Articles
Color Theory Basics
This article has been reproduced with permission from QSX Software
Group, the creators of the amazing Color
Wheel Pro program.
What is color theory?
Color Theory is a set of principles used to
create harmonious color combinations. Color relationships can
be visually represented with
a color wheel — the color spectrum wrapped onto a circle.
The color wheel is a visual representation of color theory:
According to color theory, harmonious color
combinations use any two colors opposite each other on the color
wheel, any three colors
equally spaced around the color wheel forming a triangle, or any
four colors forming a rectangle (actually, two pairs of colors
opposite
each other). The harmonious color combinations are called color
schemes – sometimes the term 'color harmonies' is also used.
Color schemes remain harmonious regardless of the rotation angle.
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Classic Color Schemes
 Monochromatic
The monochromatic color scheme uses variations in lightness and
saturation of a single color. This scheme looks clean and elegant.
Monochromatic colors go well together, producing a soothing effect.
The monochromatic scheme is very easy on the eyes, especially with
blue or green hues. You can use it to establish an overall mood.
The primary color can be integrated with neutral colors such as
black, white, or gray. However, it can be difficult, when using
this scheme, to highlight the most important elements.
Pros: The monochromatic scheme is easy to manage, and always
looks balanced and visually appealing.
Cons: This scheme lacks color contrast. It is not as vibrant
as the complementary scheme.
Tips:
- Use tints, shades, and tones of the key color to enhance the
scheme.
- Try the analogous scheme; it offers more nuances while retaining
the simplicity and elegance of the monochromatic scheme.
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 Analogous
The analogous color scheme uses colors that are adjacent to each
other on the color wheel. One color is used as a dominant color
while others are used to enrich the scheme. The analogous scheme
is similar to the monochromatic one, but offers more nuances.
Pros: The analogous color scheme is as easy to create as
the monochromatic, but looks richer.
Cons: The analogous color scheme lacks color contrast. It
is not as vibrant as the complementary scheme.
Tips:
- Avoid using too many hues in the analogous scheme, because
this may ruin the harmony.
- Avoid combining warm and cool colors in this scheme.
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 Complementary
The complementary color scheme is made of two colors that are opposite
each other on the color wheel. This scheme looks best when you put
a warm color against a cool color, for example, red versus green-blue.
The complementary scheme is intrinsically high-contrast.
When using the complementary scheme, it is important to choose
a dominant color and use its complementary color for accents. Using
one color for the background and its complementary color to highlight
important elements, you will get color dominance combined with sharp
color contrast.
Pros: The complementary color scheme offers stronger contrast
than any other color scheme, and draws maximum attention.
Cons: This scheme is harder to balance than monochromatic
and analogous schemes, especially when desaturated warm colors are
used.
Tips:
- For best results, place cool colors against warm ones, for example,
blue versus orange.
- If you use a warm color (red or yellow) as an accent, you can
desaturate the opposite cool colors to put more emphasis on the
warm colors.
- Avoid using desaturated warm colors (e.g. browns or dull yellows).
- Try the split complementary scheme; it is similar to the complementary
scheme but offers more variety.
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 Split
Complementary
The split complementary scheme is a variation of the standard complementary
scheme. It uses a color and the two colors adjacent to its complementary.
This provides high contrast without the strong tension of the complementary
scheme.
Pros: The split complementary scheme offers more nuances
than the complementary scheme while retaining strong visual contrast.
Cons: The split complementary scheme is harder to balance
than monochromatic and analogous color schemes.
Tips:
- Use a single warm color against a range of cool colors to put
an emphasis on the warm color (red versus blues and blue-greens,
or orange versus blues and blue-violets).
- Avoid using desaturated warm colors (e.g. browns or dull yellows),
because this may ruin the scheme.
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 Triadic
The triadic color scheme uses three colors equally spaced around
the color wheel. This scheme is popular among artists because it
offers strong visual contrast while retaining balance, and color
richness. The triadic scheme is not as contrasting as the complementary
scheme, but it looks more balanced and harmonious.
Pros: The triadic color scheme offers high contrast while
retaining harmony.
Cons: The triadic color scheme is not as contrasting as
the complementary scheme.
Tips:
- Choose one color to be used in larger amounts than others.
- If the colors look gaudy, try to subdue them.
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 Tetradic
(Double Complementary)
The tetradic (double complementary) scheme is the richest of all
the schemes because it uses four colors arranged into two complementary
color pairs. This scheme is hard to harmonize; if all four colors
are used in equal amounts, the scheme may look unbalanced, so you
should choose a color to be dominant or subdue the colors.
Pros: The tetradic scheme offers more color variety than
any other scheme.
Cons: This scheme is the hardest scheme to balance.
Tips:
- If the scheme looks unbalanced, try to subdue one or more colors.
- Avoid using pure colors in equal amounts.
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