogous. Three or four colors next to each other on the color wheel. Because the colors are close to each other on the color wheel, they harmonize well and even blend into each other. The effect is similar to a monochromatic scheme, but with more visual interest. The gradual changing of the colors is pleasing and suggests form and depth.

4 Analogous with Complement. Three colors next to each other on the color wheel, plus the color that is complementary to the middle color. This scheme gives you the harmony of the analogous scheme, and a bit of pop from the complement Complementary. Two colors opposite on the color wheel, such as blue and orange. Complementary color schemes are visually exciting. When put complementary colors beside each other, they make each other appear brighter. The contrast between the two colors is stimulating. Near Complementary. Colors that are almost opposite, such as blue and yellow.

5 Triadic. Three colors equally spaced from each other on the color wheel. Triadic color schemes offer contrast, but not as much contrast as a complementary scheme. Split Complementary. One color plus the two colors that are on either side of the first color s complement. This scheme provides high contrast, but not as much visual tension as a complementary scheme. Double Complementary. This scheme uses two pairs of complements. Choose a dominant color and then use the other colors carefully as accents. This type of scheme offers lots of color variety, but is the most difficult to balance.