With Flat UI being one of the most popular trends, this website will ensure that you’re selecting the most popular Flat UI colors. Flat design is a minimalist design style that highlights simplicity and efficiency. You’ll have to be a bit more careful about what colors you pair together using this tool. Refer back to the color schemes mentioned above for some guidance if you’re feeling unsure.
Understanding Color Schemes & Choosing Colors for Your Website
Choosing an effective color scheme for your business website can be a difficult decision. However, by learning the basics of color theory and experimenting with color tools available on the web, you’ll be able to choose harmonious color schemes and palettes on your own! We’ve updated this post to include additional information on color theory and how it relates to your branding, as well as tools to help pick the perfect colors for your website or another online project.
As you go through this post, our brand style guide template might help you to build up or reinforce your brand colors and style. Simply click the link and make a copy of the document to start building your own brand style guide.
In this post:
- What is Color Theory?
- What Are Color Schemes?
- Warm vs Cool Colors
- Tints and Shades
- Saturated vs Unsaturated Colors
- Online Color Scheme Generators
- How to Choose Colors for Your Website
- The Psychology of Color and Mood
What is Color Theory?
Color theory is based on the principal guidance of color mixing and the visual effect of a specific color combination by use of a color wheel. The traditional color wheel, called the color circle, was based on red, yellow and blue. But over the years, the color circle has evolved into the color wheel, which presents a larger range of colors and, more importantly, the relationship between primary, secondary and tertiary colors.
- Primary colors are made up of 3 pigments: red, yellow and blue. They can not be mixed or formed by any combination of any color. But all other colors come from mixing these colors.
- Secondary colors are green, orange and purple. These are formed by mixing the primary colors.
- Tertiary colors are yellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, blue-purple, blue green and yellow-green. They are formed by mixing a primary color and a secondary color.
What Are Color Schemes?
By using a color wheel we are also able to determine harmonious color combinations with any 2, 3 or 4 colors. These harmonious color combinations are called color schemes and are comprised of Monochromatic, Analogous, Complementary, Split Complementary, Triadic and Tetradic.
- Monochromatic color schemes are comprised of tints, tones and shades of a single hue.
- Analogous color schemes are a group of 3 colors that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel.
- Complementary color schemes are made from 2 colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel.
- Split-Complementary color schemes are a variation of the complementary color scheme that uses 2 colors adjacent to it’s complement.
- Triadic color schemes use colors that are evenly spaced around the color wheel.
- Tetradic color schemes use 4 colors arranged into 2 complementary pairs.
Warm Vs Cool Colors
To understand color theory better, you’ll also need to understand warm and cool colors. Warm colors are the yellows and reds of the color spectrum that transmit happiness and energy. Cool colors are the blues and greens of the color spectrum that convey calmness and peace. The color wheel itself can be easily split to determine where warm and cool colors start and end.
Whether a color is warm or cool is based on its hue, which is a particular point on the color wheel. Red, yellow, green, blue etc. are all unique hues. Each hue has variations of different shades, tones, and tints. For example, cornflower blue is a lighter version of blue (a tint), navy blue is a darker version (a shade), and steel blue is a less saturated version (a tone). These colors are all different, but they’re all the same hue.
Tints and Shades
A hue’s lightness or darkness refers to its value. Value is another important consideration when choosing colors for your website. The most classic value combination is black text on a white background. Of course, there are many other value combinations that can make your website colors attractive and functional.
Adequate Color Contrast
When considering tints and shades for your website color scheme, it’s important to achieve a suitable level of contrast. Adequate contrast makes your site more enjoyable and easier to navigate. This is particularly important for text and backgrounds. Keep in mind that millions of colorblind web users see a more limited range of hues, so a lack of value or saturation contrast will make certain hues blend together. WebAIM’s Color Contrast Checker makes it easy to choose colors for your website that everyone will find functional.
Saturated Vs Unsaturated Colors
A hue’s saturation, also known as its intensity or chroma, are also important. When mixing a hue with its complement or with grey, it will become less vibrant. Many colors with low saturation are considered neutral colors. This might include a darker, less saturated beige or grey, as well as pastel colors with low saturation, such as blue-grey or a faded pink.
Generally, less saturated colors tend to stand out less, and they tend to be more gentle to the eyes. Colors with more saturation will draw the eye and using too many bright colors can be overwhelming. Using saturation thoughtfully can help choose the right colors for your website.
Now that you have a basic understanding of color theory you can start experimenting with color tools that are available online! I’ve gathered together a list of some awesome tools to help you perfect your color scheme choices.
What Is a Color Wheel?
A color wheel (or color circle) is a circular combination of 12 different colors. There are three primary colors, three secondary colors and six tertiary colors on the color wheel. It illustrates color hues and is regarded to be a benchmark tool for creating color combinations.
