COLOR THEORY design and architecture

Color theory is a set of principles used to create harmonious and visually appealing color combinations. It is widely used in art, design, branding, and psychology to influence emotions and perception.

1. The Color Wheel 🌈
The color wheel is a visual representation of colors arranged in a circular format. It includes:

Primary Colors: Red, Blue, Yellow – Cannot be made by mixing other colors.
Secondary Colors: Green, Orange, Purple – Created by mixing two primary colors.
Tertiary Colors: Yellow-Green, Blue-Green, Blue-Purple, etc. – Made by mixing a primary and a secondary color.
2. Color Harmony & Schemes 🎨
Color harmony refers to combinations that are aesthetically pleasing. Common color schemes include:

Monochromatic – Different shades, tints, and tones of a single color.
Analogous – Colors that are next to each other on the color wheel (e.g., blue, blue-green, green).
Complementary – Opposite colors on the wheel (e.g., red & green) that create strong contrast.
Split-Complementary – A base color plus two adjacent colors to its complement (e.g., blue, yellow-orange, red-orange).
Triadic – Three colors evenly spaced on the color wheel (e.g., red, yellow, blue).
Tetradic (Double Complementary) – Two complementary pairs (e.g., blue & orange, red & green).
3. Warm vs. Cool Colors 🔥❄️
Warm Colors (Red, Orange, Yellow) – Create energy, excitement, and warmth.
Cool Colors (Blue, Green, Purple) – Evoke calmness, serenity, and professionalism.
4. Color Psychology & Meaning 🧠
Colors have psychological effects and cultural meanings:

Red – Passion, energy, urgency, love.
Blue – Trust, calmness, professionalism, stability.
Yellow – Happiness, optimism, caution.
Green – Nature, growth, harmony, money.
Purple – Royalty, creativity, luxury.
Black – Power, elegance, mystery.
White – Purity, simplicity, cleanliness.
5. Practical Applications 🖌️
Graphic Design & Branding: Companies use specific colors to evoke emotions (e.g., McDonald's red & yellow for excitement and appetite).
Interior Design: Warm colors create cozy environments, while cool colors are used for relaxation.
Fashion: Color combinations influence perception and trends.

1. COLOR THEORY

2. COLOR THEORY

3. COLOR ? Definition of color ? A Phenomenon of light (such as red, brown, pink, or gray) or visual perception that enables one to differentiate otherwise identical objects. In other words it is the reflection of light from a pigmented surface. Color is the personality of design or art . Color is an element consisting of hues , of which there are three properties : Hue : which is the distinguishable color, like red, blue or yellow. chroma or intensity: distinguishing between strong and weak colors. Value : the lightness or darkness of the hue .

4. The Visible Spectrum The Color Wheel If the ends of the spectrum are bent around a color wheel is formed:

5. WHAT IS HUE IN COLOR?  Hue is identified as the color family or color name (such as red, yellow, blue). Hue is directly linked to the color's wavelength. Hue or Spectral Color is represented as an angle. Primary Colors: 0˚ = Red 120˚ = Green 240˚ = Blue Secondary Colors: 60˚ = Yellow 180˚ = Cyan 300˚ = Magenta WHAT IS SATURATION IN COLOR? Saturation, also called "chroma," is a measure of the purity of a color or how sharp or dull the color appears. A highly saturated color is bright and appears closer to the edge of the wheel. A more unsaturated color is dull. A color with no saturation is achromatic or in the grey scale.

6. WHAT IS BRIGHTNESS/value IN COLOR? Brightness, also called "luminance" or "value," is the shade (darkness) or tint (lightness) of a color. Areas of an evenly colored object in direct light have higher brightness than areas in shadow. "the quality by which we distinguish a light color from a dark one." Albert Henry Munsell A Color Notation 1905 Value represents the luminescent contrast value between black and white

7. THE COLOR WHEEL The color wheel is divided into three categories: primary, secondary, and tertiary. The three primary colors are red, yellow and blue. These colors are considered to be foundation colors because they are used to create all other colors. By combining two of the primary colors, three secondary colors are formed. They are orange, green and violet. The six tertiary colors are made by combining a primary and an adjacent secondary color. These colors are red-orange, red-violet, yellow-green, yellow-orange, blue-green and blue-violet.

8. SIGNIFICANCE OF COLORS RED : Red is used professionally to capture attention, elicit emotion, and convey confidence. Positive: alertness , ambition, brilliance, circulation, courage, energy, life, love , luck, desire, power, strength, success, victory, warmth, etc. Negative: aggression , domination, battle, hate, danger, madness, pain, prohibition, sacrifice, war, rage, tension, urgency, violence, etc. YELLOW: Positive: activity , aspiration, energy, forgiveness, friendship, happiness , idealism , ideas, inspiration , intuition , joy , knowledge , laughter, logic , light, etc. Negative: caution , fear, warning, alertness, uncertainty, extroversion, etc. BLUE: Positive: acceptance , authority , balance , calmness , care, logic , loyalty , maturity, cleanliness , Coolness , cooperation, security , sincerity , solitude , tradition , transparency, trust, truth, unity, value , water, etc. Negative: caution, depression, sadness, unstable, isolation , etc.

