Color Harmony

Which colors look good together?

Color Harmony

• Colors seen together to produce a

pleasing affective response are

said to be in harmony.

Color Wheel

Consists of… Primary Colors Secondary Colors Intermediate

Colors

Primary Colors

• Foundation of Color Wheel– Yellow– Red– Blue

Secondary Colors

• Combination of any two of primary colors– Orange– Green– Violet

Intermediate Colors

• Formed by combining primary and secondary colors– Red-Orange– Yellow-Orange– Yellow-Green– Blue-Green– Blue Violet– Red-Violet

• How do we know what looks good together?

Color Combinations

Monochromatic Harmony– Uses two or more tones in ONE color

Analogous Harmony– Uses colors next to each

other on the color wheel– Not much contrast– serene-feeling designs makes

viewer feel comfortable

Color Combinations

Complementary Harmony– Uses 2 colors directly

opposite on the color wheel– Used to create high contrast– Use sparingly

Color Combinations

Split Complements Harmony– Colors on each side of the

complement – High contrast, but has less tension

than complementary– Good for beginners, it is difficult to

mess up

Color Combinations

Triad Harmony– 3 colors that are evenly

spaced around the color wheel

– let one color dominate and use the two others for accent

Color Combinations

Neutral Colors– Black, White and Gray

– May be used with any color or combination of color

Color Combinations

Color Moods

• Warm Colors: indicates aggression, excitement and danger

RED YELLOW ORANGE

– Red is considered most active of the three

Color Moods

• Cool Colors: associated with nature and passiveness

BLUE GREEN VIOLET

Questions

• Which color combination uses colors next to each other on the the color wheel?Analogous Harmony

• Which colors convey excitement?Red, yellow, orange

• Which color harmony would be a good choice for high contrast?Complementary Harmony

Questions

• Name the Primary Colors.Yellow, Blue, Red

• Which color harmony uses 3 colors evenly spaced from one another?Triad

• Which color harmony uses shades of 1 color?Monochromatic

Questions

• Name the “Cool” colors.Blue Green Violet

• Which color space is subtractive?CMYK - Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black

• The the spot color system used in industry?PMS - Pantone Matching System