Secondary colors result from a combination of primary colors. Tertiary colors are formed by the combination of different sets of primary and secondary colors.
The sole aim of a color wheel is to assist a graphic designer in creating different color combinations. With a color wheel, one can not only create predefined color combinations but can also curate customized and existing ones based on their creative abilities.
Primary Colors
Primary colors (or base colors) are the foundation stone of the color world. There are three primary colors: red, blue and yellow. A combination of primary colors in different proportions produces secondary colors.
Every color known to date has been carved from the primary colors as they make up the base of forming different secondary and tertiary colors. The primary colors are the central part of a color wheel.
Secondary Colors
Secondary colors are the derivatives of primary colors. A secondary color combines two primary colors in definite proportions. There are three secondary colors on the color wheel, formed by the combination of primary colors.
The secondary colors (derivatives of primary colors) on the color wheel are orange, violet and green. These colors are used to create tertiary colors, which are widely used in color combinations.
Tertiary Colors
The combination of primary and secondary colors yields tertiary ones. Tertiary colors are also known as intermediate colors. There are six tertiary colors on the color wheel: yellow-orange, red-orange, red-violet, blue-violet, blue-green and yellow-green.
The primary, secondary and tertiary colors on the color wheel are used in specific proportions to create different color combinations.
The Major Rules of Color Combination
Every color combination methodology has a different set of rules to be implemented to achieve the desired color and psychological effect on a viewer. The rules for different color combinations are as follows.
Analogous Color Scheme
The analogous color scheme is one of the most widely used schemes as it comprises primary, secondary and tertiary colors. The rule for this color scheme is very simple: you have to select three adjacent colors on the color wheel.
However, the key factor in this approach is that, among those three adjacent colors, the first color should be primary, the second should be a secondary color, and the third color is usually tertiary.
You will be able to get one of the best combinations by following this simple rule of analogous color combination. Combining all three types of colors will create a holistic combination that will be visually appealing to a graphic designer.
Complementary Color Scheme
The complementary color scheme is based on the concept of contrast. Its simple rule is to choose two opposite colors on the color wheel to create a complementary color scheme.
The complementary color scheme is based on contrast, and, therefore, it attracts a lot of attention. However, one must use it with great care and precision since it can overturn a graphic design layout.
It would be perfect if you created a balance while choosing opposite-based colors on the color wheel for a complementary color combination. One color should be a bit more dominant in saturation while the other should remain on the lighter side.
A complementary color scheme is usually made up of two colors. However, you can use different levels of saturation and shades to enhance your complementary color ambience.
Triadic Color Scheme
The triadic color scheme also has simple rules to follow when creating the combination. The rule for this color combination states that you have to select three colors on the color wheel equidistant from each other.
You will notice that, after selecting any three equidistant colors, you will get a triangular shape on the color wheel. That is the reason this color combination is called a triadic color scheme.
Saturation of Colors Rule
Terminologically, saturation is the measure of the intensity of a color. Saturation is the determining factor that will showcase the visibility of color under different lighting conditions. A highly saturated color will show a brighter color tone. On the other hand, a low saturation will be the dull side of the color with a grayish touch. Saturation is a crucial factor for graphic designers when selecting a color scheme.
How does the rule of color saturation work? Colors of a similar intensity are the most comfortable for the human eye. Usually, design professionals do not mix pastel colors with eye-bleeding neon tones because it will look out of place.
On the contrary, if you wish to be bold and daring, it’s a great idea to add a pinch of color as an accent to your illustration. These colorful accents are rather widespread in art. For example, one object of a vibrant color opposite a more moderate background will accentuate the composition. Note that the amount of an eccentric color is of great importance, so you should never overuse it.
The 60-30-10 Rule
The 60-30-10 rule is a graphical design rule used to create a customized color combination. In this color combination, primary, secondary and tertiary colors are used in the ratio of 60%, 30% and 10%, respectively.
The 60-30-10 rule creates a perfect harmony using the designated proportions of primary, secondary and tertiary colors.
Shades, Tints and Tones
According to the definition, a shade is a combination of pure colors obtained by adding black into the host ones. It is the dark value of a color. A shade is an independent color obtained by mixing a base color with black.
Tints are the opposite mixtures of shades. A tint is formed by the amalgamation of pure colors with white color. A shade will increase the dark aspect of color, while a tint will enhance the lightness factor of color. Tints and shades are poles apart as they are formed by the mixture of colors with white and black, respectively.
Tones are the less vibrant version of the colors. A tone is formed by mixing a hue with a neutral gray color and the resultant color will have a less vibrant look. Similarly, tones can also be achieved by adding both black and white colors to the pure colors.
