UNIT -III 

COLOR 
The color wheel was invented in 1666 by Isaac Newton, who mapped the color
spectrum onto a circle. The color wheel is the basis of color theory, because it shows the
relationship between colors. 
Colors that look good together are called a color harmony. Artists and designers use these
to create a particular look or feel. You can use a color wheel to find color harmonies by
using the rules of color combinations. Color combinations determine the relative positions
of different colors in order to find colors that create a pleasing effect. 
There are two types of color wheel. The RYB or red, yellow, blue color wheel is typically
used by artists, as it helps with combining paint colors. Then there is the RGB, or red, green
and blue color wheel, which is designed for online use, as it refers to mixing light – like on
a computer or TV screen. Canva’s color wheel is an RGB color wheel, as it is designed for
online use. 
Color combinations 
Complementary 
Two colors that are on opposite sides of the color wheel. This combination provides a
high contrast and high impact color combination – together, these colors will appear
brighter and more prominent.

Monochromatic 
Three shades, tones and tints of one base color. Provides a subtle and conservative color
combination. This is a versatile color combination that is easy to apply to design projects
for a harmonious look.
Analogous 
Three colors that are side by side on the color wheel. This color combination is
versatile, but can be overwhelming. To balance an analogous color scheme, choose one
dominant color, and use the others as accents.

Triadic 
Three colors that are evenly spaced on the color wheel. This provides a high contrast color
scheme, but less so than the complementary color combination — making it more versatile.
This combination creates bold, vibrant color palettes. 
Tetradic 
Four colors that are evenly spaced on the color wheel. Tetradic color schemes are bold and
work best if you let one color be dominant, and use the others as accents. The more colors
you have in your palette, the more difficult it is to balance,

Primary, secondary and tertiary colors 

There are 12 main colors on the color wheel. In the RGB color wheel, these hues are red,
orange, yellow, chartreuse green, green, spring green, cyan, azure, blue, violet, magenta
and rose. 
The color wheel can be divided into primary, secondary and tertiary colors. 
Primary colors in the RGB color wheel are the colors that, added together, create pure
white light. These colors are red, green and blue. 
In the RYB color wheel, primary colors are colors that can’t be mixed from other colors.
There are three primary colors: red, yellow, and blue. 
Secondary colors are colors that result from mixing two primary colors. There are three
secondary colors. In the RGB color wheel, these are cyan, magenta and yellow. When
you mix light, red and green make yellow, green and blue make cyan, and blue and red
make magenta.
In the RYB color wheel, the secondary colors are purple (red mixed with blue), orange
(red mixed with yellow), and green (yellow mixed with blue). 
Tertiary colors are colors made by combining a secondary color with a primary color.
There are six tertiary colors. In the RGB color wheel these are orange, chartreuse green,
spring green, azure, violet and rose. 
In the RYB color wheel, the tertiary colors are red-orange, yellow-orange, yellow-green,
blue-green, blue-violet, and red-violet. 

