When you see an image, which detail do you pick out first? Is it “Oh! Look how beautiful the sky looks?” Did you mean the grey & white photo or was it the colour photo in which the beautiful sky has multiple shades of blue?
Colour is everywhere. Our mind is engaging with different colour shades on a consistent basis, and associates them with different things.
When we talk about design, colour might be the single most important choice. The right colour decision is the foundation for a beautiful and engaging design.
However, the wrong colour choice can destroy a design, even if everything else is there.
Let’s get to learn what everyone learns in Art Classes: Primary Colours are the colours that you can’t create by mixing other colours. In turn, you can create all other colours by combining the primary ones with white and black. On the other hand, secondary colours are the 3 colours that are formed by combining the 3 primary colours. And Tertiary colours are obtained, by mixing one Primary and one Secondary Colour together. For e.g., Red (Primary) is mixed with Orange (Secondary), to get Orange-Red (Tertiary). The image below describes the working of primary, secondary and Tertiary colours
Now that you know how Primary, Secondary and Tertiary colours are mixed, let's move more into colour theory.
Once we add black and white into the mixture, things get interesting. This allows designer to create millions of variations. These variations are categorized in tone, tint and shadow, and you can create them by combining a specific hue with white, black or grey.
Before getting into the complications, let's stick to the basics, and understand what is Hue, Tint, Tone and Shades.
What is Hue, Tint, Tone and Shades?
Hue is basically a fancy synonym for color. For instance, primary & secondary colors are hues, but also all the color combinations between them (for instance, combining green with purple).
Tint is when you mix a hue with white. This creates a softer, lighter spectrum of colors, and is how you can play around with light and dark colors.
Tone is when you mix a hue with grey (or black and white). Essentially, what you get is a slightly different tone of your hue.
Finally, shades is when you mix a hue with black. This creates a darker and stronger color.
Below is an image to help you understand better.
The Right Palette
Now that you got the basics of the Colour Theory, let's jump in to choosing the right palette.
First, match the overall tone of your infographic
The first step for creating your color palette is to think about what your goal is, and what your infographic is about.
If your infographic is about a horror movie, go for dark, shadow colors. If you are talking about boats, then picking blue as a hue and playing with tint, tone and shadow will work. If it’s a business infographic, don’t go for bright, funny colors like yellow or orange. Instead, pick more serious colors that match your brand.
Second, pick colors that work great together
Some of colours work great together, while some of them simply don’t.
Designers know intuitively which ones work seamlessly together, but there is actually a bit of science behind it. The first step is understanding and visualizing the color wheel. This graphic shows different hues and it’s tones, tints, and shadows, and how they relate to each other. (As seen in the colour wheel image above)
Monochromatic. The first idea for picking colors that work well together is going for a monochromatic palette. This means you work with one hue, and the variation of tints, tones and shades.
Complimentary. Colors that are opposite to each other in the color wheel are considered complementary. By combining these two colors, you are conveying contrast and interest. This are tricky to use in large amounts, but they are especially good when you want to highlight something, like a call to action.
Third, pick 2-3 colors
Sometimes, simplicity is the right path. A common beginner’s mistake is to pick 5 or 6 colors for your design. Instead, stick to just 2 or 3 – one should be clear and bold and the foundation of your design, and the second or third one should be a complement of the first one, that’s easily identifiable to be used as a call to action, or to highlight something important. When in doubt, don’t cave. Instead of picking 4-5 colors, stay with your two initial choices and play with the tones, tints and shadows.
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