COLOR
Monochromatic
Monochromatic colors are all the colors (tints, tones, and shades) of a single hue.
Monochromatic color schemes are derived from a single base hue and extended using its shades, tones and tints. Tints are achieved by adding white and shades and tones are achieved by adding a darker color, gray or black.
It schemes provide opportunities in art and visual communications design as they allow for a greater range of contrasting tones that can be used to attract attention, create focus and support legibility.
The use of monochromatic color provides a strong sense of visual cohesion and can help support communication objectives through the use of connotative color. The relative absence of hue contrast can be offset by variations in tone and the addition of texture.
Complementary
Complementary colors are pairs of colors which, when combined in the right proportions, produce white or black. When placed next to each other, they create the strongest contrast and reinforce each other. They are widely used in art and design. The pairs of complementary colors vary depending upon the color model, and how the color is made. In painting, which uses subtraction color, the traditional primary–secondary complementary color pairs, described since at least the early 18th century, were red–green, yellow–violet, and blue–orange. In the more accurate RGB color model, used to make colors on computer and television displays, red, green and blue light are combined at various intensities to make all the other colors. In this system, using additive colors, the complementary pairs are red–cyan, green–magenta, and blue–yellow. In color printing, another system of subtractive colors, the colors cyan, magenta, yellow and black are used to produce all printed colors; the CMYK-system complementary pairs are the same as in the RGB system: red–cyan, green–magenta, and blue–yellow.
Split complementary
A Split Complementary Color Scheme is made up of three hues. First you choose your main starting color and select the two colors on either side of its Complementary color.
You can see that no matter where you start, there will always be at least one Tertiary color in your selection. Tertiary colors are blends and will make your resulting palette quite sophisticated with an infinite number of subtle mixtures.
This color scheme is extremely popular with artists and designers.
For example Violet is selected as the main 'Mother Color'.
On either side of the Yellow directly opposite Violet in the Color Wheel is Yellow/Green and Yellow/Orange. They are shown on the top row. The cleanest, loveliest paint mixtures will be achieved if you mix your own Yellow/Green and Yellow/Orange using the same Yellow for both.
By adding a tiny bit of Violet to the two top paint colors you get some interesting results.
Violet + Yellow/Green = Olive
Violet + Yellow/Orange = Burnt Orange
Violet + Yellow/Green + Yellow/Orange = Neutral Brown
Notice how the 3 mixtures on the bottom row work so well together. There's never any clashing with this method.
Of course you can then alter each of these even further by adding White, Black or Grey. Add more of the three hues too if you begin to lose the color. As long as you stick with the same three and don't add any other Hue, they will always go together
Triadic
The triadic color scheme uses three colors equally spaced around the color wheel. The easiest way to place them on the wheel is by using a triangle of equal sides. This scheme is very 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 is easier to acomplisht balance and harmony with these colors.
This color scheme offers a higher degree of contrast while at the same time retains the color harmony. As far as contrast is concerned, it is not as high as the complementary color scheme, but the color harmony it presents is easier to achieve.
Two things (at least) to keep in mind when using it:
Select one color that will be used as a predominant color.
If the colors look too bright or overpowering, use lower saturation by combining them with gray values.
Analog
Analogous colors are groups of colors that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel, with one being the dominant color, which tends to be a primary orsecondary color, and two on either side complementing, which tend to be tertiary.
The term analogous refers to the having analogy, or corresponding to something in particular. An analogous color scheme creates a rich, monochromatic look. It’s best used with either warm or cool colors, creating a look that has a certain temperature as well as proper color harmony. While this is true, the scheme also lacks contrast and is less vibrant than complementary schemes.
Red, yellow, and orange are examples of analogous colors
