color

What can colors do (course intro, p.1)?

Colors shape our world. They can evoke emotions, trigger specific reactions, and even convey subliminal messages.

Why must artists or designers make sure their color palette fits their artwork?

The palette must align with the atmosphere or mood they want to create.

How can artists and designers make informed color choices?

By understanding how colors interact.

Which color combination can make you hungry according to color psychology?

A red-and-yellow combination.

Which well-known fast food chains use red and yellow in their logos?

McDonald's and KFC.

What does red cause (color psychology)?

Excitement, appetite, and hunger; it attracts attention.

What does yellow evoke (color psychology)?

Feelings of joy and friendliness.

What does a red and yellow combination express?

Speed and fluidity: enter quickly, eat, and leave satisfied.

Which article is linked about fast food logos?

Why So Many Fast Food Logos Are One Color (Insider Tech).

Color theory (definition in the intro)

A set of principles for creating harmonious color combinations. It blends science and art.

Why is it important for a designer to understand the basic principles of color theory?

To understand where color comes from and to be able to create the best color combinations for graphic and design projects.

Color as a storytelling device (p.1)

One of the most important tools in your toolbox, for moving or still images. A simple color adjustment can give an image an entirely new symbolic or literal meaning.

What does the two-part house image on p.1 show?

The same image of a house on a hill with a figure in front of it, shown in a blue/cool color version (left) and an orange/warm color version (right). It shows how a color adjustment changes the mood and meaning.

Besides post-processing (color grading and color correction), where else do color theory basics come in handy?

Set design, costumes, lighting, and much more.

What does the triangle illustration on p.1 demonstrate?

Color influences your design: it is exactly the same illustration, only the colors differ. One is pleasant to look at, while the other screams.

In the triangle illustration, which version is pleasant and which one screams?

The soft peach/orange palette is pleasant to look at; the bright multicolor palette (red, green, pink, yellow, etc.) screams.

What is the print standard?

CMYK.

What does CMYK stand for?

Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and blacK.

Gamut

The specific color range (rendering limitation) that every color system has.

Which important thing do we need to know about CMYK?

Its rendering limitations (its gamut).

What can we do if the CMYK gamut limitation poses a problem during printing?

Add an extra print run to the standard and add spot colors as additional printing colors.

Spot colors

Additional printing colors added as an extra print run when CMYK is not enough.

What does the halftone image on p.2 show?

Dots of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black ink that are combined (+ signs, = sign) and approximately (≈) give one resulting color (blue, green, orange).

PMS stands for

Pantone Matching System.

Pantone Matching System (PMS)

A color system primarily used by graphic designers and printing companies.

Why use standardized PMS colors?

Printers can ensure the print work meets the customers' wishes and is delivered in the desired colors.

How are Pantone colors identified?

By a unique number followed by a letter indicating the paper type.

Pantone letter C means

Coated paper.

Pantone letter U means

Uncoated paper.

Pantone letter M means

Matte paper.

Which Pantone letter stands for which paper type?

C = coated, U = uncoated, M = matte.

What does the choice between RGB and CMYK depend on?

What you are designing for.

What is the risk of using the wrong color model?

You hand over incorrect files and an important brand color looks different. It can be resolved by using the right color space.

What is RGB generally used for?

Digital applications such as websites, apps, and screens, because these devices emit light to display colors.

What is CMYK generally used for?

Printed materials such as brochures, posters, and business cards.

How do printers produce colors on paper?

They use inks with the CMYK colors; those inks subtract colors from the ambient light reflecting off the printed surface.

What does the RGB diagram on p.2 show?

Three overlapping circles Red, Green, Blue. Red + Green = yellow, Green + Blue = cyan, Blue + Red = magenta, and all three overlapping in the center = white.

What does the CMYK diagram on p.2 show?

Three overlapping circles Cyan, Magenta, Yellow plus blacK. Overlaps give dark blue, red, and green, and the center where all overlap is black.

Which color model is additive and which is subtractive?

RGB is an additive color model; CMYK is a subtractive color model.

Why do you usually need to buy an ink cartridge for each of the colors C, M, Y, and K?

Because a printer creates images by combining CMYK inks.

Subtractive mixing

A printing machine combines CMYK colors with physical ink to varying degrees. All colors start as blank (white in most cases) and each ink layer reduces the original brightness to create the desired color.

What do you get when all CMYK colors are mixed?

Black.

Which color space should you set for any design project you plan to print?

CMYK.

How does the RGB model mimic natural colors?

By projecting light onto a black background on a screen. That is why a turned-off screen appears black.

How does the CMYK model mimic natural colors?

By printing with ink on a white surface. The colors look their best on white paper.

Can you print RGB colors directly onto paper?

No. RGB is based on light and is used only for screens. For full-color printing you must use only CMYK colors.

What happens when RGB colors are printed on paper?

They are automatically converted to CMYK, but the results are often not optimal.

How do you get a beautiful print from RGB colors?

Perform the RGB to CMYK conversion yourself using software such as Photoshop.

How do RGB colors that look good on screen often appear in the final print?

Washed out.

CIELAB (abbreviation)

CIE L*a*b*, also known as the Lab color space.

What do L, a, and b represent in CIE L*a*b*?

L represents brightness; a and b are the chrominance components.

What is the distinguishing feature of the CIELAB color model?

It encompasses a much wider range of color values than the human color gamut and includes even imaginary colors that cannot be physically represented.