Warm and cool colors 

The color wheel can also be divided into warm and cool colors. The warmth or coolness of
a color is also known as its color temperature. The color combinations found on a color
wheel often have a balance of warm and cool colors. According to color psychology,
different color temperatures evoke different feelings. For example, warm colors are said to
bring to mind coziness and energy, while cool colors are associated with serenity and
isolation.
Warm colors are the colors from red through to yellow. These colors are said to bring to
mind warmth, like the sun. 
Cool colors are the colors from blue to green and purple. These colors are said to bring to
mind coolness, like water. 
Shades, tints and tones 
Shades, tints and tones of a color can be created by adding black, grey and white to a base
hue. 
Shade 
A shade is created by adding black to a base hue, darkening the color. This creates a
deeper, richer color. Shades can be quite dramatic and can be overpowering. 
Tint 
A tint is created by adding white to a base hue, lightening the color. This can make a
color less intense, and is useful when balancing more vivid color combinations.
Tones 
A tone is created by combining black and white—or grey—with a base hue. Like tints,
tones are subtler versions of the original color. Tones are less likely to look pastel, and can
reveal complexities not apparent in the base color. 
DIMENSIONS OF COLOR 
The perception of color is often described by referring to three dimensions of the color
experiences: hue, saturation, and brightness. 
Hue refers to the color quality of the light and corresponds to the color names that we
use, such as orange, purple, green, indigo, yellow, cyan, aquamarine, etc. 
In fact, hue is the quality of color. 
A quality is a value that changes, but it does not make the value larger or smaller. When hue
or color changes, it does not make sense to say that red has more or less hue than green. 
This is because color is a quality, not an amount.
Saturation refers to the purity of the light. The more saturated the stimulus, the
stronger the color experience, and the less saturated, the more it appears white or
gray or black—that is, achromatic. The classic example of saturation differences
concerns the continuum from red to pink. Pink is a combination of red light and
white light.The more white light is added, the less “red” the pink is. 
Eventually, the red may be so overwhelmed by the white that we barely
notice the pink at all.Hue and saturation can be represented as a color circle . Along
the perimeter of the circle, we find the monochromatic hues—red, orange, yellow,
green, blue, indigo, and violet. As we head toward the center of the circle, we get
less and less saturated colors. Thus, a deep red and a deep blue exist on the
perimeter, but pink and baby blue exist toward the center. 
Brightness refers to the amount of light present.The more bright an object is, the
easier it is to see and to notice the colors. Brightness is the dimension that now goes
vertically through the color circle. Brightness does have a relation to color—it is
easier to see color at higher brightness values.Use this activity to explore how the
dimensions of color relate to the color you experience. 
Hue, Saturation and Luminance 
A hue is basically any color on the color wheel. When you are using a color wheel or a
color picker, you can adjust the saturation and luminance of a hue. 
Saturation is the intensity or purity of the color. 
Luminance is the amount of brightness or light in a color.
Psychological association of colors 
“The subject of color seems to have almost endless ramifications and to
touch upon life in almost every quarter, for color is rich in lore, rich in
meaning and purpose.” – Faber Birren 
There is a large array of emotional responses that are associated with colors. Some of these
are obvious, some obscure. Certain associations are specific to a country or region, while
others are universally recognized—being rooted in human anatomy or observable natural
phenomena. Some colors can have
different meanings, even opposing meanings, based entirely on context and application. 
While there are many, many factors that come into play when coming up with a design’s
color, this should certainly be one of them. By knowing that red and yellow are the most
visually attention-grabbing colors, you might design a better billboard. Knowing that blue
signifies knowledge may help decide the color of a library’s logo. Like most things related
to design, these aren’t rules set in concrete but rather one more tool that you can use or
intentionally violate to deliver your intended message. 
The emotions and concepts associated with the six basic colors, plus black and white. 
● Red 
● Green 
● Yellow 
● Blue 
● Black 
● White 
● Orange 
● Purple 
● Color Combinations
RED 
“At once, red is the passionate and ardent hue of the spectrum, marking the saint and
the sinner, patriotism and anarchy, love and hatred, compassion and war.” – Faber
Birren 
Warmth, anger, crudity, excitement, power, strength, love, passion, fire, blood, extreme
emotions, battle. Red is supposed to prompt impulse buying. It has been used by the church
to give the feeling of pomp and circumstance. In history it represents royalty, majesty and
triumph. Usually thought of as a violent and exciting color. 
Emotional Response 
Red is a very emotionally intense color. It enhances human metabolism, increases
respiration rate, and raises blood pressure. It has very high visibility, which is why stop
 signs, stoplights, and fire equipment are usually painted red. In heraldry, red is used to
indicate courage. It is a color found in many national flags. 
Use in Design & Advertising 
Red brings text and images to the foreground. It is used to stimulate people to make quick
decisions; it is a perfect color for ‘Buy Now’ or ‘Click Here’ buttons on Internet banners
and websites. In advertising, red is often used to evoke erotic feelings (red lips, red nails,
red-light districts, ‘Lady in Red’, etc). Red is widely used to indicate danger (high-voltage
signs, traffic lights). This color is
also commonly associated with energy, so would be appropriate when promoting
energy drinks, games, cars and other items related to sports and high physical activity. 
Associated Meanings 
● General Appearance: Brilliant, intense, opaque, dry 
● Mental Associations: Hot, fire, heat, blood 
● Direction Associations: Danger, Christmas, Valentines Day, Mother’s Day, Flag 
● Objective Impressions: Passionate, exciting, fervent, active ●
Subjective Impressions: Intensity, rage, rapacity, fierceness ●
Signifies: strength, health, vigor, lust, danger 
● Planet: Mars 
● Day: Tuesday 
● Astrological: Scorpio 
Color Shape 

