WHAT’S COLOR HARMONIES?


Color harmonies or color palettes basically means the balance between colors. Visual balance can be achieved by combining different colors in a scheme. It can also be achieved using different ratio of colors.

Harmonious color scheme relies on visually pleasing relationships of the three dimensions of color: hue, intensity and value. 4 types of hue harmonies:

  1. Complementary: using opposite hues.
  2. Triadic: 3 colors which are equally spaced used in combination.
  3. Analogous: the usage of 2 or more similar hues.
  4. Monochromatic: value or intensity of a single color

Colors are usually divided to cool and warm colors. Red, yellow and orange are considered warm colors while blue, green and violet are considered cool colors.

warm-cool


TYPES OF COLOR HARMONIES


 

A. NEUTRAL or ACHROMATIC COLORS

Achromatic means without hue or colorless. That means using white, gray and black.

all harmonies a

 Examples of Achromatic Harmonies:

Black-And-White-Graffiti-Wallpapers-29

 

B. MONOCHROMATIC HARMONIES

Monochromatic means variance of a hue.

red

Examples of Monochromatic Harmonies:

artwork_images_1136_549094_martha-alf    IMG_2260

C. ANALOGOUS HARMONIES

Analogous means the combination of several hues located adjacent to each other on the color circle.

Analogous

Examples of Analogous Harmonies:

1

D. COMPLEMENTARY COLORS

Complementary means the 2 color that opposite each other in the color circle. They are so named because when they are placed next to each other they appear brighter and with great intensity.

Complementary

Examples of Complementary Colors:

complimentary_colors_painting_by_mydarkestfears-d3edfub

E. SPLIT HARMONIES

Split harmonies consists of three hues  and two secondary hues located adjacent to the direct compliment of the principle hue.

SplitComplementary

Examples of Split Harmonies:

tumblr_muj4427pTt1rnolxfo1_1280

F. TRIAD HARMONY

Triad Harmony is using three hues spaced equidistant around the color circle.

Triad

Examples of Triad Harmony:

tetrad

G. TETRAD HARMONY

Tetrad Harmony is using four hues that are two sets of complementary.

Tetrad Square

Examples of Tetrad Harmony:

tetrad color harmony black backround-01-01

When asked “What does this color represent?”. You might have the answer right away. But take a moment to think. How did it come to be. How we see color and what each of them represent, perhaps is influenced by society, pop culture and media. Now lets us take a look at some of them see what the meanings that they signify.


Red

Color_icon_red.svg

Red is usually associated with powerful emotions such as anger, confidence and courage. More often than not it is used in advertising because it entices the viewer. Coca-cola and KFC are just some of the examples. A lot of sports drink and sports related items use red in their branding because the color red can signify power. Sensuality is also can be represented by red. We often see in movies or in television, even in advertisement women wearing red dress, red high heels and red lips. Those combinations evokes passion and love.

Danger_Level_-_Red anger.red1 IMG_1042

Other shades of red can represent:

Light red love, sexuality and passion.
Pink romance, love, and feminine qualities.
Dark red rage, anger, willpower, leadership, and courage.
Brown stability and masculine qualities.
Reddish-brown harvest and fall.


Orange

2000px-Color_icon_orange_v2.svg

            Orange is a secondary color. It is a combination of red and yellow. It has high visibility and commonly used in advertising food products and toys. Orange itself often represent creativity, enthusiasm, fascination and success.

2013-07-18-0903573361 toy-organizers

Other shades of orange can represent:

Dark orange frustration
Red-orange aggravation
Gold prestige, illumination, wisdom, wealth and high quality.


Yellow

Color_icon_yellow.svg

            When you think of yellow you would think of the sun. Hence yellow is the color of sunshine. It can also be associated with joy, happiness, intellect, and energy. We see a lot of nursery painted yellow because it evokes cheerfulness. As a matter of fact a lot of toys are colored yellow. However, as a result yellow has been associated with the term “childish”. It would be wise to avoid using them in high brand advertisement.

3d-smiley-faces F1006YE-5Other shades of yellow can represent:

Dull (dingy) yellow caution, jealousy and sickness.
Light yellow intellect, freshness, and joy.


Green

Color_icon_green.svgNature is the thing that people would associate with the color green. Green also symbolizes growth, harmony, safety, freshness, and fertility. Green also can be associated with money especially with dark green. Many examples of the usage of green are for eco-friendly items, and green traffic lights to ensure safety.

851ee1349445b028592c0461e6d3ed8b_largegreen-leaves-and-branches

Other shades of green can represent:

Dark green money, greed, and jealousy.
Yellow-green sickness or cowardice
Aqua healing and protection.


Blue

Color_icon_blue.svg

Blue is the color of the sky and sea. It is often associated with depth and stability. It symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven. Blue has that calming effect on others. But some shade blue can give a sad and gloomy effect. Some examples of the usage of blue that you often see are advertisement of cleaning products and airlines.

spin_prod_683850601 United-Airlines

Other shades of blue can represent:

Light blue health, healing, tranquility, understanding, and softness.
Dark blue knowledge, power, integrity, and seriousness.


Purple

Color_icon_purple.svg

            Purple is the color of royalty. But it can also represent mystery, magic, creativity and wisdom. Purple is a good color to be use in feminine design. And like yellow and orange, we often see toys colored purple.

