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; lr ong color palette in a visual system is one of a designer's most emotionally
.ort crnt tools. The right color creates the right response. In the global
tdl'k<'Lplace, we understand color in a cultural context as well. What works in
pn 11 may possess a negative association in Saudi Arabia. Unlike designers of
t y years ago, we now face technological challenges with the breadth of usage
port unities across media-print, environmental, and digital; that shade
'd looked so good on the screen, what happened on the printed poster?
r(' is more to color than a swatch in a book, or a pull down menu choice.
r is the element closest to the client and audience's subjective identity.
, 11 volatile radioactive element, it is extremely powerful and should be
ndl cd very, very carefully. -sean Adams
In a' n.tfys iCat=senSEl:fl ere-
r_. \ , ,
is no as
\ !
. .color, just Waves of
\ I
difTeFe.nt wavele
1
ngths.
The human eye can distinguish among these wavelengths, so we see the world
in color. Rays of light vibrate at different speeds. The sensation of color, which
happens in our brains, is a result of our vision's response to these different
wavelengths. When taken together, the various rays our eyes can distinguish
are called the visible spectrum. This fairly narrow range of colors includes red,
orange, yellow, green, blue, blue-violet (which scientists call indigo), and violet.
10 What Is Color?
Apparent Colors
Color is derived from light, either natural or artificial.
With little light, little or no color is present.
With a lot of light comes lots of color. Strong light
produces intense color.
Seeing in Color
Our eyes have three types of color receptor cells,
or cones: red, green, and blue. As a result, all
incoming light is reduced to these three colors. AU
perceived colors are generated by a mixture of these
three colors. However, not every color can be seen
by humans; those that can are therefore called the
visible spectrum. People can distinguish approximately
10 million colors; this visible spectrum is called the
human color space. Not everyone's color-sensing cells
respond alike, so identification of a specific
color is highly subjective.
The study of color is where art and science meet,
with numerous theories from both disciplines coming
into play. It can thus be difficult to comprehend. To
understand color perception, we need to understand
the physics of light, which causes and affects our
ideas of primary colors.
Primary Colors
There are two types of primary color: additive and
subtractive. As noted, our eyes have red, green,
and blue (RGB) color receptors. RGB are the primary
colors of pure light and are referred to as additive
primary colors. The subtractive primary colors,
made from reflected light, fall into two types:
t he print er's primaries, which are cyan, magenta,
and yellow (CMY) , and the artist's primaries, which
are red, yellow, and blue (RYB) . Artists' primaries,
though nonscientific, are used as the basis for
most color t heory (see chapter two) .
llt' !i itplt'l !i ut il izt' ,\ll three types of primary colors.
Tluy :;l'il't"l colo1:; using RYB and color theories.
Tlit'llllit y qt'tlt 'l.! lt l.1yout s on rompulcr screens
111 Ht:ll, otlld lltl ' ll[ll' il i,\p:: lilt' l\1 into ink
1111 p.l[ll'l Wi lli I: MY pltl !l K, 111 lil.t1 k lnill l lll
1111' t:MYV. 11 1 l11111 111!111 [111111'' ;;, lillillljlolpliy.
I Co lor Design Workbook
Additive Mixing (RGB Model)
1
Additive Color: The RGB Primaries (Light)
Visible spectrum colors are pure and
represent the greatest possible bri ght ness
or intensi ty. Designers working with rays
of colored li ght, as on computer screens, use
addi tive colors , or RGB. When these colors
overlap, other colors are produced: red and
blue light form cya n; red and green light
form yell ow; and green and blue light form
magenta. When all three additive primaries
ovNioql, wil ltr ll gil l il ' odur NI. Tl"" wil li r
linilt l, I il l' 11\ IIIIJiill' d p1t "l' lllt' nf ,dl lllllll
wavelengths. We call them additi ve because
al l together, these prima ries creat e white.
RGB reflects actual human color receptors.
Mi xt ures of these pri mary colors produce
a large part of the human color experi ence.
Television sets, computer monit ors,
and color scanners all produce mi xtures of
red, green, and blue light.
ind
Subtractive
1 ,,lf,l " Ill!
II HIIdHP
I VI II\ ,
Apparent Color
"He who wants to become master of color must see, feel, and experience each
individual color in its many endless combinations with all other colors." -Johannes Itten
Subtractive Mixing (CMY Model)
aubtto< tlve Color: The CMY Primaries
ltn1nrent Pigments)
All Hhlt<i hove physi cal properties that
1 llit<IIII O absorb some color waves
lllttlll lllt l ollwrs. Color, when appli ed to
lllltll '' '+1 1111 ca nvas or paper, has the
""' 1 hiiiH The sensation of color
j, I""""'''" wlll 'll tl surface absorbs all the
'""'''"Hili, I' XI tpt those th e eyes perceive.
Wl11 111 "'"' h I'XIH' tl enced through refl ected
11"111, II h 1 11111 11 \11/ll lllrlivc. I here ar
f."' I ' "' 'II lit 1 <II t I vi' primary colo s: the
111 . 1 llltlll tillt" ti'rl , nnriiJi ur
II! !Ill tlllil lll' Ptllllt t', ptlttl lli I 1 Y'"'
( yellow )
magenta, and yellow (CMY) transparent inks
and dyes. Coupled with black, known asK,
we get CMYK, or four-color process. Each
of these triads is combined to produce all
visible color. In the subtractive CMY model,
magenta combines with yellow form red,
yellow and cyan form green, and cyan
and magenta form vi olet (purple). In the
case of both versions of the subtract i ve
primaries, when all the primary colors
are combined, black i s produced- that i s,
no color Is tcfl ected.
