The Color Wheel Theory

How many times have you been to a web page where, because of the combination of colors used, it is almost impossible to read the writing on the screen? When it comes to design work, whether it be designing a web page or designing a billboard ad, color is extremely important. The correct use of color can make or break an advertising campaign. Only too often you come across some form of publication and find yourself either drawn towards it, when it is clear and vibrant, or cringing away from it when the colors clash. Color is extremely important to all of us.

Color is the word that is used for the way the eye perceives different wavelengths of light, and all the visible wavelengths together make up the visible spectrum. When the spectrum is joined end to end it is called the color wheel. The color wheel is the basis of all color theory, and it is important to remember what it looks like and where the colors are placed.

Color can affect our moods and indeed can describe our moods. We talk about feeling blue, or having a gray mood. Reds, oranges and yellows are all warm colors – they remind us of fire, they excite us, they speak of passion. Greens and blues are cool colors; they are the colors of nature, of the sky and the ocean. They are peaceful and relaxing.

Sir Isaac Newton first put the color wheel to use in the 17th Century, and today's color wheels are direct descendents of this. Choosing the colors that you are going to use can be a difficult decision if you have no reference to go by, and using a color wheel can be a great and very significant help. The wheel allows you to see which colors are well balanced and which ones clash. Sometimes it's even painful to try to decipher what is written on a particular screen design. Understanding the color wheel theory will help you in understanding how color works on a web page.

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