The Role of Colour in Design

Adapted from Just

FACS

Components of Colour• Pigments- substances that

absorb some light rays and reflect others.

• Hue identifies the colour (red, yellow-green, violet, etc)

• Intensity is the brightness or dullness of a colour.

• Value is the lightness or darkness of a colour.

• Adding white to a hue creates a tint.– Ex. Pink is a tint of red.

• Adding black to a hue creates a shade.– Lowers the value and

darkens it.• Adding gray to a colour

creates a tone.

Warm Colours• Yellow-green to red

• Can make objects look larger or closer than they really are

Warm Colours

– Red and orange convey the most warmth

– Warm colours are suitable for areas of high activity such as kitchens and family rooms

Cool Colours• Green to red-violet

• Can make objects seems larger and farther away

Cool Colours– Popular in

bedrooms, bathrooms and home offices because of their relaxing effect.

Illusions with Colour

• Warm coloured objects appear closer than cool coloured ones.

• You can visually enlarge a room by painting the walls a cool colour.

• High ceilings painted dark colours appear lower and a light colour will allow a ceiling to seem higher.

• Bold, bright colours make objects stand out.

Colour Scheme• A combination of colours

selected for a room design in order to create a mood or set a tone.

• Provides guidelines for designing successfully with colour.

• Colour schemes look best when one colour dominates

Colour Schemes and Combinations

1. Neutral2. Monochromatic3. Analogous4. Complementary5. Split-Complementary6. Triad

Neutral• Neutral colour schemes can be easier to

live with than with vibrant colour schemes.

• Often used as background colours in rooms because they blend well with other colours

• Touches of accent colours are usually added for interest

Monochromatic• Tints and

shades of one colour on the colour wheel

Analogous•3 to 5 hues next to each other on the colour wheel

Complement• Two colours that are directly opposite each other on the colour wheel.

Split Complement• Three colours,

they combine one colour with the two colours on each side of its complement

Triad•Three colours that are equal distance apart on the colour wheel.

This is what happens with no colour scheme.