3 concepts about color theory that you should not forget

Using the correct color combination for your designs saves your time and makes your users connect with your design. 3 concepts about color theory that you should not forget.

The use of color has its own universal principles, rules, and guidelines that we have already reviewed in previous articles. These characteristics, known as color theory, are very important because a color scheme helps to communicate the message of your design and to adjust your marketing strategies.

Let's review 3 of these features.

The color wheel

As you well remember, if you want to know the relationship between colors, the color wheel is your tool. Isaac Newton's observation shows you links between different colors based on the red, yellow, and blue of each color.

According to Bleicher, the color wheel can be classified into the following types of colors:

Primary colors: yellow, red, and blue. Basic colors that cannot be divided into simpler colors.
Secondary colors: orange, green, purple - results of mixing two primary colors.
Tertiary Colors - Results of mixing primary and secondary colors to form a hybrid.

Knowing the color wheel well and the relationships between colors are what will help you better understand color and what colors to use in your designs.

Harmony in color

Another objective of color in your designs is to improve the user experience. Therefore, you must choose the colors to offer a good aesthetic. So, like any other process, it's important to think about the color scheme before starting the design process. Remember that the idea is to add and not subtract.

Bleicher talks about five main color schemes that you must take into account to achieve harmony in your designs:

Monochrome outline. Based on the colors created from different dyes.
Analogous color scheme. Based on three colors located next to each other on the color wheel.
Complementary schemes. They use one (or more) color pairs that, combined, "cancel each other out."
Divided complementary scheme. A combination of the use of the complementary color scheme and the analogous color scheme.
Triadic. Based on the use of three colors at equal distances from each other on the color wheel.
Tetradic. Use two sets of complementary pairs.
Square. A variant of tetradic.

Color temperature

Also, help you with the appearance of your website. Colors can move people and evoke feelings in users. The color red does not represent the same in Chinese cultures that it represents in some Greek cultures, for example.

The color wheel gives you the following color temperature indicators:

Warm colors. Colors in the middle of the color wheel (yellow, orange, red) that reflect feelings such as passion, power, happiness and energy.
Cold colors. Colors on the other side of the color wheel (green, blue, violet), and reflect calm, meditation, and relaxing impressions.
Neutral colors. Gray, brown, white, and black. In our current context, they do not reflect any particular emotion.

Which categories you will use will depend on what you intend to achieve with your website. Obviously, doing tests with your users is mandatory to ensure the success of the project.

Conclusion

These are just some of the concepts and keywords, of color theory, that you should not forget whenever you start a new project. Doing so will help you avoid having to guess or improvise on the fly when the project is already in an advanced stage.