Color Theory & Typography – Vocabulary Flashcards

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering color theory, color psychology, and typography concepts from Chapter 2 of INTECH 2100 Web Design & Multimedia.

Progressive Enhancement

A layered web-design strategy that builds first for content and accessibility, then adds presentation (CSS) and behavior (JavaScript).

Color Model

An organized system for creating a full range of colors from a small set of primaries; includes additive and subtractive types.

Additive Color Model

Color system that uses light (e.g., RGB) where colors result from transmitted light; combining primaries produces white.

Subtractive Color Model

Color system that uses pigments/inks (e.g., CMYK) where colors result from reflected light; combining primaries removes light and tends toward black.

RGB Color Model

Additive model for screens using Red, Green, Blue light; Red + Green + Blue = White.

CMYK Color Model

Subtractive model for printing using Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key (Black); standard for four-color offset print.

Primary Colors

Base hues in traditional color theory: Red, Yellow, Blue.

Secondary Colors

Colors created by mixing two primaries: Orange, Green, Violet.

Tertiary Colors

Hues formed by mixing a primary with an adjacent secondary, e.g., Red-Orange or Blue-Green.

Color Wheel

Circular diagram that arranges hues in spectral order to illustrate relationships such as complements and triads.

Color Harmony

A pleasing balance or unity of colors that look ‘right’ together.

Hue

The basic name of a color (e.g., red, blue, yellow).

Saturation

The intensity or purity of a hue; high saturation equals vivid color, low equals muted/greyed.

Value

The lightness or darkness of a hue.

Shade

A hue mixed with black to make it darker.

Tint

A hue mixed with white to make it lighter.

Tone

A hue mixed with gray, reducing saturation.

Color Temperature

Perceived warmth or coolness of a hue; reds/yellows are warm, blues/greens are cool.

Warm Colors

Hues in the red, orange, yellow range, often associated with energy and excitement.

Cool Colors

Hues in the blue, green, purple range, often associated with calm and tranquility.

Monochromatic Scheme

Color harmony using a single hue plus its tints, shades, and tones.

Analogous Scheme

Harmony using three hues adjacent on the color wheel.

Complementary Scheme

Pairing of opposite hues on the color wheel, yielding high contrast.

Triadic Scheme

Three hues evenly spaced 120° apart on the color wheel, forming an equilateral triangle.

Color Psychology

Study of how colors influence human emotions and behavior.

Red (Color Meaning)

Connotes energy, passion, danger; raises heart rate and grabs attention.

Orange (Color Meaning)

Combines red’s energy with yellow’s joy; signals enthusiasm and creativity.

Yellow (Color Meaning)

Associated with happiness, intellect, and warmth; stimulates mental activity.

Green (Color Meaning)

Symbolizes nature, growth, safety; has calming, healing associations.

Blue (Color Meaning)

Evokes trust, stability, calm; considered beneficial to mind and body.

White (Color Meaning)

Represents purity, innocence, cleanliness, and new beginnings.

Black (Color Meaning)

Suggests power, elegance, mystery, but also grief and the unknown.

Typography

The art and technique of arranging type, including font choice, size, spacing, and color.

Typeface

Overall design style of letters, numbers, and symbols (e.g., Helvetica, Times New Roman).

Font

Specific weight, style, and size within a typeface (e.g., Helvetica Bold 14pt).

Font Family

Group of related fonts within one typeface that vary in weight and style (e.g., Roboto Regular, Roboto Bold).

Weight (Font Weight)

Thickness of character strokes; ranges from Thin to Extra-Bold.

Leading

Vertical spacing between baselines of text lines; set with CSS line-height.

Tracking

Uniform spacing between words; controlled via word-spacing.

Kerning

Adjustment of space between specific letter pairs; in CSS, letter-spacing.

Serif Typeface

Font category with small finishing strokes (serifs) on letter ends; seen in print (e.g., Georgia).

Sans Serif Typeface

Fonts without serifs; clean and modern, ideal for screens (e.g., Arial, Verdana).

Decorative Typeface

Highly stylized ‘display’ fonts for headlines or posters, not body text (e.g., Jokerman).

Script Typeface

Fonts that mimic cursive handwriting; used for formal or decorative text (e.g., Brush Script).