Subtractive Mixing (RYB Model)
1
Subtractive Color: The RYB Primaries
(Opaque Pigments)
In the RYB triad, red combines with yellow
to produce orange, red and blue create vi olet
(purple), and blue and yellow create green.
RYB, the primary color system used in art
classes, forms the basis of most color theory.
As with CMY, when all the primary colors
are combined, bl ack i s produced-no color
i s reflected. The secondary colors produced
by the three triads indicate the purity of the
( yellow )
colors that can be obtained by the different
mixing methods. RGB produces pure CMY
as secondary colors, and the CMY triad
produces RGB as secondary colors, but they
are duller than pure RGB light . The secondary
colors resulting from RYB are even duller
than those in the RGB or CMY tri ads.
12 What I s Color?
The Properties of Color
Whether using the additive or subtractive primaries,
each color must be described in terms of its physical
properties. These properties are independent of
each other, and each one must be measured or
defined in order to fully describe the color. Scientific
descriptions of color, or colorimetry, involve the
specification of these color properties in either a
subjective or objective system of measurement. The
subjective system describes color in terms of hue,
saturation, and brightness (HSB), while the objective
system measures the dominant wavelength, purity,
and luminance of colors.
Hue is the common name of a color that indicates
its position in the visible spectrum or on the color
wheel. Hue is determined by the specific wavelength
of the color in a ray of light. The description of a hue
can be made more precise in comparison to the next
hue (e.g., a certain blue might be more accurately
called blue-green) . Saturation refers to the intensity,
strength, purity, or chroma-the absence of black,
white, or gray-in a color. A vivid color has high
or full saturation, whereas a dull one is desaturated.
Saturation is a measure of the richness of a color.
Brightness, or value, is the relative degree of light-
ness or darkness of a color, or its reflective quality
or brilliance. A color can be more narrowly described
as either light or dark (e.g., light blue or dark blue) .
The brightness of a color is changed by mixing it with
white (to form a tint) or with black (to form a shade)
in varying proportions. Graphic design software
programs have tools for varying the HSB of colors.
Objective color notation was developed by the Com-
mission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIE) to provide
a mathematical model for describing color. The CIE
(in English, the International Commission on
Illumination) is an international technical, scien-
tific, nonprofit organization that sets
st.md,uds on t lw sriPnre and art of lighting, vision,
.md rolori nwtry. Thou!Jh CIE notation is not used
hy ilt!drplt'l!i, it urull'qrins color 11\ rllltlCJ!' llWnt in
urodl'lll di!Jit.rl
I Color Design Workbook
Intensity change
.
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.
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A This chart demonstrates changes in satura-
ti on and value by addi ng or subtrac t ing
black. wh ite. or gray. When whi te is acid eel
ton bright red. l hr vn lur ligi11 N, nnd tlw
ll"lllllnH < ""' '"' '"'''ictl . Aili llnfl hloH k
to tlli' ll 'il "''Ill\'. In,, d.u k 11d 1 lo. << l o llu
IH'IIII td 'd !lh
1
lii
1
1 !111'1' 11!
tl H< <V h <dd<d,lll" ,.Ifill oil loll h lowr11d ,
h lllllhoiiiWr'll
.. ....... .. .... ?
.
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....... .
G ............ .
Saturation
Brightness
t I Ill s chart demonstrates HSB. The top row
, llows lhrce blue hues, the middle row is an
t>xolmpl c of three degrees of saturation of a
Pllt lt 11l.<r hlur, ihr IJotl o<n <OW
!li 'IIIOII' Itiii C' ll!! ff l f'Vf'h Of
"' vtdtll " of hili! ',
-
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"V"
Yellow
Yellow-
Orange
Orange
Red
Red -
Violet

Thi s cha rt shows relative values of hues
at their maximum saturation. The dotted
rule indicates the midpoint. All colors above
the line are high key, whil e those below the
line arc low key. Warm, cool, and neutral
o<c also lndl colcd.
The Properties of Color
Ill It
-
. .
. .
. .
"V" "V"
OWhHe
,/.\..
,
High Light
.
- Light
1- Mlow Green
.
.
.
.
Low Light
.
Green
.
.
.
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.
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--
.
Medium
"V"
-----
,/.\..
._.
.
.
- HighDark
.
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.
.
- Dark
I
Low Dark
Bl ack
v
-
- Blue
\
Blue-
Violet
Violet
What Is Color?
1
Rather than a traditional capabilities
brochure showcasing high-profile client
work, the designers created a visual j ourney
through the creative process of Publi ci s,
the U.S. IJranch of t he world 's thi rd-largest
I Color Design Workbook
communications company. This brochure
boldly features Publici s' signature red almost
exclusi vel y in a series of unexpected visual
rel ationships and verbal twi st s.
Carbone Smolan Agency

The colors and visual
language for Nike Presto,
a fashion product brand
targeted toward trendsetting
youth audiences in the Asia
Pacific market, were born
out of the collaboration of
the firms Weiden + Kennedy
Tokyo, Motion Theory,
and Hello Design. The
website has a hi gh degree
of musi c and color-dri ven
interactivity. The graphics
utilize the colors of the
visible spectrum with vibrant
dynamics meant to appeal
to one of the most style-satu-
rated corners of the world.
Hello Design
A The poster for the 2000 I nternati onal
I
Biennial in Beijing, Chi na. designed by Steff
Gei ssbuhler, features a bright spectrum of
olors that convey both lntcrnmi onali sm and
The Properties of Co_lo_r ___ _,
a sense of festivi ty. The ri ch blue background
provides a dark fi eld from whi ch the other
colors pop.
Chcrmayeff & GciSmdr
15