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Leila Lee Mitchell

Color Harmonies

Leila Lee Mitchell

Color Schemes

• Scheme / Palette = selection of specificbase hues

• Vary these hues through value, intensity,proportion

• Goal = Harmony

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Leila Lee Mitchell

Color Schemes

• Simple Harmonies• Opposing / Contrasting Harmonies• Balanced Color Harmonies

Leila Lee Mitchell

Simple Harmonies

Achromatic

• Use of Black, white,or very low saturatedhue.

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Leila Lee Mitchell

Simple Harmonies

Monochromatic

• Use of a single huewith varying valuesand saturation.

Leila Lee Mitchell

Simple Harmonies

Analogous

• Color Family• Beside each other on

a color wheel• Includes same hue.

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Leila Lee Mitchell

Simple HarmoniesAnalogous

Leila Lee Mitchell

Contrasting Harmonies

Complementary

• Perfectly balanced• Opposite in the color

wheel.• Distinctive Strengths:

– V+Y = wide value range– R+G = extreme agitation– O+B = wide temperature

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Leila Lee Mitchell

Contrasting Harmonies

Warm / Cool

• 4 hues = neighboringpair of warm and cool

• Cool = V ⇒ G• Warm = R ⇒ Y• Either way = RV &

YG depending onwhat it is paired with

Leila Lee Mitchell

Contrasting Harmonies

DoubleComplementary

• More structured thanWarm/Cool

• 2 adjacentcomplementary pairs =4 hue contrastingscheme

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Leila Lee Mitchell

Contrasting Harmonies

Split Complementary

• 3 hues• 2 = surrounding colors

of a complement• Can also be considered

as a Balanced ColorHarmony

Leila Lee Mitchell

Balanced Harmonies

Triad

• Color Chords• Equilateral Triangle in

color circle• High Hue variety and

balanced.

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Leila Lee Mitchell

Balanced Harmonies

Triad

Leila Lee Mitchell

Balanced Harmonies

Tetrad• Balanced 4 Hue

Scheme• Square or rectangle

within color wheel• High Hue Variety and

Flexibility.

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Leila Lee Mitchell

Balanced Harmonies

Tetrad

Leila Lee Mitchell

Keyed Color Harmony

Color Keys• describe a range of

value and saturation• A palette can be

created with all thesame value orsaturation keys.

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Leila Lee Mitchell

Additional Color Harmonies• Simple: Variation of 2-4 hues• High and Low Saturation: all high or low saturation

hues• Neutral with accents: Achromatic with 1 or 2 accent

strong hue• Light and Dark Value: hues keyed to same value• Limited Hue Saturation: 1-3 hues + greys (tones)• Chromatic Gradation: pure hues + gradation between• Value Gradation: 2-4 hues + light to dark value

variations

Leila Lee Mitchell

Color Harmonyin Art & Design

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Leila Lee Mitchell

Phenomena Shield and Green

Paul Jenkins, 1969

Analogous Scheme withtouches of Complementarycolor

Leila Lee Mitchell

Emile Nolde, 1969

Tetrad Scheme

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Leila Lee Mitchell

AIGA Atlanta Big Night Poster

Ted Fabella, 1969

Complementary Scheme

Leila Lee Mitchell

Two Little Circus Girls

Auguste Renoir, 1879

Monochromatice Schemewith touches of achromatic foremphasis

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Leila Lee Mitchell

Kansas City Events Posters

Jon Muller

Chromatic Gradation,Analogous, Triad Schemes

Leila Lee Mitchell

Thoughts of Summer

Robert Lazuka, 1999

Monochromatic Scheme

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Leila Lee Mitchell

Ka-ching.com

Website

Analogous Scheme

Leila Lee Mitchell

Titler.com

Website

Complementary Scheme

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Leila Lee Mitchell

Spring in the Chateau du Repas

Noriyoshi Ishigooka, 1987

Split-ComplementaryScheme

Leila Lee Mitchell

Hafele America Company Ads

Charlie Elberson

Varying Schemes

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Leila Lee Mitchell

Briarwood Mall Billboards

Perich & Partners

Varying Schemes

Leila Lee Mitchell

ResourcesColor Workbook Becky KoenigMinimal Graphics Catherine FishelArt Fundamentals Ocvirk, Stinson, Wigg, BoneLaunching the Imagination Mary StewartFresh Styles for Web Designers Curt Cloninger