Colour qualities

Colour qualities

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MARY
ROSE THALER
T
ype, Colour & Conceptual Process
C
olour Qualities
Hue
This term refers to the identity of colour - red, violet, orange, and so on. This identity is the result of how we
perceive light being reflected from objects at particular frequencies. When we see a green car, what we’re seeing
isn’t a car that is actually green; we’re seeing light waves reflected off the car at a very specific frequency while all
other frequencies are absorbed. All colour perception is relative, meaning that a colour’s identity is really
knowable only when there’s another colour adjacent with which it can be compared.
Saturation
The colour’s saturation describes its intensity, or brilliance. A saturated colour is very intense or vibrant. Colours
that are dull are said to be desaturated; colours in which almost no hue is visible are said to be neutral. As with
hue, the apparent saturation of a colour will change if it can be compared to an adjacent colour.

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MARY
ROSE THALER
T
ype, Colour & Conceptual Process
C
olour Qualities
Value
A colour’s value refers to its natural darkness or lightness. Yellow is perceived as being light, violet is perceived as
being dark. Again, it’s all relative. One colour can be considered darker or lighter only compared to another.
Yellow, even, appears darker than white, which has the lightest possible value of any colour. Lightening the value
of an intensely saturated hue tends to desaturate it. Darkening the value of a moderately saturated hue will
initially intensify its saturation - but darken too much, the hue becomes less vibrant.
Temperature
The temperature of a colour is a subjective quality that is related to experiences. Colours considered “warm”
such as red or orange, remind us of heat; cool colours, such as free or blue, remind us of cold objects or
environments, such as ice.