Design Principles: Colour Theory

Colour theory is a vital aspect of graphic design, it can be right or wrong but when it is wrong it is as noticeable as poor typography.  Colour theory comes down to one question 'what is colour?' Colour can change how legible and readable type is.

Colour doesn't exist unless there is someone there to perceive it. Colour is dependent on the process of light.

Our eyes have two types of receptors: Rods - Convey shades of black and white, and Cones - allow the brain to receive colour. There are three different types of cones:
Type one - sensitive to red and orange
Type two - sensitive to green
Type three - sensitive to blue/violet
Our eyes only view 3 colours - other colours are a combination of different cones. Systematic colour are facts, they are provable.

There are two different types of colour RGB is how we view the colours RYB is the physical mixing of the colours. Complimentary colours are opposite each other on the colour wheel. The primary complimentary is created by mixing the two other primary colours. The compliments will cancel themselves out because they don't go together. A certain balance of these colours creates a neutral tertiary pallet. RGB and CMYK are all classed as primaries.

Subtractive colour modes when mixed together create black
Additive colour modes when mixed together make a light white as they are light based. There is a difference between practical and theory colour.

Colour has 3 dimensions so we assign chromatic value.
Chromatic Value = Hue + Tone + Saturation

Hue is the different colours of a said category. For example a bright red will have a high chromatic value with a high hue.

Shade makes the hue darker.

Tint makes the hue paler by adding white. e.g. going from a standard chromatic yellow to a slight tint.

Tone is how light or dark it is in regard to its dimension.

darker shades and tones absorbs more light e.g. black holes. that is why it is difficult to read off of shiny or translucent surfaces. It reflects the light.

Saturation = Purity of the colour

Colour is purely relative to the comparison of colours around it. For example what may look red when put against browns and oranges it then fades more into that colour. This is why designers have to take into account where the work will be placed and those who would see it. Pantone is the one thing we can used to compare and agree what colour something is.