Color Harmony Compendium

9

Working with color to achieve intended

results can be a challenge, but it can also

be fun! An effective color scheme can make

a room feel warm and inviting, a graphic

design able to attract attention, or a poster

to recall days gone by. Before learning what

colors to use in order to achieve the best

results, one must fi rst understand some

basic color terms.

Each primary, secondary, and tertiary

hue is at a level of full saturation, or bright-

ness, which means that there is no black,

white, or gray added. Color is described in

terms of value, which is the lightness or

darkness of a color, or the relative amount

of white or black in a hue. White added in

increments to any of the twelve colors

results in lighter values of the hue called

tints. For example, pink is a tint of the pri-

mary color red. The incremental addition

of black or gray to a hue results in darker

values of the hue known as shades. A shade

of red is burgundy or maroon. These shades

and tints are illustrated by the color chart

on the following pages.

How to Use Color

SECONDARY

TERTIARY

PRIMARY