Colour Theory

The Colour Wheel

The use of colour is important in illustration and graphic design. It makes graphics look more realistic and helps designers create a mood or a feeling. Colour also affects how we feel about and react to everyday things.

Deciding on the most suitable colours for a design is more complex than just choosing your favourite colour.

The colour wheel is a visual representation of colours and how they relate to each other. It shows primary, secondary, and tertiary colours.

The colour wheel is a fundamental design tool used to understand and apply colour theory principles. It helps designers mix colours effectively, create colour harmony and enhance their work's emotional or visual impact.

Content

What do colours represent?

EXAMPLES

Primary Colours

These are the three basic colours and cannot be made by mixing other colours. The three primary colours are:

Red
Yellow
Blue

Secondary Colours

Secondary Colours are produced by mixing two primary colours. The three secondary colours are:

Orange (Red and Yellow mixed)
Green (Yellow and Blue mixed)
Violet (Red and Blue mixed)

Tertiary Colours

Tertiary colours are produced by mixing one primary colour and one secondary colour. They take their names from two mixed colours. The six tertiary colours are:

Red-Orange
Yellow–Orange
Yellow-Green
Blue-Green
Blue-Violet
Red-violet

Note: The primary colour always comes first.

Cool and Warm

The colour wheel can be split into warm and cool colours based on how they make us feel:

Warm colours (like red, orange, and yellow) remind us of the sun, fire, and warmth. They feel energetic and inviting.
Cool colours (like blue, green, and purple) remind us of water, the sky, and grass. They feel calm and soothing.

If you draw a line down the middle of the colour wheel, cool colours are on one side, and warm colours are on the other.

Cool colours are:

Red-violet
Violet
Blue-Violet
Blue
Blue-Green
Green

Warm colours are:

Red
Red-Orange
Orange
Yellow–Orange
Yellow
Yellow-Green

Harmonising Colours

Harmony can be defined as a pleasing arrangement of parts, whether it is music, poetry or colour.
In visual experiences, harmony is pleasing to the eye. It engages the viewer and creates a sense of order, a balance in the visual experience. When something is not harmonious, it’s either boring or chaotic.
Harmony is created when colours close together on the colour wheel are used, such as red and red-orange, blue and blue-violet, blue and green, red and orange, etc.

Contrasting Colours

Contrasting colours create visual interest. It catches the eye of the viewer, and it creates an exciting, dramatic experience. However, it makes a chaotic design, so care must be taken when using contrasting colours.
Contrast is created when colours directly opposite each other on the colour wheel are used together, such as blue and orange, red-orange and blue-green, red and green, etc.

Tints and Shades

A tint is sometimes called a pastel colour.
It is any hue mixed with white to give a lighter colour.
Tints are soft, feminine, youthful and soothing.

A shade is any hue mixed with black to give a darker colour.
These shades are deep, powerful, mysterious and masculine.

Accent Colour

An accent colour is used in small quantities to lift or add punch to a layout.
An accent colour should be complementary to the main colour. A bright, vibrant colour works best.
It can highlight important areas on a layout or make a visual impact.

What do colours represent?

Colours can influence how we feel and think, connecting to our emotions in powerful ways. They can affect our mood, reactions to things, and even our choices, often without us realising it. Our feelings about colours can come from our culture, personal experiences, or even how our brains work. By understanding this, designers use colours to create messages or moods that connect with us on a deeper level.

Primary Colours

Red - Red is a highly emotional colour. It tends to increase heart rate associated with danger or excitement. Red can symbolise danger, love, warmth and passion.
Example: A sports car company might show off a red car because it makes the car seem exciting and fast, which can attract more buyers.
Yellow - Yellow is a happy colour. It creates a feeling of cheerfulness and stimulates mental activity. Yellow can symbolise optimism, sunshine (warmth) and happiness, but it is also associated with anxiety and cowardice.
Example: A toy company may use yellow in its products because it is bright and optimistic, attracting children's attention and making the products appear fresh and enjoyable.
Blue - Blue is the colour of intelligence; it creates a feeling of elegance and sophistication. It can also symbolise trust, cold, formality, sadness, elegance, and confidence.
Example: A bank might choose blue in their logo to create a feeling of trust and reliability, helping people feel confident about their services.

Secondary Colours

Orange - Orange is the colour of comfort; it blends the happiness of yellow with the energy and warmth of red. Orange can symbolise creativity, immaturity, warmth, flavour, enthusiasm and appetising.
Examples: For instance, a fast-food restaurant might use orange in its signage to evoke energy and excitement, enticing customers to enter and savour the food.
Green - Green is the colour of harmony and growth. It combines the warmth of yellow and the formality of blue. Green represents balance, relaxation, envy, freshness, boredom and peace.
Example: A skincare brand could use green packaging to give a sense of nature and health, making their products seem eco-friendly and good for you.
Violet - Violet is the colour of awareness, a combination of red energy and blue elegance. Violet represents nobility, luxury, extravagance, ambition, greed and wealth.
Example: A perfume company might use violet in their branding to make their product feel luxurious and sophisticated, appealing to a sense of elegance.

EXAMPLES

Primary Colours

The clock uses primary colours (red, yellow, and blue) because they are bright and eye-catching, which appeals to the younger target audience.

Violet

The designer has incorporated violet into the perfume advertisement because it conveys a sense of luxury, which enhances the perception of the perfume as expensive and elegant.

Green

The skincare brand used green in their poster to give a sense of nature, making their products seem healthy and good for you.

Orange

The juice company chose orange because it connects to the flavor and evokes energy and excitement, enticing customers to come in and try the drink.

Contrast

Orange was used against the blue to create contrast, allowing certain areas in the document to stand out, like the prices and desserts.

Harmonising

Red and orange were used throughout the posters to create harmony and make the poster more cohesive.

Accent Colour

Dark blue has been used as an accent color. The blue arrow at the beginning of the column of text highlights the area, directing the reader where to start reading. The dark blue line separates information, creating a more organized feel. The dark blue emphasizes the text, causing it to stand out from the background.

Accent Colour

Blue has been colour picked from the woman's dress and used as an accent colour in the publication. The blue rectangle in the background creates contrast with the white page, emphasising the image.

Home Page

Click here for questions

gw23prasherrebecca@glow.sch.uk Lanark Grammar School 2025

Page updated

Report abuse