These colours are Blue Yellow Red These colours

These colours are: Blue Yellow Red These colours are called the PRIMARY COLOURS.

Primary colours cannot be made by mixing together any other colours. They are called ‘pure’ colours These colours can be mixed to make any other colour that you need during the course and any other colour on the colour wheel. (This does not apply to black, white and grey which are special cases and will be discussed later. )

When any two of the three primary colours are mixed together they form other colours. The colours created are: Green Orange Violet (mixture of Blue and Yellow) (mixture of Yellow and Red) (mixture of Red and Blue) These colours are called the SECONDARY COLOURS. These colours are created by mixing EQUAL QUANTITIES of two Primary Colours, and are placed on the colour wheel in a position which shows which two Primary Colours have been used to produce the new colour.

The Outer Ring of the Colour Wheel The outer ring of the colour wheel includes each of the 6 colours already discussed and will also include 6 new colours. The outer wheel is constructed in such a way that each of the ‘arrows’ from the inside part of the colour wheel points to the same colour.

The Tertiary Colours The third group of colours are produced by mixing a Primary colour with a Secondary colour and are called TERTIARY COLOURS. This produces 6 new colours for the colour wheel.

The Tertiary Colours These new colours are shown in an outer ring along with the original six colours already discussed. These new colours are made by mixing adjacent Primary and Secondary colours on the outer ring.

The Completed Colour Wheel These colours do not have ‘ordinary’ names when used in the colour wheel – they use the two names of the mixed colours – normally with the Primary colour named first as this is the most dominant colour. The six new colours are Blue - Green Yellow - Orange Red - Violet Blue - Violet

The Completed Colour Wheel This gives a final colour wheel of: Three Primary colours – Blue, Yellow and Red Three Secondary colours – Green, Orange, and Violet And six Tertiary colours – Blue - Green Yellow - Orange Red - Violet Blue - Violet

Black, White and Grey On a previous slide it was stated that black, white and grey were special cases in a colour wheel. In colour theory black, white and grey are not colours – they cannot be made by mixing the Primary colours and are not included on the colour wheel. However, when used as a mixture with other colours they will change the appearance of the colour. Grey is usually described as ‘percentages’ of how much black is mixed in with the white. black 90% grey 80% grey 70% grey 60% grey 50% grey 40% grey 30% grey 20% grey 10% grey white

Hues, Tints, Shades and Tones The correct name for a colour is a HUE. The three primary colours are all different hues. TINT Black, White and Grey are not colours, are not included in the colour wheel, and so are not Hues. By adding our colour (or hue) to White we get a TINT. TONE HUE By adding Black to a colour (or hue) we get a SHADE. By adding Grey to a colour (or hue) we get a TONE. (it is always better to add a little of the darker colour to the lighter colour when mixing. This allows greater control over the colour being mixed) SHADE

Warm and Colours The colour wheel can be broken into two parts to show the WARM colours and the COLD colours. Warm colours remind us of the sun, or a fire or other ‘warm’ things in life. The warm colours include the side of the colour wheel with reds, yellows and oranges. Cold colours remind us of water, ice and other ‘cold’ things in life. The cold colours include the side of the colour wheel with blues, greens and violets.

Advancing and Receding Colours Warm colours are described as advancing colours. Rooms decorated in warm colours will appear to be smaller because the walls will give the feeling of warmth but also closing in on the occupants. Cool colours are described as receding colours. Rooms decorated in cool colours will appear to be larger because the walls will give the feeling of coldness and more space.

Advancing and Receding Colours When a warm colour such as red is used with a cool colour such as blue, the warm advancing colour will appear to stand out from the cold colour. This can be quite useful when working with text headings. An advancing colour will help the heading to be more noticeable. When the text and background colours are reversed the red background being the advancing colour stands out and the heading is not as noticeable Heading

Contrasting and Harmonious Colours When choosing contrasting colours the second colour will include the Primary colours not included in the first colour. For example – when red is the first colour the contrasting colour should include mixtures of blue and yellow – the primary colours not included in the first colour. When choosing harmonious colours one Primary colour will be missing from the two colours chosen. For example – when red and red-orange are chosen there will be no blue included in any of the colours used. = All 3 primary colours included = The main primary colour used is red The red orange has red and yellow included There is no blue included in any of the colours

Contrasting Colours Contrasting colours are positioned opposite each other on the colour wheel. Because they are so different to each other they will stand out against each other. This is useful when deciding the colours of lettering on shop signs or headings for DTP work. Contrasting colours are sometimes called complimentary colours. In each case the warm / advancing colour will be the more dominant colour and will be the more prominent colour. Some examples of contrasting colours are shown here Red and Yellow-Green Blue-Green Blue and Red-Orange Yellow-Orange Yellow and Blue-Violet Red-Violet

Harmonious Colours Harmonious colours are positioned next to each other on the colour wheel. Harmonious colours have only slight differences between them and are used as matching colours. Harmonious colours will include a Tertiary colour together with a Primary or Secondary colour. Examples of harmonious colours are shown here. Red and Blue and Yellow and Red-Orange Red-Violet Blue-Green Blue-Violet Yellow-Orange Yellow-Green

Effect of Colours Used Together When two colours are used together the differences between the colours affects how the colours are seen – for example a yellow-green circle used on a green background will appear to the eye look more yellow. whereas a yellow-green circle used on a yellow background looks more green. This can be used to give different effects when designing titles for DTP work, in titles for instance. Graphic Communication

Psychology of Colour can also be used to give different psychological effects. WEIGHT: Dark tones make objects appear heavy, light tones make them appear less heavy. STRENGTH: Pale colours (sometimes referred to as pastels) give the impression of softness, whereas dark colours appear to be strong. TEMPERATURE: Red, orange and yellow indicates warm whereas green appear cool. white, blue, violet and CLEANLINESS: White gives the impression of cleanliness, but is difficult to keep clean. DIGNITY: Dark greys and dark reds give the impression of sobriety and dignity. The following slides give some general feelings gained from colours.

