✅ [A] COLOR THEORY

Color

A phenomenon of light and visual perception that may be described in terms of an individual’s perception of hue, saturation, and lightness

(1) Observer
(2) Object
(3) Sufficient Light

Color is a mental sensation that can only occur if these three requirements are fulfilled

Visible Spectrum

The narrow band of wavelengths that the human eye can view

Color Effect

What we actually see as color is known as its

True

True or false: The entire electromagnetic spectrum is not perceivable to humans

True

True or false: All light travels at the same speed but waves of light energy are emitted at different distances apart

Frequencies

What do you call the varying distances emitted by waves of light energy?

Wavelength

The physical difference between radio waves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, and x-rays

Wavelength

The distance between peaks of light energy emissions

Spectral Color

Light of a specific wavelength

Hue

Color perception of a specific wavelength

True

True or false: Color only exists in the brain

Red

Color having the longest wave length in the visible spectrum

Violet

Color having the shortest wave length in the visible spectrum

Nanometers

Wavelengths of light are measured in

Psychological

Physical events that affect the conscious, subconscious, and unconcious

Physiological

Lightwave frequencies that “describe the effects stimuli have upon us”

Chromotherapy

The healing of color. Light is used in the form of color to balance energy

True

True or false: Color connotations and associations differ among men to women, children to adults, as well as professions and cultures

Light Quality

A factor in perception that is concerned with the spectral energy distribution of the light including the conditions under which the color is perceive

Metamerism

Two objects that appear to match under one light source but not under another exhibit

Metameric Pair

The objects that appear to match under one light source but not under another

False

True or false: If the colorants of two things are different, they can be made to match under all light conditions

Color Constancy

The perception that the colors of familiar objects remains the same no matter what the illumination (light sources) may be

Media and Techniques

Spectral characteristics of the object, with respect to absorption, reflection and transmission of light

True

True or false: Colors may be different according to the media, support employed, brands of paint

Eye and Brain

Body parts that allow certain colors to be perceived more easily than others

True

True or false: Most of what we see is based on the memory of a color — when and how we have experienced it before

Synesthesia

A neurological condition in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway

Grapheme-color Synesthesia

An individual's perception of numbers and letters is associated with the experience of colors

False

True or false: Grapheme-color synesthesia is not involuntary, consistent, and memorable

Sound-to-Color Synesthesia or Chromesthesia

Color is experienced as a result of a musical sound such as sound, pitch, key, tone, key, or timbre. Synesthetes that perceive color while listening to music experience the colors in addition to the normal auditory sensations that would be triggered in the average person

Color Blindness

It is the inability or decreased ability to see color, or perceive color differences, under normal lighting conditions. For the vast majority of people with deficient color vision the condition is genetic and has been inherited from their mother, although for some is a result of other diseases such as diabetes and multiple sclerosis or they acquire the condition over time due to the aging process, medication etc.

Color Vision Deficiency or CVD

Color blindness is also known as

Ishihara Color Blindness Test

Most well known color vision deficiency test all around the world

Dr. Shinobu Ishihara

Japanese doctor that produced three different test sets which are widely used and which all are based on the same pseudoisochromatic plates

True

True or false: Memories, experiences, intelligence and cultural background all affect the way a color’s impact can vary from individual to individual

Eye Training

Learning to distinguish in every color sample three objective attributes

Color Competence

The ability to predict and control, to the extent possible, color effects and the ability to select and use colors that will enhance every product and page

Color Control

The instability of colors cannot be eliminated, but with awareness and kill it can be minimized, even utilized

Hue

Undiluted colors. The true colors of the spectrum. Attribute of colors that permits them to be classed as red, yellow, green, blue or an intermediate

Chromatic

Having hue

Achromatic

Without hue. There is no discernable hue or color

Polychromatic

Having many hues (usually 3-4)

Monochromatic

Having one hue only

Prismatic

Use of pure hues only

Chromatic Scale

Any linear series of hues in spectrum order. This can illustrate pure saturated colors or more complex, diluted colors. Its defining characteristic is that each step in the progression is a change in hue

Broken Hue

A combination of unequal proportions of all the primaries. Russet, gold, ecru are some examples found in nature, sometimes known as earth colors

Color Wheels

Color arrangements or structures that enable us to organize and predict such color reactions and interactions