How does the L*a*b* gamut compare to RGB, CMYK, and human vision?

It contains all observable colors and has a greater range than RGB and CMYK, and even greater than human vision.

What is the main goal of the L*a*b* model?

To be device-independent: colors should be displayed consistently regardless of the device on which they are viewed.

Which color space is a theoretical color space and an absolute standard for comparing other color spaces?

CIELAB (L*a*b*).

Which color model is device-independent?

CIELAB (L*a*b*).

How does knowledge of the L*a*b* color space help designers?

It helps them manage colors more accurately, render them consistently, and communicate them effectively, contributing to quality and professionalism. The course does not discuss it further (technical topic).

Color wheel (definition)

Represents all visible colors and is the standard tool for viewing and understanding color combinations.

Who created the first color wheel and when?

Isaac Newton, in 1666.

On what was Newton's color wheel based?

The order in which colors appear in the light spectrum.

What is the order of colors in the light spectrum (Newton)?

Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.

What are the two types of color wheels?

One based on the primary RYB colors (red, yellow, blue) and one based on the RGB colors (red, green, blue).

Which color wheel model do artists generally use for printmaking and why?

RYB, because it best represents the correlation between physical colors in ink and paint during the mixing process.

Why do designers and artists in digital media typically use the RGB palette?

Because these colors are perceived by the photoreceptors in the eyes. A screen's light source can create any color by combining shades of red, green, and blue.

What can digital artists do if they want to print something?

Choose CMYK or convert their files to it. These four basic ink colors are used when printing color images.

Which three primary colors form the color mixing system of Johannes Itten's color wheel?

Yellow, Red, and Blue.

What do the primary colors in Itten's wheel form the basis of?

Constructive color theory.

What do you obtain by mixing the primary colors (Itten)?

The secondary and tertiary colors.

Why must we use pure primary colors when mixing?

If yellow leans slightly toward the red side, mixing it with blue produces a grayish-green tint instead of a pure green.

Which yellow is advised for paint?

Primary yellow or lemon yellow.

Which blue is advised for paint?

Cyan blue.

Which red is advised for paint?

Primary red, naphthol red, or pyrolle red (spelling as in the course).

What does the Itten wheel diagram on p.4 show?

A ring of 12 colors with an inner triangle of the primaries yellow, red, and blue, and a hexagon with the secondary colors orange, purple, and green between them.

Primary colors (definition)

The basis from which all other colors are derived. Also called fundamental colors because you can't create them by mixing other colors.

Which colors are often considered the primary colors in traditional art and color theory?

Red, yellow, and blue.

Why are primary colors essential for perceiving the color spectrum?

Because humans are trichromatic.

Trichromacy

The human eye's ability to perceive color through three types of cones in the retina. The cones detect different wavelengths of light and send signals to the brain.

To which three colors are the cones in the retina most sensitive?

Red, green, and blue.

Why are red, green, and blue often used as primary colors in color technology?

They match the sensitivity of our cones, and the brain interprets and combines their signals, so we can reproduce and experience a wide range of colors.

How many main sets of primary colors are there and which?

Two: red, yellow, and blue (RYB) and red, green, and blue (RGB).

RYB (red, yellow, blue) model

Often used in art and design, especially when mixing paints and pigments. Mixing them gives secondary colors green, orange, and purple.

RGB (red, green, blue) model

Used in digital technology such as computer screens and digital cameras. They are the primary colors of light; combining different intensities lets a screen display all other colors.

Which primary color model is the norm in art and design and which in the digital world?

RYB in art and design; RGB in the digital world. The choice depends on the application and the color model used.

Secondary colors (definition)

Made by mixing two primary colors in equal measure. On the color wheel they are located between the primary colors.

How many sets of secondary colors are there?

Two, depending on the color model used.

In RYB, which secondary color do you get from red and yellow?

Orange.

In RYB, which secondary color do you get from red and blue?

Purple.

In RYB, which secondary color do you get from yellow and blue?

Green.

Why is the concept of secondary colors important?

It helps you understand color mixing and creating harmonious color combinations in art, design, and other applications.

Tertiary colors (definition)

Colors made by combining primary and secondary colors. Also called intermediate colors because they are composite. On the wheel they sit between the primary and secondary colors.

Which six tertiary colors does the course list?

Blue-green, blue-violet, red-orange, red-violet, yellow-orange, and yellow-green.

Primary vs secondary vs tertiary colors

Primary: cannot be made by mixing. Secondary: two primaries mixed in equal measure. Tertiary: a primary mixed with a secondary.

What is color theory (p.6 definition)?

Both the art and the science of using color: a structured system of guidelines and principles for using color contrasts, mixing, and combinations.

Does color theory have strict rules?

No. It is more about balance and personal preference.

Which tool helps you choose a color scheme that fits the desired atmosphere?

The color wheel.

What is a risk of an easily made harmonious color scheme?

Limited contrast and colors blending. Yellow-green, yellow, and yellow-red used together risk optically blending into a field of primary yellow.

Analogous colors

Colors next to each other on the color wheel. Choose them if you want colors to reinforce each other.

Analogous contrast

Occurs when you choose colors next to each other on the color wheel. They share similar shades and create a more harmonious, less striking contrast. Example: different shades of green in an artwork.

What does the 60-30-10 rule say?

Choose one dominant color, a second supporting color, and a third color as an accent or highlight.

Who often uses the 60-30-10 rule?

Illustrators and designers.