Color Modified by Georgia Agricultural Education Curriculum Office September 2005

Why study color? It is the most important element of a design It is one of the few visual design elements that people notice

Properties of Color Hue: property that gives a color a name (ex: red) Value: measurement of the amount of light reflected from an object Intensity: brightness or concentration of a color

The Color Wheel Contains three categories of colors Primary Colors: red, yellow, and blue; all other colors can be mixed from the primary colors Secondary Colors: orange, green, violet; mixture of equal amounts of two primary colors Tertiary (Intermediate) colors: made by mixing a primary color with the adjacent secondary color (ex: red-orange). When naming, the primary color is always named first.

RedOrange Purple Yellow BlueGreen

Changing the Value of a Color Value can be changed by adding black or white to a color Adding black produces a shade Adding white produces a tint

Changing the Intensity of a Color Colors can be dulled or neutralized to produce a tone Adding gray to a color will create a tone Mixing a color with its complement will also create a tone Placing complementary colors next to each other will increase intensity

Psychological Effects of Color Warm Colors: red, orange, yellow associated with sun, heat, and fire evoke warm and happy feelings warm colors will dominate when in an arrangement Cool Colors: blue, green, violet associated with grass, water, ice create restful, soothing feelings fade into background of a design

White Blends easily with other colors Adds brightness and contrast Portrays elegance and sophistication

Red Embodies strength and dominance Can often become overpowering if used too much

Pink Combines well with other colors Light pink portrays romance and femininity Bright and deep colored pinks draw more attention than pastel tints

Orange Radiant color Often used for autumn and Halloween designs Tints or shades of orange (such as peach or rust) blend well with other colors

Yellow Vibrant and highly visible color Cheery and sunny Combines well in a design but if used alone can become monotonous

Green Serves as a natural background color Green containers don’t attract attention and are very common Natural color for foliage plants in a design

Blue Peaceful, quiet, and cool Recedes into the background of a design Large quantities of dark blue can be depressing

Purple (Violet) Color of royalty Can be seen as either a warm or cool color depending on the accompanying colors when mixed with reds, the blueness of purple is evident and it becomes cool when mixed with blues, the redness of purple is evident and it becomes warm

Balance Dark colors are heavier than light colors Putting darker colors at the base of a design will add balance

Depth Using a combination of warm and cool colors will maximize depth This combination causes warm colors to advance forward and cool colors to recede into the background

Focal Point Bright colors immediately attract attention Focal points can be created by simply using contrasting colors

Rhythm Using similar colors throughout a bouquet or design creates rhythm If the same or corresponding colors are used as a focal point and again throughout an arrangement, eye movement is increased

Harmony & Unity Achieved by the repetition of colors throughout a design Using similar colors pulls the design together

Monochromatic Uses variations of a single hue To avoid boredom, make sure to include various tints, tones, and shades of the hue

Analogous Color scheme incorporating three or more colors that are next to each other on the color wheel Can include the hue as well as tints and tones of the hue

Complementary Two hues that are directly opposite of each other on the color wheel Complementary colors intensify each other

Split-Complementary Composed of a hue and the two colors adjacent to its complement Ex: yellow paired with blue-violet and red- violet

Triadic Use of three colors equidistant on the color wheel Can often be difficult to use in a design Ex: red, blue, and yellow

Double-Complement Uses a total of four colors (two pairs of complements) This scheme can offer a variety of visual effects

Alternate Complement Use of a triad plus the complement of one of the colors in the triad Ex: yellow, red, blue, and violet

Tetrad 4 colors equidistant on the color wheel Ex: yellow, violet, blue-green, and red- orange

What influences color selection? Seasons or holidays Special Occasions (ex: weddings) Symbolism Favorite Colors Existing Colors