9. color is one of the most powerful forms of non- verbal communication designers use. colors offers an instantaneous method for conveying meaning and messages in design. It is important for designers to use colors appropriately and understand the meaning behind the colors they choose. YELLOW Its often used in design to get attention, create happiness and warmth. cheerful curiosity happiness joy playful positivity sunshine warmth RED used in designs to grip the view's attention and has been known to raise one's blood pressure or make people hungry action aggressive energy excitement love passion strength BLUE calming color that can stir up images of authority, success and security. authority calm confidence dignity established power trustworthy GREEN find it in companies that want to portray themselves as eco friendly. crisp environmental fresh harmony health healing PINK (innocence and delicateness) used to add feminine flare appreciation delicate femininity gentle floral soft

10. WHITE universal color of peace and purity cleanliness innocence purity refined sterile surrender truthfulness simplicity ORANGE create playfulness, stimulate emotions affordable creativity fun youthful high- spirited enthusiasm lighthearted GREY neutral and cool authority corporate respect practically stableness somberness PURPLE implies royalty, mystery shows luxury ceremony expensive fantasy justice regal royalty nobility BROWN indicates nature, woodiness and utility construction/ legal calmness depth earth roughness richness subtle woodsy

11. Secondary Colors : colors that are created from mixing equal amounts of a pair of primary colors ORANGE: Positive: Action, ambition, appetite, assurance, celebration, change, charisma, communication, competence, coziness, creativity, determination, fascination, fitness, flavor, flexibility, friendship fun, generosity, happiness, etc. Negative: disorder , Domination, dryness , exaggeration, explosion, extravagance, extroversion exuberance, temptation , warning, etc. GREEN: Positive: adventure , aspiration , calmness , cleanliness , comfort , efficiency, environment , equilibrium , faith , fertility, freedom, freshness , friendship , generosity, good , luck , growth , Harmony, safety , s ecurity, etc. Negative: laziness , moist , mucous, quietness, etc. VIOLET: Positive: ambition, art, balance Compassion Coolness Creativity Drama Dream Dignity Enchantment Fantasy fashion justice knowledge luxury magic, etc. Negative: anxiety, conflict, grief , extravagance, contrition, Enigma, sorrow , Sophistication, seriousness , sadness , quietness, suffering, etc.

12. Complementary : Colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel are considered to be complementary colors (example: red and green). The high contrast of complementary colors creates a vibrant look especially when used at full saturation. This color scheme must be managed well so it is not jarring. Complementary colors are tricky to use in large doses, but work well when you want something to stand out. Complementary colors are really bad for text. Example: This painting has complementary colors and their values - blues and oranges. Artist that uses complements : Van Gogh “Starry Night” COLOR SCHEMES

13. Split Complementary Color Scheme 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. Triadic Color Scheme 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 harmony and color richness. The triadic scheme is not as contrasting as the complementary scheme, but it looks more balanced and harmonious. Tetradic (Double Complementary) Color Scheme The tetradic (double complementary) scheme is the most varied because it uses two complementary color pairs. This scheme is hard to harmonize; if all four hues are used in equal amounts, the scheme may look unbalanced, so you should choose a color to be dominant or subdue the colors.

14. Analogous : Analogous color schemes use colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. They usually match well and create serene and comfortable designs. Analogous color schemes are often found in nature and are harmonious and pleasing to the eye. Make sure you have enough contrast when choosing an analogous color scheme. Choose one color to dominate, a second to support. The third color is used (along with black, white or gray) as an accent. Example : Analogous colors are illustrated here: yellow, yellow-green, green and blue-green.

15. Warm: First half of the wheel give warmer colors. The colors of fire. Warm colors make objects look closer in a painting or drawing. Cool: Second half of the wheel gives cooler colors. The colors found in snow and ice and tend to recede in a composition. This is the most simplest classification of colors. All the visible colors can be divided into two basic categories— warm colors and cool colors as shown in the figure alongside. Normally, warm colors are considered as aggressive and active colors while the cool colors are considered as passive and receding colors. A range of color hues from reddish-violet to yellowish-green is considered as warm colors. On the other hand hues ranging from green to violet are considered as cool colors. WARM AND COOL COLOURS Cool warm

16. MONOCHROMATIC: One Hue many values of Tint and Shade Tint : white and add a bit of color to the white until the desired tint is obtained. This is an example of a value scale for the tints of blue. Shade: Shades are darkened colors. Always begin with the color and add just a bit of black at a time to get the desired shade of a color. This is an example of a value scale for the shades of blue. Neutral Colors ( Achromatic) The principles of color mixing let us describe a variety of colors, but there are still many colors to explore. The neutral colors contain equal parts of each of the three primary colors. Black, white, gray and sometimes brown are considered "neutral”. TINT & SHADES NEUTRALS

17. Color Can Evoke Emotion One hundred years later, Johann Wolfgang van Goethe, a German writer and scientist, studied how colors make us feel He discovered that blue evoked quiet moods and that red evoked cheerfulness

