COLOUR THEORY – WHY COLOUR MATTERS By Amran Suleman

What is Colour Theory? Colour theory is a set of principles used to create harmonious colours and combinational colour schemes. The colour relationships can be visualized using the colour wheel.

What is Colour Theory? Cont. The colour wheel was first developed by Sir Issac Newton in He split white sunlight into red, orange, yellow, green, cyan and blue beams (different shades of blue).

How the colour wheel can be derived They are three basic colours required to achieve the colour wheel. These are called the ‘Primary colours’. The primary colours are: Red Yellow Blue

How the colour wheel can be derived cont. These are 3 pigment colours that can not be mixed or formed by any other colour combinations.

How the colour wheel can be derived cont. Through the correct mixing of the primary colours, the secondary colours can be derived. The additional colours are: Green Orange Purple

How the colour wheel can be derived cont.

However finally through the correct mixing of the primary and secondary colours, the tertiary colours can be found: Yellow – orange Red – orange Red – purple Blue – purple Blue – green Yellow – green

How the colour wheel can be derived cont.

USE OF COLOUR SCHEME Colour theory encompasses a multitude of definitions, concepts and design applications. All information would fill several encyclopedias. One of the concepts is called harmonious colours schemes. Harmonious colour combinations use: any two colours opposite each other on the colour wheel. These are complimentary colours

USE OF COLOUR SCHEME cont. Harmonious colour combinations use: any three colours equally spaced out around the wheel. These are called analogous colours

Why is colour theory/wheel/schemes important to engineers? Engineers have a say in every major innovative design that is introduced to improve the lifes of every human being on the planet. However another skill that engineers are having to undertake into their remits is: Business marketing Products are always competing against other similar products. It is therefore paramount that the product catches the targeted audiences attention.

Why is colour theory/wheel/schemes important to engineers? Cont. Example – You’ve designed a cardigan for the elderly and frail that will keep them appropriately warm and save them using gas or electric. However your sales have not matched your predicted targets. Your ‘aluminous green’ jumper just did not sell!!!! However your competitors ‘peach’ jumper of a slightly lower quality and higher in price is now buyimg your company out and making you redundant!!! It is therefore important that you understand what colour means to your targeted market. This is called colour association.

Colour association Red can be associated with:   Danger   War   Love Red brings text and images to the foreground. It is used for as an accent colour to stimulate people to make quick decisions. It is the perfect colour for internet buttons such as:  Buy Now  Click Here

Colour association cont. In advertising it is the perfect colour to evoke erotic feelings such as: Red lips Valentines day Lady in red Black can be associated with: Power Elegance Death When designing for a gallery of art or photography you can use black backgrounds to make the other colours to stand out. Black contrasts well with bright colours.

Learnt outcomes What is colour theory How colour schemes are developed and derived Why colours are important to engineers What colours can mean and where they can be used