Best Interior Design Ideas

purple.dinasaur.dog.toy.2

Other shades of purple can represent:

Light purple romantic and nostalgic feelings.
Dark purple evokes gloom, sad feelings, and frustration.


White

2000px-Blank_square.svgWhite is associated with light, goodness, innocence, purity, and cleanliness. We associate many cleaning products with white. We also associate them with holy spiritual things, such as angels. The medical world often being represented by the color white, as we see a lot of the doctors and nurses uniforms, buildings, rooms and even some of the tools they use are white.

who-makes-a-better-doctor-a-man-or-a-woman_300

angel06_jeanette_macdonald_1930-theredlist


Black

black-windows_542931Black is the opposite of white. As a result is commonly associated with dark, sinister, grief and mysterious emotions. A lot of horror movies, book, comics are depicted in black, and using the color white to give contrast. However it is not only used to depict grim materials but in a lot of fashion black is considered slimming. As such black also depicts elegance, fashionable and luxury.

 dark_angel_by_haruhiakiyama-d576uxb2015-Autumn-winter-sweet-skater-dress-classic-Hepburn-little-black-dresses-brief-style-haoduoyi


In conclusion, colors represent many emotions and can be use as signifiers. We also learn that the media play a huge role in developing how we perceive colors. So express yourselves with color!

HOW I SEE RHYMES

We were given quite an interesting task. Essentially to make images that represent the each rhymes of a nursery, in which we take a look at three nursery: “Hey Diddle Diddle”, “Humpty Dumpty” and “There was an Old Woman Who Lived in The Shoe”.

Guided by the principles of designs that I previously research, which are balance, emphasis, movement, pattern, repetition, proportion, rhythm, unity and variety, I experimented with different lines of the nursery rhyme to make interesting composition.

However, before we could star creating our composition we were told to find different elements that are related to the nursery to create the images. Then to give the effect of either halftones, posterize or threshold using Photoshop or Illustrator. It was very handful to learn more about both of this application, because I believe they will be handy in the near future.

Since each group consist of 7 people are in charge of a nursery, in total we have around 210 images to play around with. And played with them I did.


Hey Diddle Diddle

Hey diddle diddle, The Cat and the Fiddle,
The Cow jump’d over the Moon,
The little dog laugh’d to see such sport,
And the Dish ran away with the Spoon.

This was the group I was assign with. As a child I was quite familiar with this rhyme. And I find this nursery very peculiar. What’s the meaning behind it? Compared to the other two, “Hey Diddle Diddle” doesn’t have any explicit meaning. Some say it’s about corruption, others just labelled it another silly rhyme. Even today people guess about the intended message that is hidden behind it. Quite odd indeed.

I used a lot of the radial symmetry in the compositions. A lot of halftones. And loads repetition. I feel dizzy just making them!

Hey diddle diddle, The Cat and the Fiddle

Hey Diddle Diddle! The Cat and The Fiddle

The Cow jump’d over the Moon

The Cow Jump Over The Moon

The little dog laugh’d to see such sport

The Dog Laugh To See Such Sport 2

And the Dish ran away with the Spoon

ggg


There was an old woman who lived in a shoe

There was an old woman who lived in a shoe.
She had so many children, she didn’t know what to do;
She gave them some broth without any bread;
Then whipped them all soundly and put them to bed.

I find this nursery quite depressing. Such a cruel mother? But then again, she had so ‘many’ kids. With this nursery I used a lot of threshold effect to achieve that sense of a dark atmosphere. Compared to “Hey Diddle Diddle” I use less repetition and decided to put less inside each composition. A couple of the lines I experimented with the invert effect. It gave the same composition of different ‘feel’.

There was an old woman who lived in a shoe

There Was An Old Woman Who Lived In A Shoe

She had so many children, she didn’t know what to do

She Have So Many Children She Didn't Know What To Do

She gave them some broth without any bread

She Gave Them Some Broth Without Any Bread She Gave Them Some Broth Without Any Bread 2 She Gave Them Some Broth Without Any Bread 4 She Gave Them Some Broth Without Any Bread 3

Then whipped them all soundly and put them to bed

Then Wipped Them All Soundly And Put Them To Bed 2Then Wipped Them All Soundly And Put Them To Bed


Humpty Dumpty

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
Couldn’t put Humpty together again

Oh my. This rhyme was a struggle. Indeed it was. Nothing much to say other than this was my least favorite composition. In fact my composition succeeded in living up to rhyme, as in it was quite a ‘disaster’.

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall

 Humpty Dumpty Sat On A Wall  

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall

Humpty Dumpty Had a Great Fall

All the king’s horses and all the king’s men

All The King's Horses and All The King's Men

Couldn’t put Humpty together again

Couldn't Put Humpty Together Again

Quite honestly I don’t know why I struggled that much with this rhyme.I didn’t have a clear dirrention. I suppose I was much more interested in the other two.

Nonetheless I don’t really find them appalling. I just wanted to use different elements to use in my compositions. They may not look as harmonious as the others, but I’m still proud of them.


Overall this process not only made me learn new things about design, but also on what ‘works’ and sometimes what ‘doesn’t work’ in a composition. How we view something and our mind translates them.

It was exhausting, but really FUN to do!