color wheel primary secondary tertiary psd

There are also many websites dedicated to color harmony that are great for reference, like design-seeds. Particularly plants, the ocean & different landscapes. Designers sometime use an accent color to add interest or contrast to the design.Ī wonderful place to find naturally harmonious colors are in nature. Monochromatic Colors – all tints, tones and shades of a single color hue. Square – Two pairs of complementary colors that form a square on the color wheel Tetradic – two pairs of complementary colors that form a rectangle on the color wheel Split- Complimentary – Base color + two colors adjacent to its complement color. Triadic Colors – colors that are evenly spaced around the color wheel We can choose a base color, and by viewing the different colors next to and across from this color, we can see which colors will work together with our base color to create harmony.Īnalogous Colors – three colors side by side on the color wheel.Ĭomplimentary Colors – any two colors opposite each other on the color wheel. This is where our color wheel really does its job. Too much of it can be overwhelming to the viewer. One must be careful as to not overindulge with color. Just as musical notes have certain chords that are pleasing to the ear, so to must color have a harmonious arrangement to engage the eye and create a sense of balance and order. Tone – A color and the addition of grey to add desaturation (less color intensity).Īccent color – a contrasting color to stand out to the rest of the design in a monochromatic palette.Ĭolor application can be a very complex & mathematical process. Tint – A color and the addition of white to make it lighter. Shade – A color and the addition of black to make it darker. Hue – One of the 12 purest colors from the color wheel. This is your starting point in which all other color choices will come from.

Some Vocabulary to note before moving on:īase Color – The dominant color selected for a color palette.

Color wheel primary secondary tertiary psd