Pigment Wheel

The basis for working with subtractive color, it imparts information about the reactions colors have when they are actually mixed

Mixing Wheel

The pigment wheel is also known as

False

True or false: When using the pigment wheel, red and yellow, and blue can be obtained by mixing pigments

True

True or false: When using the pigment wheel, mixing red, yellow, and blue creates a muddy black

Primary Colors

Colors that cannot be created by combining other colors

(1) Red
(2) Yellow
(3) Blue

The three primary colors

Secondary Colors

Produced from the mixing of one primary color with another

(1) Orange
(2) Green
(3) Violet

The three secondary colors

Tertiary Colors or Intermediate

These colors are created when mixing one secondary and one primary colors

Process Wheel

This primary arrangement is the standard employed in color printing and photography as well as pigment (ink) manufacture

(1) Cyan
(2) Magenta
(3) Yellow

The three basic primaries of the process wheel

True

True of false: In the process wheel, mixing the three primaries together will result to gray-black

Light Wheel

It is based on the additive color system and provides information concerning light rays and transparent color. It is now used for theatrical lighting and projection and is now the basis for video and computer graphics as well

False

True or false: In the light wheel, since these are combinations of colored light, when all the primaries (red, green and blue) are combined, black is the result

Black

The total absence of light results in

True

True or false: Because light is being added to light, the more color rays are mixed or fused with other color rays, the lighter they become

(1) Cool Hues
(2) Warm Hues

Two major types of color temperature

Cool Hues

Usually related to blue. This color temperature recede and suggest sky, water, distance, foliage, shadows. It is quiet, restful, far, airy, and light

Blue-green

The coolest hue

Warm Hues

Usually related to red. This color temperature advance and suggest aggression, sunlight, heat, blood, arousal and stimulation. They appear heavier than cool ones and when placed side by side, these differing visual weights influence their surroundings

Red-orange

The warmest hue

Hot

Color temperature that is intense and attention-grabbing, these schemes often include bright shades of red

Cold

Color temperature that can be powerful, frigid or austere, these palettes include bright shades of blue

Intensity

Also called chroma or saturation and is the brightness or dullness of a color

True

True or false: Orange appears heavy and is warmer than yellow

Value

The relative lightness and darkness of a color sample

Tint

Color with the presence of white. Lighter shade of a color

True

True or false: Pink is a tint of red

Shade

A color with the presence of black. Darker shade of a color

True

True or false: Navy is a shade of blue

Saturation

Intensity, brightness or dullness of a color. Also known as the brilliance, purity, or chroma

Tone

Addition of gray to pure hue

True

True or false: A saturated hue can be reduced in saturation by the addition of achromatic gray or by the addition of its complement

False

True or false: Saturated color is not a good way to compare color value

True

True or false: Some colors, such as yellow and orange, have a much lighter value at their highest saturation point, while other colors have a darker value (such as blues and purples)

Dilution

Changing a pure hue by lightening, darkening or muting by the use of additives such as white, black, gray or its complement. When the descendant of any two colors is arranged as if the parent colors were crossing one another, it creates an illusion

Intervals

An ______ is a step of change between color samples. Most design situations involving this involve three elements: The “parents” (samples on either side) and the “descendant”, a visual step between two parents

Transparence

The impression of transparency can be achieved when two sets of color are joined by a third that is perfectly balanced between them

Gradient

Series of progressive intervals that are so close that individual steps cannot be distinguished. It is a seamless transition between color differences

Threshold

The point at which an individual can no longer detect a difference between two close samples

Visual acuity for color

The ability to detect differences between wavelengths (colors) of light

True

True or false: Each individual's visual acuity for color determines his or her threshold of color vision

Colorway

Any of a range of combinations of colors in which a style or design is available

Dissonance

Use of conflicting, unrelated colors

Advancing

Colors lower in value (darker), more highly saturated, and warmer in hue are considered to be

Receding

Colors higher in value (lighter), lower in saturation, and cooler in hue are considered to be

Color Harmony

Refers to the visual agreement of all parts of a work. These are time-tested combinations that work well together

Color Chords

Color harmony is also known as

Monochromatic

Containing or using only one hue

Analogous

Groups of colors (3 colors) that are next to each other on the color wheel

Direct Complementary

A color scheme that lies directly across the color wheel from each other