The monochromatic color scheme uses variations in lightness and saturation
of a single color. This scheme looks clean and elegant. Monochromatic colors
go well together, producing a soothing effect. The monochromatic scheme is
very easy on the eyes, especially with blue or green hues. You can use it
to establish an overall mood. The primary color can be integrated with neutral
colors such as black, white, or gray. However, it can be difficult, when
using this scheme, to highlight the most important elements.
The
monochromatic scheme is easy to manage, and always looks balanced
and visually appealing.
This scheme lacks color
contrast. It is not as vibrant as the complementary scheme.
1. Use tints, shades, and
tones of the key color to enhance the scheme.
2. Try the analogous scheme; it offers more nuances while retaining the simplicity
and elegance of the monochromatic scheme.
The analogous color scheme uses colors that are adjacent to each other on
the color wheel. One color is used as a dominant color while others are used
to enrich the scheme. The analogous scheme is similar to the monochromatic
one, but offers more nuances.
The
analogous color scheme is as easy to create as the monochromatic,
but looks richer.
The analogous color
scheme lacks color contrast. It is not as vibrant
as the complementary scheme.
1. Avoid using
too many hues in the analogous scheme, because this
may ruin the harmony.
2. Avoid combining warm and cool colors in this scheme.
The complementary color scheme is made of two colors that are opposite each
other on the color wheel. This scheme looks best when you put a warm color
against a cool color, for example, red versus green-blue. The complementary
scheme is intrinsically high-contrast.
When using the complementary scheme, it is important to choose a dominant
color and use its complementary color for accents. Using one color for the
background and its complementary color to highlight important elements, you
will get color dominance combined with sharp color contrast.
The
complementary color scheme offers stronger contrast than any other
color scheme, and draws maximum attention.
This scheme
is harder to balance than monochromatic and analogous
schemes, especially when desaturated warm colors
are used.
1. For best
results, place cool colors against warm ones,
for example, blue versus orange.
2. If you use a warm color (red or yellow) as an accent, you can desaturate
the opposite cool colors to put more emphasis on the warm colors.
3. Avoid using desaturated warm colors (e.g. browns or dull yellows).
4. Try the split complementary scheme; it is similar to the complementary
scheme but offers more variety.
The split complementary scheme is a variation of the standard complementary
scheme. It uses a color and the two colors adjacent to its complementary.
This provides high contrast without the strong tension of the complementary
scheme.
The
split complementary scheme offers more nuances than the complementary
scheme while retaining strong visual contrast.
The split
complementary scheme is harder to balance
than monochromatic and analogous color schemes.
1. Use
a single warm color against a range of cool
colors to put an emphasis on the warm color
(red versus blues and blue-greens, or orange
versus blues and blue-violets).
2. Avoid using desaturated warm colors (e.g. browns or dull yellows), because
this may ruin the scheme.
The triadic color scheme uses three colors equally spaced around the color
wheel. This scheme is popular among artists because it offers strong visual
contrast while retaining balance, and color richness. The triadic scheme
is not as contrasting as the complementary scheme, but it looks more balanced
and harmonious.
The
triadic color scheme offers high contrast while retaining harmony.
The
triadic color scheme is not as contrasting
as the complementary scheme.
1.
Choose one color to be used in larger
amounts than others.
2. If the colors look gaudy, try to subdue them.
The tetradic (double complementary) scheme is the richest of all the schemes
because it uses four colors arranged into two complementary color pairs.
This scheme is hard to harmonize; if all four colors are used in equal amounts,
the scheme may look unbalanced, so you should choose a color to be dominant
or subdue the colors.
The
tetradic scheme offers more color variety than any other scheme.
This
scheme is the hardest scheme to balance.
1.
If the scheme looks unbalanced, try
to subdue one or more colors.
2. Avoid using pure colors in equal amounts.
Choosing Color
Schemes >>>
Corporate
Identity Design 
