WSH Design Essentials

LEARNING MORE ABOUT COLOR

Color has the power to calm, comfort, energize, and inspire, it is one of the most powerful Elements of Design. The tricky thing is that every human being sees color differently, what you see is not necessarily what your customer sees, it’s totally perceptive. Keep this in mind when discussing color and remember your customer makes the ultimate decision based on their taste. COLOR HARMONY Harmony can be defined as a pleasing arrangement of parts; whether it is music, poetry, color or even an ice cream sundae, some flavors just don’t work together! In visual experiences, harmony is something that is pleasing to the eye. It engages the viewer; it creates an inner sense of order; a balance in the visual experience. When something is not harmonic it’s either boring or chaotic. At one extreme is a visual experience that is so bland and boring that we are not engaged. At the other extreme is a visual experience that is so overdone, so chaotic that we can’t stand to look at it. There are many theories for color harmony. The following illustrations and descriptions present some basic color palette formulas and color schemes to help us achieve harmony. The higher the contrast in colors the higher the energy will be.

ANALOGOUS COLORS Any three colors that are side-by-side in a 12-part color wheel, such as green, yellow- green and yellow. Usually one of the three colors dominates the other two. COMPL EMENTARY COLORS Any two colors that are directly opposite each other, such as purple and yellow. The contrast between the yellow and the purple is in this orchid striking.

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