Red suggests the form of the square and the cube. It is hot, dry and 
opaque in quality. It is solid and substantial. It is extremely advancing and holds the
strongest of all attractions to stimulus. Because it is sharply focused by the eye, it lends
itself to structural planes and sharp angles. 
Related Colors
● Light red represents joy, sexuality, passion, sensitivity, and love. ● Pink
signifies romance, love, and friendship. It denotes feminine qualities and
passiveness. 
● Dark red is associated with vigor, willpower, rage, anger, leadership, courage,
malice, and wrath. 
● Brown suggests stability and denotes masculine qualities. ●
Reddish-brown is associated with harvest and fall. 
Examples
 GREEN 
Spring, the macabre, freshness, mystery, envy, hope, eternal life. Being composed of
yellow and blue, green presents the feeling of light and coolness, cheer and restraint. It is
the color of nature as usually seen. Green alleviates tension and implies restfulness. 
Emotional Response 
Green supposedly has healing power. It is the most restful color for the human eye; it can
improve vision. Green suggests stability and endurance. Sometimes green denotes lack of
experience; for example, a ‘greenhorn’ is a novice. In heraldry, green indicates growth and
hope. Green, as opposed to red, means safety; it is the color of free passage in road traffic. 
Use in Design & Advertising 
Green is used to indicate safety when advertising drugs and medical products. Green is
directly related to nature, so is used to promote ‘green’ or natural products. Dull, darker
green is associated with money, the financial world, banking, . 
Associated Meanings 
● General Appearance: Clear, moist 
● Mental Associations: Cool, nature, water 
● Direction Associations: Clear, Saint Patrick’s Day 
● Objective Impressions: Quieting, refreshing, peaceful, growing
● Subjective Impressions: Repulsiveness, disease, terror, guilt ● Signifies: finances,
fertility, luck, success, charity, growth, rejuvenation, ambition, greed and jealousy,
plant kingdom, herbal healing ● Planets: Venus, Mercury 
● Days: Friday, Wednesday 
● Astrological: Taurus 
Color Shape 

Green suggests the form of the hexagon or the icosahedron. It is cool, 

fresh, soft. It is not sharply focused and therefore does not lend itself to much angularity. It
is a big color and can dominate the eye without distressing it. 
Character Study 
This is nature’s color, preferred by human beings who are likewise fresh and natural in
personality. If you like green, you are sure to have a rather broad interest in the world, to
be aware of the problems of life, to be tolerant and somewhat liberal. 
Because your mind is clear and full of varied attentions, you are an agreeable person. You
like to play bridge, to shop, to read all the best-selling books. You respect money and are
anxious to improve your standard of living. In this, perhaps, you are like many others. Yet
the chief difference in you is that you delight in friends, travel, sensible luxuries, without
being either miserly or
inclined to put on a false front. You are good and normal, and relish the scandals of
others while carefully avoiding them within your own household. 
Related Colors 
● Dark green is associated with ambition, greed, and jealousy. ● Yellow-green
can indicate sickness, cowardice, discord, and jealousy. ● Aqua is associated with
emotional healing and protection. ● Olive green is the traditional color of peace
and ironically a color common in military uniforms. 
Examples

YELLOW 
Value, sunlight, the Orient, treachery, brilliance, joy. Being nearest to sunlight, it is
connected with cheer and springtime. Yellow claims attention first and fastest and sits
alongside red as the most obvious and vibrant color. 
Emotional Response 
Yellow produces a warming effect, arouses cheerfulness, stimulates mental activity, and
generates muscle energy. Yellow is often associated with food. Bright, pure yellow is an
attention getter, which is the reason taxicabs are painted this color. When overused, yellow
may have a disturbing effect; it is known that babies cry more in yellow rooms. Yellow is
seen before other colors when placed against black; this combination is often used to issue a
warning. In heraldry, yellow indicates honor and loyalty. Later the meaning of yellow was
connected with cowardice. 
Use in Design & Advertising 
 Use yellow to evoke pleasant, cheerful feelings. You can choose yellow to promote
children’s products and items related to leisure. Yellow is very effective for attracting
attention, so use it to highlight the most important elements of your design. Men usually
perceive yellow as a very lighthearted, ‘childish’ color, so it is not recommended to use
yellow when selling prestigious, expensive products to men—nobody will buy a yellow
business suit or a yellow Mercedes. Yellow is an unstable and spontaneous color, so
avoid using yellow if you want to suggest stability and safety. Light yellow tends to
disappear into white, so it usually needs a dark color to highlight it.
Shades of yellow are visually unappealing because they lose cheerfulness and become
dingy. 
Associated Meanings 
● General Appearance: Sunny, incandescent, radiant 
● Mental Associations: Sunlight 
● Direction Associations: Caution 
● Objective Impressions: Cheerful, inspiring, vital, celestial ●
Subjective Impressions: High spirit, health 
● Signifies: knowledge, learning, concentration, persuasion, charm, confidence,
jealousy, joy, comfort 
● Planet: Mercury 
● Day: Wednesday 
● Astrological: Gemini, Leo 
Color Shape 

