Modern colour theory is based on Isaac Newton’s Colour Wheel. 3 categories – Primary (red, blue, yellow), Secondary (mixing 2 primary colours), Intermediate or Tertiary (mixing primary, secondary colours). Colours can be mixed to form 1 of 5 main colour schemes to achieve beauty, harmony:
- Analogous – based on 3 colours next to each other on wheel
- Complementary – Pairs of colours when mixed, cancel each other (high contrast)
- Split-complementary – combination of analogous and complementary schemes
- Triadic – 3 colours at equal distances from each other on wheel
- Tetradic – 2 sets of complementary pairs
Colour temperature is also vital – warm, cool, neutral evoking emotional responses. Warm – yellow, red, pink. Cool – blue, green, purple. Neutral – brown, gray, black, white.
Yellow – joy, happiness, sunshine, spring, warmth. Daffodils, sunflowers, lemons! Optimism, creativity, recognition.
Green – fertility, vibrancy, hope, nature birth, possibilities, growth, foundations, structure.
Blue – connectedness, fluidity, honesty, transparency, infinity, serenity, expansiveness, intelligence, wisdom.
Pink – emotion, friendship, beauty, tenderness, playfulness, gratitude, calm, relaxation, contentment.
Red – passion, love, excitement, inspiration, seduction, romance, attraction, fire, life force, adventure, vitality.
Purple – royalty, grace, elegance, style, evolution, intuition, uniqueness, super-natural.
Orange – sunsets, sensuality, appeal, surprise, spontaneity, fun, exploration, innocence.
Black – intimacy, presence, power, desire, mystery, intrigue, awe, allure, independence.
White – light, purity, perfection, positivity, generosity, truth, faith, brilliance, simplicity.
Fascinating world of colours! Curious to learn…