Psychology of Colour can be regarded as seasonal. SPRING: Spring is a season of light fresh colours. It is associated with pale colours (tints). Colours in spring are mostly light primary colours and secondary colours. SUMMER: Summer is a season of bright strong colours. It is associated with blue sky’s, yellow sandy beaches, green leaves, red flowers, etc. Summer is dominated by the colours from the warm side of the colour wheel. AUTUMN: Autumn is a season of rich, warm, mature colours. It is associated with reds, yellows, oranges and browns, as leaves die and crops ripen. It is characterised by tertiary colours. WINTER: Winter is a season of cold, restrained colours. It is associated with icy blue and frosty / snowy white colours. It is also a time of dark days, as the colour drains from the natural world.

Blue S 1 Graphic Communication Meanings Serene Passive Tranquil Sophisticated Aristocratic Sad Cool Elegant Spiritual Heavenly Formal Reliable Blue Blooded Feeling Blue True Blue More formal than red and yellow Nor used in food because of association with mould. Sayings Primary Colour Cold Colour Receding Colour

Red Meanings Positive Aggressive Vibrant Exciting Passionate Emotional Rage Courage Blood Warning of Danger Bold Speed Warm Violent Martyrdom Dangerous Active Revolution Temper Defiant Oppressive Hot Festive Seeing Red Financially in the red Red rag to a bull Red Rage Red Flag Red Blooded Great power of attraction but too much can be tiring. Primary Colour Sayings Warm Colour Advancing Colour

Yellow Meanings Pleasant Sunny Cheerful Lively Divine Light Warm Happy Glowing Bright Quiet Glory Most easily seen colour due to its luminosity. Associated with sunshine and holidays Sayings Lack of courage (yellow streak) Primary Colour Warm Colour Advancing Colour

Violet Meanings Cool Negative Retiring Subdued Solemn Affliction Rich Royal Regal Shy Melancholy Resignation Associated with peacefulness and solitude Sayings Shrinking Violet Secondary Colour Cold Colour Receding Colour

Orange Meanings Sunny Cheerful Warm Exciting Happy Appetising Aggressive One of the appetite colours associated with flavour and energy Sayings Secondary Colour Warm Colour Advancing Colour

Green Most restful of all colours. Meanings Restful Neutral Fresh Youthful Immature Cool Faith Immortality Calm Soothing Quiet Informal Envy Natural Contemplation Associated with safety, health and environmental concerns. Secondary Colour Sayings Green with Envy Green (inexperienced) Green about the gills (sickly) Cold Colour Receding Colour

Black Meanings Subdued Depressing Solemn Profound Sorrow Pain Death Dramatic Elegant Stylish Sophisticated Gloom Secrecy Evil Black List Black Plague Financially in the black This Years Black (fashion) Sayings

White Meanings Positive Stimulating Luminous Airy Light Delicate Sayings White lie Clean Pure Innocent Truce Surrender

Grey Meanings Sedate Dignified Old Age Humility Neutral Sayings A grey area Natural Restful Calm Elegant Inconspicuous

Commercial Use Of Colour can be used in various ways for commercial reasons. Symbolise ideas: Used to identify political colours and national identity. Create mood or interest: Used by interior designers when designing living and working areas. Identify and Organise: Used to colour code electrical wiring and in the use of highlighter pens. Attract attention: Used by commerce in advertising of products. Promote sales: Used in packaging for different goods. Promote business: Used to establish a corporate identity. Promote group identity: Give instruction: Used in uniforms and in the choice of team colours Used in warning signs such as traffic lights and LED electronic display panels.

The Use Of Colour in Product Design Many products use colour in their design. The graphic here shows the ‘My First Sony’ range of children’s tape recorders. This product was produced in Primary colours to educate and appeal to children. (source: colour in industrial design by dale russell, the design council, 1991) The radio is from the FADA company who chose a strong colour and bold surface effects in the design of their 1930’s radio. (source: colour in industrial design by dale russell, the design council, 1991) A workshop glue gun is also shown. The body of the gun has been coloured in a cool blue colour to indicated which parts of the tool are safe to touch. The trigger, which activates the hot glue and the nozzle where the glue comes out have both been coloured in a warm orange colour as a warning to indicate the possibility of danger. (source: design graphics by david fair + marilyn kenny, hodder and stoughton, 1987)

The Use Of Colour in Product Design Some questions were asked at the start of the presentation. The answers to these should now be clearer. Why are Ferrari sports cars normally painted red? Red gives a feeling of: Positive, Aggressive, Vibrant, Exciting, Dangerous, Passionate, etc. These adjectives would indicate how the company wants to describe their cars. Why are highlighters made in bright yellows, bright oranges and bright greens and not dull dark colours? These colours are bright, usually advancing colours which will stand out against the white page and black text. Why would there be problems if a hospital ward was pained bright red, or very dark blue? Red describes danger, blood, rage and temper and would not be a good choice. Blues give feelings of Serenity and Coolness but can also be associated with ‘feeling blue’. Light greens on the other hand are described as being Restful, Calming, Soothing, Fresh and Quiet. Why are red and green used for stop and go signals at traffic lights? Red and Green are contrasting colours and are therefore easily distinguishable. One additional reason for the use of these colours would be tradition and people are used to red as a ‘danger’ sign and green as a ‘safe’ sign. With red being an advancing colour this will stand out from the other colours and the danger signal will be easily noticed.