Yellow suggests the form of the triangle or the pyramid, with its apex 
down. It is the color of highest visibility in the spectrum and therefore sharp, angular and
crisp in quality; but it is more celestial than worldly. It is without a solid base, lofty and
reaches upward into space. 
Related Colors 
● Dull (dingy) yellow represents caution, decay, sickness, and jealousy. ● Light
yellow is associated with intellect, freshness, and joy.
Examples 

BLUE 
Blue is usually associated with knowledge and serenity. Coolness, ethereality, the infinite,
significance, repose, formality. It is associated with the sky, the ocean and ice. It has
always been the symbol of truth and purity. Loyalty, compassion, connotes serenity. 
Emotional Response 
Blue is considered beneficial to the mind and body. It slows human metabolism and
produces a calming effect. Blue is strongly associated with tranquility and calmness. In
heraldry, blue is used to symbolize piety and sincerity. 
Use in Design & Advertising 
You can use blue to promote products and services related to cleanliness (water purification
filters, cleaning liquids, vodka), air and sky (airlines, airports, air conditioners), water and
sea (sea voyages, mineral water). As opposed to emotionally warm colors like red, orange,
and yellow; blue is linked to
 consciousness and intellect. Use blue to suggest precision when promoting high-tech
products. Blue is a masculine color; according to studies, it is highly accepted among
males. Dark blue is associated with depth, expertise, and stability; it is a preferred color for
corporate America and by survey is the “favorite” color. 
Avoid using blue when promoting food and cooking, because blue suppresses appetite.
When used together with warm colors like yellow or red, blue can create high-impact,
vibrant designs; for example, blue-yellow-red is a perfect color scheme for a superhero. 
Associated Meanings 
● General Appearance: Transparent, wet 
● Mental Associations: Cold, sky, water, ice 
● Direction Associations: Service, flag 
● Objective Impressions: Subduing, melancholy, contemplative, sober ●
Subjective Impressions: Gloom, fearfulness, secrecy 
● Signifies: tranquility, understanding, patience, health, truth, devotion, sincerity, honor,
loyalty, peace, wisdom, protection during sleep, astral projection 
● Planets: Moon, Venus, Saturn, Jupiter 
● Days: Monday, Friday, Saturday, Thursday 
● Astrological: Libra, Sagittarius
Color Shape 
Blue suggests the circle or the sphere. It is cold, wet, transparent, 
atmospheric. Blue is retiring, dignified, and tends to create a blurred image in the eye.
While it may have bulk, it does not seem to lend itself to angularity. 
Related Colors 
● Light blue is associated with health, healing, tranquility, understanding, and
softness. 
● Dark blue represents knowledge, power, integrity, and seriousness.
Examples
BLACK 
Death, gloom, sorry, hidden action, evil, mourning, disorientation through absence of
light. Black denotes strength and authority; it is considered to be a very formal, elegant,
and prestigious color (black tie, black Mercedes). 
Emotional Response 
Black is a mysterious color associated with fear and the unknown (black holes). It usually
has a negative connotation (blacklist, black humor, ‘black death’). In heraldry, black is the
symbol of grief. 
Use in Design & Advertising 
Black gives the feeling of perspective and depth, but a black background diminishes
readability. A black suit or dress can make you look thinner. When designing for a gallery
of art or photography, you can use a black or gray background to make the other colors
stand out. Black contrasts well with bright colors. Combined with red or orange—other
very powerful colors—black gives a very aggressive color scheme. Black also
communicates elegance and prestige and thus is commonly used in high-end products,
such as smartphones, limousines, formal suits and Jack Daniel packaging. 
Associated Meanings 
● General Appearance: Spatial—darkness 
● Mental Associations: Neutral, night, emptiness 
● Direction Associations: Mourning
● Objective Impressions: Funeral, ominous, deadly, depressing ●
Subjective Impressions: Negation of spirit, death 
● Signifies: Negation without reflecting, unlocking when stuck, banishing evil or
negativity 
● Holiday: Samhain 
● Planet: Saturn 
● Day: Saturday 
● Deities: The Crone 
● Astrological: Scorpio & Capricorn 
Examples
 WHITE