18. When a ray of white light from the sun passes through a glass prism or a spray of water its energy is broken or refracted into the rainbow spectrum of colors that humans can see. This visible spectrum of light refracted through a prism ranges from red to violet. The colors which we can distinguish correspond to different wavelengths, or frequencies, of electromagnetic radiation. There are many other wavelengths that we cannot see at all; infrared, ultraviolet, x-rays, and radio waves are invisible to us. Some Artists reproduce the colors of the visible spectrum using pigments, substances that reflect approximately the same color as it is seen in the band of the same name in a spectrum of refracted light. For instance, yellow pigment absorbs all colors except yellow, reflecting yellow back to the observer. No color actually exists until this reflected wavelength of light is received by the eye and interpreted by the brain. SCIENTIFIC & PHILOSOPHICAL INTERESTS & ORIGINS OF MODERN COLOUR THEORY

19. COLOR THEORIES Subtractive Color (reflected pigment): color resulting from absorption of light. Their mixtures are governed by the rule of subtraction. All color, when mixed in certain proportions, the subtractive result is black. (pigmentary, objects, printed matter & CMYK color) Red Yellow Blue (pigment based colors) Combination of these reflected rays create the experience of color that is perceived by eyes. When we see a white object, all the rays of light are reflected. No ray of light is absorbed as per the theory. When we see a yellow object then only rays of light which create yellow color are reflected. It means that rest of the rays of light are absorbed or subtracted from the original white sunlight. Example: newspaper

20. 2) Additive Color (projected light or reflected light): All colored light, when mixed in certain proportions, the additive result is white. Color resulting from projection of light. (TV screen, computer screen, web color & RGB color) Red Green Blue (Created from light ) A TV monitor uses principles of additive color theory. In the computer monitor also pixels have sub-parts that can emit three colors; Red (R), Green (G) and Blue (B). In a monitor they are lit with appropriate intensity to produce color effects. These are the “additive” combinations. James Clark 46 Towards a New Age Graphic Design Maxwell recognized this phenomenon in the mid 1800s. This gave birth to the Additive theory of colors. The color additive theory describes how we perceive color and how they are created. Essentially white light is a combination of three different colors, a continuum of wavelengths organized into bands which we label with names (blue, green, red etc.). Red, green and blue are the primary colors of this theory. All three colors eventually will result into generation of white light, and the absence of all three will produce black.

21. In reflected colors there are many variations on the pure colors of the refracted light spectrum. Over the years, theorists have devised many different ways of squeezing these variations into a single theory of the relationships among the colors that we see. In 1672 Sir Isaac Newton 1st represented the relationship of colors to one another in the form of a circle. He understood that white light was a combination of lots of wavelengths. He performed some ingenious experiments to show this, described in his book Optiks (1704). For example, even though prisms turned white light into a rainbow, people thought that maybe the prism was producing the rainbow colors. Newton showed that this wasn’t true. He could use lenses and mirrors to shine only red light into a prism, then only red light came out. He also separated white light into different colors, then used lenses and mirrors to put them into another prism which made white light again.

22. Q ues.1) Why are school buses painted with yellow color? School buses are painted with yellow color because our eyes are mostly sensitive to yellow color (and are least sensitive for violet and red colors). So, school buses can be easily spotted by other drivers around and a safe distance can be maintained to ensure safety of children. Ques.2) Why warning signs are in yellow color not in red color ? Yellow is meant to highlight instruction and important information; such as health and safety warnings and precautionary instructions. Ranging from wet floor signs to hazard warning signs; yellow helps to draw attention and make a signal stand out. Ques.3) why danger signs are in red ? Red color has bigger wavelength than any other color. So the scattering of light is less for red light which leads to traveling of greater distance. That's why red light is used for danger signal. So that it can be visible from far distance. Ques.4) what type of colored sheets/tapes are used on heavy vehicles on roads? why Retro reflective sheets retroreflective tape is very important in order to increase the visibility of heavy trucks and reduce the chances of rear-end truck collisions, particularly at nighttime or in conditions with limited visibility. Ques.5) why recycling signs are of green color? This is because the color green symbolizes the environment and, of course, green issues . Ques.6) By which colors do hot water tap and cold water tap differentiate and why? Red And Blue Red Shows Warmth And Blue Shows Coolness According To Color Significance

23. Ques.7 why black clothes are cannot be worn in sunny day? Black cloth absorbs heat and makes people feel more hot. Black absorbs all wavelengths and hence it absorbs more heat.  Ques .8 Hospital rooms are often painted in what relaxing color? Green is the easiest color on the eye and it causes people to relax. Therefore hospital rooms are often green, as are waiting rooms for guests appearing on TV, the so-called "green rooms.“ Ques.9 How might you expect people to react if they spend time in a room with red walls? They may become more energetic or aggressive. red is a color often associated with passion, anger, aggression and energy. It's no surprise that some salespeople paint their offices red — the color can help bring out their natural energy and assertiveness. Ques.10 A red rose is seen in green light. It will appear. Black Objects appear a certain colour because only certain colour's of light are reflected of by them. Similarly a red rose reflect red light of its surface making it red. When a red rose is seen in green light, it absorbs the green light and the petals appear black as no light is reflected by the rose.