Graphic Communication Colour Theory

Primary Colours  Red  Yellow  Blue

Secondary Colours  Green  Orange  Violet

 Yellow-Orange Tertiary Colours  Red-Orange  Red-Violet  Violet-Blue  Blue-Green  Green-Yellow

The Colour Wheel

Colours and Moods Red  Warm  Exciting  Passionate  Dangerous  Angry

 Warm  Happy  Sunny  Cheerful  Full of Energy Orange Colours and Moods

 Yellow  Warm  Happy  Sunny  Cheerful  Bright – Most Easily Seen

Colours and Moods Green  Cool  Restful  Natural  Calm  Fresh

Colours and Moods Blue  Cool  Conservative  Sophisticated  Formal  Elegant

Colours and Moods Purple  Rich  Regal  Pompous  Luxurious

Colours and Moods  White  Hygienic  Clean  Pure

Harmony and Contrast  Harmony  Colours close to each other on colour wheel  Easy on the eye  Creates a relaxing image

Harmony and Contrast  Contrast  Colours far apart on the colour wheel  Eye catching  Makes objects stand out  Complimentary e.g. the green makes the red look redder, and the red makes the the green look greener

Warm and Cool Colours WarmCool  Blues, Greens, Violets  Receding Colours e.g. appear to be further away  Reds, Yellows, Oranges  Advancing Colours e.g. appear to be closer

Tints and Shades TintShade  Add black or grey to add a shade  Dark shades make objects appear heavy  Add white to make a tint  Pale pastel colours give the impression of softness

Tips for Choosing a Colour Scheme Any colours near each other (within any third of the colour wheel) will always work together to create a harmonious colour scheme or Any two colours which are opposite each other on the colour wheel look good together and make a bold statement or Any three colours which are equally spaced on the colour wheel work together to make an exciting scheme