Snow, delicacy, purity, cold, peace, cleanliness, elegance, frailty, mourning, enlightenment,
faith, glory, salvation. Orientation through light. In war, white means surrender. 
Emotional Response 
White is associated with goodness, innocence and virginity. It is considered to be the color
of perfection. White means safety, purity, and cleanliness. As opposed to black, white
usually has a positive connotation. White can represent a successful beginning. In heraldry,
white depicts faith and purity. 
Use in Design & Advertising 
In advertising, white is associated with coolness and cleanliness because it’s the color of
snow. You can use white to suggest simplicity in high-tech products. White is an
appropriate color for charitable organizations; angels are usually imagined wearing white
clothes. White is associated with hospitals, doctors, and sterility, so you can use white to
suggest safety when promoting medical products. White is often associated with low
weight, low-fat food, and dairy products. 
Associated Meanings 
● General Appearance: Spatial—light 
● Mental Associations: Cool, snow 
● Direction Associations: Cleanliness, Mother’s Day, flag
● Objective Impressions: Pure, clean, frank, youthful 
● Subjective Impressions: Brightness of Spirit, normality 
● Signifies: purity, consecration, meditation, divination, exorcism, the full moon, healing,
peace, spiritual strength, may be substituted for any other color 
● Planet: Moon 
● Day: Monday 
● Astrological: Cancer 
Examples
ORANGE 
Being made of yellow and red, orange gives the idea of light and heat. It is the color of
pride and ambition. Associated with sunshine and warmth, considered cheerful. 
Emotional Response 
Orange combines the energy of red and the happiness of yellow. It is associated with joy,
sunshine, the tropics. Orange represents enthusiasm, fascination, happiness, creativity,
determination, attraction, success, encouragement and stimulation. 
Use in Design & Advertising 
To the human eye, orange is a very hot color, so it gives the sensation of heat. Nevertheless,
orange is not as aggressive as red. Orange increases oxygen supply to the brain, produces an
invigorating effect, and stimulates mental activity. It is highly accepted among young
people. As a citrus color, orange is associated with healthy food and stimulates appetite.
Orange is the color of fall and harvest. In heraldry, orange is symbolic of strength and
endurance. 
Orange has very high visibility, so you can use it to catch attention and highlight the most
important elements of your design. Orange is very effective for promoting food products
and toys.
It’s disadvantage is that by survey of “favorite color” orange usually comes the lowest and
thus it is rarely used for longer term products, such as cars or electronic products. 
Associated Meanings 
● General Appearance: Bright, luminous, glowing 
● Mental Associations: Warm, metallic, autumn 
● Direction Associations: Halloween, Thanksgiving 
● Objective Impressions: Jovial, Lively, energetic, forceful 
● Subjective Impressions: Hilarity, exuberance, indulgence
● Signifies: encouragement, adaptability, stimulation, attraction, plenty, kindness 
● Holiday: Candlemas 
● Deities: Brigid 
 ● Planets: Sun, Mars, Mercury 
● Days: Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday 
Color Shape 
Orange suggests the form of the rectangle. It is less earthly in quality 
than red, more tinged with a feeling of incandescence. It is warm, dry, compelling.
Optically, it produces a sharp image and therefore lends itself to angles and to well-
defined ornaments.
Related Colors 
● Dark orange can mean deceit and distrust. 
● Red-orange corresponds to desire, sexual passion, pleasure,
domination, aggression, and thirst for action. 
● Gold evokes the feeling of prestige. The meaning of gold is illumination, wisdom, and
wealth. Gold often symbolizes high quality. 
Examples
PURPLE 
Color of royalty. Has a strong religious significance. It is used as half-mourning. By
associations, it gives a feeling of mystery. It is the color of shadows. 
Emotional Response 
Purple combines the stability of blue and the energy of red. It symbolizes power, nobility,
luxury, and ambition. It conveys wealth and extravagance. Purple is associated with
wisdom, dignity, independence, creativity, mystery, and magic. 
Use in Design & Advertising 
According to surveys, almost 75 percent of pre-adolescent children prefer purple to all
other colors. Purple is a very rare color in nature; some people consider it to be
artificial. 
Light purple is a good choice for a feminine design. You can use bright purple when
promoting children’s products. 
Associated Meanings 
● General Appearance: Deep, soft, atmospheric 
● Mental Associations: Cool, mist, darkness, shadow 
● Direction Associations: Mourning, Easter 
● Objective Impressions: Dignified, pompous, mournful, mystic
● Subjective Impressions: Loneliness, desperation 
● Signifies: power, piety, sanctity, sentimentality, tension, sadness amplification of other
energies, wisdom, high ideals, spiritual protection and healing, psychic ability,
protective energy 
● Planet: Jupiter 
● Day: Thursday 
● Astrological: Sagittarius 
Color Shape 
Purple suggests the form of the oval. It is even more refined than blue. 
The eye finds difficulty in focusing an image of it sharply. It is thus soft, flowing and
never angular. Unlike blue, however, it is not so lofty but clings closer to earth. 
Related Colors 
● Light purple evokes romantic and nostalgic feelings. 
● Dark purple evokes gloom and sad feelings. It can cause frustration.