Use Black And One Other Color example essay topic

Joshua R eichmann Color Theory Interactive System Design Color is also known as hue. Each hue is a specific spot on the color spectrum. To work with color, there are different attributes you should know about: value, contrast and brightness, and saturation. The range from black to white is called value.

Contrast is the degree of separation between values. Whereas brightness adds white to an image, the lack of brightness tones the image. Saturation is the measurement of color intensity. The lack of saturation is like a black and white television. The three additive primary colors - red, green, blue - were determined in 1861 by Scottish physicist Sir James Clerk-Maxwell. When the colors come together in various combinations, they produce other colors in the spectrum - with all three combining to produce white light.

This, in a simplified manner, is how I understand color is achieved on a computer monitor. The subtractive primaries found by Louis Ducos Du Hauron are cyan, magenta and yellow; mixing these colors you get a color that closely resembles black. Take away these colors, and you are left with white. This is the primary system used in printing, commonly referred to as CYMK (with the K representing a fourth ink, black). The fourth ink is needed to produce a "true" dark black. For the most part, there are no definites with color.

The perception of any color is relative to the other colors surrounding it. When a color is placed near other colors, it takes on a different hue because of the way we perceive colors in relation to one another. Value is relative. Value comes into concern for Web design the way Macintosh and Windows machines display colors (they are always lighter on a Mac OS system). The point is to make sure your composition looks great on both platforms.

A color scheme is a set of colors that helps define the mood, educate the user about navigation, and reinforce the site's identity, or brand image. Developing a color scheme can be difficult but I'm told it comes more naturally after practice, much like anything else in life. Similar or analogous color schemes are a set of colors closely related on the color wheel. To pick analogous colors, simply pick one color on the color wheel and pick it's nearest neighbor to its left and right. Monochromatic color schemes essentially use black and one other color. Graduation color schemes, somewhat related to monochromatic color schemes, happen when colors are chosen in an order of hue, saturation or lightness.

Contrast color schemes are color choices that are in opposites with each other in terms of hue, lightness or saturation. In our routine life we are always affected and by existence of color, which has a solid effect on our psychology and accordingly affects our body. For instance, it has been determined that if the color red surrounds someone, the existence of this color is going to affect his strength and aggression. On the other hand pink has a weakening effect on the physical strength and causes the release of Norepinephrine in the body and brain.

Norepinephrine is a chemical that inhibits the specific hormones that contribute to aggressive behavior. Physiology studies equally revealed and recorded that red vibrations increase blood pressure. Respiratory movements increase during exposure to red light and decrease during blue illumination. The pituitary gland comes into play when a person is exposed to red.

In just a fraction of a second a chemical signal goes from the pituitary gland to the adrenal glands and Adrenaline is released. The adrenaline courses through the blood stream and produces certain physiological alterations. When exposed to red, blood flow speeds up, the rate of breathing becomes rapid, the taste buds become more sensitive, and the sense of smell heightens. Yellow causes the following physiological alterations. The electrochemical transference from eye to brain called Vision takes place the quickest in the presence of yellow.

Yellow is the first color a person distinguishes when he / she looks on any object. It is also the most complex color for the brain to process. Humans have and inherent precautionary reaction to yellow in nature, especially when it is combined with black. Yellow gets a quick though temporary response from a subject under stress. Yellow adds to stress by preparing a person for flight to fight. Yellow- painted rooms cause children to cry more often.

Yellow surroundings cause allergies to flare more frequently. Blue is known to produce a calming effect. A deep and strong sky-blue color is the most tranquillizing color of all. When it is in a person's field of vision, it causes the brain to secrete eleven neurotransmitters that tranquillize. These hormones are chemical signals, which bring calmness to the whole body. When exposed to blue the pulse slows, breathing deepens, body temperature lowers, eliminates the flight or fight response, and reduces the appetite.

It is important to understand color theory. Studies show that shapes and colors affect people in different ways. Use them properly in your company logos, ads, and presentations and you might gain a substantial advantage over your competition. Use them wrong and you might create a psychologically displeasing visual experience and lose potential customers.

A well thought out color scheme is an element that can contribute greatly to a companies overall look and feel and should be given considerable attention. Color is also known as hue. Value is relative. 1. Kennedy, Jane. Introduction to Color - Color Theory 101, Vol 1, No. 1 1999.2.

Sharpe, Deborah. The Psychology of Color and Design, Nelson Hall Inc. 1982.