1. Color
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2. Color matters!
Research reveals people make a subconscious
judgment about a person, environment, or product
within 90 seconds of initial viewing and that
between 62% and 90% of that assessment is
based on color alone.
Source: CCICOLOR - Institute for Color Research
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3. Powerful tool for
communication
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4. But color is subjective!
People respond differently to the
same color due to:
Personal preference
Cultural background
Color memory/associations
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5. Example: Red
FIRE/DEVIL
LOVE/CUPID
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BLOOD/WARFARE
IMPORTANCE
ANGER
PROSPERITY/
HAPPINESS
DEFIANCE/
COMMUNISM
DANGER

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7. In general...
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Red: Passion, Love, Anger
Orange: Energy, Happiness, Vitality
Yellow: Happiness, Hope, Deceit
Green: New Beginnings, Abundance, Nature
Blue: Calm, Responsible, Sadness
Purple: Creativity, Royalty, Wealth
Black: Mystery, Elegance, Evil
Gray: Moody, Conservative, Formality
White: Purity, Cleanliness, Virtue
Brown: Nature, Wholesomeness, Dependability
Tan or Beige: Conservative, Piety, Dull
Cream or Ivory: Calm, Elegant, Purity
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9. Color Wheel
Primary Colors: Red, yellow and blue
Primary colors are the 3 pigment colors that can not
be mixed or formed by any combination of other
colors. All other colors are derived from these 3 hues.
Secondary Colors: Green, orange and
purple
These are the colors formed by mixing the primary
colors.
Tertiary Colors: Yellow-orange, redorange, red-purple, blue-purple, bluegreen & yellow-green
These are the colors formed by mixing a primary
and a secondary color. That's why the hue is a
two word name, such as blue-green.
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10. Color is a general term
COLOR TERMINOLOGY:
Hue
Shade
Saturation
Tint
Value
Tone
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11. Hue
An object’s color
Blue, green, red, etc.
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12. Saturation
How pure a color is
HIGH SATURATION
High saturation =
purest color. No white
or black added
LOW SATURATION
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13. GREEN & RED
HUES
HIGH
SATURATION
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15. Value
How light or dark a
color is
HIGH
Highest value = white
Lowest value = black
Note: colors with high
saturation have a
middle value
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MIDDLE
LOW

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17. Tone
Created by adding
gray to a hue
Tones are generally
duller or softer-looking
than pure hues
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18. Shade
Created by adding
black to a hue, making
the hue darker
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19. Tint
Created by adding
white to a hue, making
the hue lighter
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20. Shade vs. Tint
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21. Color schemes/palettes
Important to
define your
color palette/
scheme before
starting on a
project
Use your color
wheel!
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22. Traditional schemes
Monochromatic
Analogous
Complementary
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23. Monochromatic
Made up of
different tones,
shades, and
tints within a
specific hue.
SHADE
TONE
TINT
HUE
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27. Analogous
Created by using three
colors that are next to
each other on the 12spoke color wheel
Ex: Blue, blue-green,
and green
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29. Analogous Cont’d
Analogous
schemes are good,
but sometimes they
don’t provide
enough contrast to
the design
Use shades, tints,
and tones of colors
to give more
contrast
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31. Complementary
Created by combining
colors from opposite
sides of the color
wheel
Again, use shades,
tints, and tones of
complementary hues
to give more contrast
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