THE ROLE OF COLOR IN DESIGN

Just FACS

THE COLOR WHEELAll color schemes and things to do with color are based off this color wheel.

COMPONENTS OF COLOR

Pigments

Hue

Intensity

Value

Tint

Shade

Tone

PIGMENTS

A pigment is a material that changes the color of reflected or transmitted light as the

result of wavelength-selective absorption.

Permanence and stability are desirable properties.

Pigments that are not permanent are called fugitive.

Fugitive pigments fade over time, or with exposure to light, while some eventually blacken.

Pigments are used for coloring paint, ink, plastic, fabric, cosmetics, food and other materials.

Most pigments used in manufacturing and the visual arts are dry colorants, usually ground into a

fine powder.

This powder is added to a binder (or vehicle), a relatively neutral or colorless material that

suspends the pigment and gives the paint its adhesion.

The following are some of the attributes of pigments that determine their suitability for

particular manufacturing processes and applications:

¤ Lightfastness and sensitivity for damage from ultra violet light ¤Heat stability

¤ Toxicity ¤ Tinting strength ¤ Staining

¤ Dispersion ¤ Opacity or transparency ¤ Resistance to alkalis and acids

¤ Reactions and interactions between pigments

HUE

Hue is the color

feature that

makes one color

different from

others.

INTENSITY

Intensity is the

brightness or dullness of

a color.

VALUE

Value is the lightness or

darkness of a color.

TINT

Adding white to a hue

creates a tint.

Ex. Pink is a tint of

red.

SHADE

Adding black to a hue

creates a shade.

Lowers the value and

darkens it.

TONE

Adding gray to a color

creates a tone.

ILLUSIONS WITH COLOR

Warm colored objects appear closer than cool colored ones.

You can visually enlarge a room by painting the walls a cool

color.

High ceilings painted dark colors appear lower

High ceilings painted a light color will allow a ceiling to seem

higher.

Bold, bright colors make objects stand out.

WARM COLORS

Warm colors: yellow-green to red on the color wheel

Red and orange conveys the most

warmth

Warm colors are suitable for areas

of high activity such as kitchens and

family rooms

Advancing- make objects look larger or closer than they really are

Warm

Warm

Warm

Warm

COOL COLORS

Cool colors: Red-Violet to

Green on the color Wheel

Popular in bedrooms,

bathrooms and home

offices because of their

relaxing effect.

Receding- objects seems larger and farther away

Cool

Cool

Cool

Cool

COLOR SCHEME

A combination of colors selected for a room design in

order to create a mood or set a tone.

Provides guidelines for designing successfully with color.

Color schemes look best when one color dominates

TYPES OF COLOR SCHEMES

1. Achromatic

2. Neutral

3. Complementary

4. Split-Complementary

5. Analogous

6. Accented Analogous

7. Monochromatic

8. Triadic

9. Tetradic

ACHROMATIC

NEUTRAL

Neutral color schemes can be easier to live with than with vibrant color schemes.

•Often used as background colors in rooms because they blend well with other colors

•Touches of accent colors are usually added for interest

COMPLIMENTARY

Two colors that are directly opposite each other on the color wheel.

SPLIT COMPLIMENTARY

Three colors, they combine one color with the two colors on each side of its complement

ANALOGOUS

•3 to 5 hues next to each other on the color wheel

ACCENTED ANALOGOUS

TRIADIC

•Three colors that are equal distance apart on the color wheel.

TETRADIC

4 colors spaced the same distance apart (square) or in the shape of a rectangle.

MONOCHROMATIC

Tints and shades of one color on the color wheel

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WITH NO COLOR SCHEME.