Color Vocabulary

There has been a tremendous amount of research on how color affects human beings. Color affects us emotionally, with different colors evoking different emotions so it is wise to know the psychology of color in advertising and design in order to obtain the results we want.

The vocabulary of color includes: Hue: refers to the names of the primary colors, red, green and blue. Value: lightness and darkness of the color – the amount of white or black added. Intensity: the purity or saturation of the color Monochromatic color: use of one color where only the value of the color changes Analogous colors: colors that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel,e.g. yellow and green Analogous colors next to each other on the color wheel “get along” and are referred to as being harmonious. Analogous colors are often used in visual design and have a soothing affect. Complementary colors: colors opposite to each other on the color wheel, e.g. Blue-violet and yellow, represent colors positioned across from each other on the color wheel. Complimentary colors exhibit more contrast when positioned adjacent to each other -for example yellow appears more intense when positioned on or beside blue or violet Warm colors include: yellows, red and orange we associate these with blood, sun and fire. Cool colors include: violet, blue and green because of our association with snow and ice. The strongest compositions are created by complementary colors. For example the Los Angeles Lakers: Yellow and purple. The Florida Gators: Orange and blue and etc.