Using Color: The Relationship Between Graphic Design and Color Schemes

Now we will discuss the relationship between color and graphic design. As you may already know, color plays a big role when it comes to logos and advertisements. It is the first thing that catches your eye when glancing at any graphic design. Why do you think candy packaging is so bright and colorful? Children are especially drawn to this, which is why many candy companies may choose such bright, obnoxious colors. However, despite the amount of color in each design, it is how they are used that creates an effective, eye catching design that many people are attracted to.

Now that you know the specific types of colors you are going to learn how to utilize these colors, whether they are alone or accompanied by others. There are many ways to mix and match colors — some even require scientific processes — but for now we will be looking at only three types of color schemes.

Complementary

These types of colors are opposite of each other on the color wheel. Referring back to the name, these colors complement each other to create strong contrast within your design. In the example below, you can see how effective they can be. However, it is not recommended to use these types of colors often. Even though it may seem eye catching, the strong contrast can be an eye sore, depending on how you use it.

Chili's Bar and Grill uses
a red and green complementary color scheme.

Analogous

Unlike complementary, these neighboring colors can prove to be just as effective with a subtle tone that can be most pleasing to the eye. The best part of analogous colors is that more colors may be used as opposed to complementary colors that only require two. Depending on how you use them, analogous colors tend to be the safest choice among graphic designers due to the simplicity and unlimited possibilities for the colors involved.

Firefox not only utilizes an analogous 

color scheme, but a complementary color scheme 

made up of orange and blue.

Triad

Typically, triad colors utilize three contrasting colors that are evenly spread across from each other on the color wheel. They can be a bit tricky to use, which is why referencing a color wheel would be most helpful. For those that may not be color experts, there are even some online tools such as the Adobe Kuler tool, which you can find at color.adobe.com. When used properly, these colors can create a very strong, yet subtle contrast to draw the eye.

Burger King's logo uses a strong triad color scheme of red, yellow orange, and navy blue.

Using Color: Tertiary Colors

The final component on the color wheels are tertiary colors, or as I like to call them, the “in-between” colors. Now, to explain this a bit more clearly, imagine that you’ve just mixed the colors red and yellow in order to make orange. However, you seemed to have spilled more red paint into the mixture than yellow. So now what do you have? Of course, you may be thinking, “red orange,” which is not only correct but it is also one of the most well-known tertiary colors.

RYB

RGB & CMYK

As you can see, there are quite a few tertiary colors within the color wheels that are imbedded in between the primary and secondary colors. In fact, there are two tertiary colors for each primary color. For RYB, many artists simply mix more of one primary color on their palette in order to create a tertiary color. That way any mistakes in creating their new colors can be corrected just by adding in more of a certain color.

A much easier and accurate way artists achieve these tertiary colors is by mixing the primary and secondary colors together. Going back to my example from earlier, making red orange would be as simple as mixing red and orange together.

The same applies for RGB and CMYK. Although I stated in my last posts that these two color formats are used differently, the way they are mixed are exactly the same as the traditional RYB format. And yes, to make matters even easier, the tertiary colors for each of these two color formats are indeed the same.

Please reference these color wheels when using color for future graphic design projects.

Using Color: Secondary Colors

Now that we’ve covered primary colors, we will now go deeper into the color spectrum and watch as the primary colors multiply for each of the three color wheels. As part of the next wave of colors, we will see the results of mixing these three primary colors, which are known as secondary colors. However, keep in mind that these secondary colors vary from each color wheel.

RYB

Let’s go back to art class. As a visual, think of the primary colors (Red, Blue, and Yellow) mixed together on a paint palette. Of course, it’s common knowledge that mixing red and blue makes violet, blue and yellow makes green, and yellow and red makes orange. Now, we have newly formed colors. In the diagram above, you can see these secondary colors as they open the doors to thousands of new colors to be formed.

RGB

When dealing with RGB, you are dealing with the color within light. The reason for the primary colors being red, green, and blue is due to the colors within light that the human eye can pick up. Although we may not think about it, light does have color, but it is often distorted. Because we can’t see individual colors, the most common color of light people often see is white—the combination of the three primary colors. Although, when broken down, it was discovered that individually mixing two of each primary color can achieve a secondary color (see diagram above). These colors are yellow, magenta, and cyan.

CMYK

Now if you remember the primary colors for CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow), I’m sure you’ve noticed. Yes, the secondary colors for RGB are indeed the same as the primary colors for CMYK. Knowing this, you can see that the primary and secondary colors for these two color wheels are merely flipped. However, unlike RGB, mixing the primary colors for CMYK will create black, which is why it is often used for printing. This will allow printers to create a variety of bright, vibrant colors, while having a side option for black ink. As you know, most printers today don’t always require black ink. Merely mixing all of your colors together will allow for a fairly legible black ink for text or any images that require a bit of shading in for shadows. 

Using Color: Primary Colors

The world is a colorful place. Luckily, graphics are a big part of the world now. Many of us will see graphics everywhere - on TV, billboards, ads, posters, books, etc. And a majority of the time, color will most likely be the first thing about a graphic that we will see. In fact, in a recent study, it was stated that the human eye can see up to 10 million colors, which is why it's important to carefully select the most eye-pleasing colors there are. The first thing you should know about color are the many different types that exist.

The Color Wheel

Like many things in this world, colors have a basis that we use to distinguish each one from among others. The color wheel is that very basis we have developed. Within the color wheel, there are three types of colors. They are primary colors, secondary colors, and tertiary colors. Each contain a different set of colors, from simple ones to those that are seen as more complex.

Primary Colors

They are the first set of colors on the color wheel and are the original source of many colors that we see every day. By mixing these colors, we can create a plethora of many others, but keep in mind, they cannot be recreated once they have been mixed with others. These primary colors are made of but three colors within three different sets for different purposes.

RYB

This is the most commonly used color wheel out there. For RYB, the primary colors used for this type of color wheel are red, yellow, and blue (hence the acronym). These primary colors are often referenced by many artists in order to provide themselves with a gateway to a vast amount of color options.

RGB

Abbreviated for red, green, and blue, these primary colors are best used for electronic programs such as television, video games, and online graphics. For anyone that may desire to create graphic designs for electronic rather than physical purposes, the RGB color wheel is what you’ll want to reference.

CMYK

The primary colors used in this color wheel are cyan, magenta, and yellow. The colors used in this color wheel are usually used in ink and specialize in printing. For many advertising agencies and print shops, this color wheel is the most referenced. Although, it is said that some painters also tend to use it to create a different tone for their art.