I have to kick off color week with Adobe Kuler! It is amazing, if you have never used it, or another program like it, you are in for a treat.
If you are anything like me, I get stuck on color, for some reason I gravitate back to the same color schemes over and over. It is not like I mean to either, I think it is just that I know what I like and not meaning to I go back to the same schemes to often (for me it is Brown, Turquoise, and Pink...). I don't think that all of my clients like want the same colors, so when I get stuck, Adobe Kuler is the best! It really helps me explore lots of color options with out overdoing the default swatches in Illustrator and Photoshop.
Adobe Kuler is free and super easy, sign up for an account and just play around with it. I chose one color as my base color (#FF6B7D, the color shown in the center of each scheme), and look at all the fun color schemes that I was able to come up with. Below each color scheme is the description of the color scheme(the definitions are from Wikipedia).
Analogous Colors are colors that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel. Some examples are green, yellow green, and yellow or red, orange and yellow. Analogous color schemes are often found in nature and are pleasing to the eye. The combination of these colors give a bright and cheery effect in the area, and are able to accommodate many changing moods. When using the analogous color scheme, one should make sure there is one hue as the main color.
A Monochromatic color scheme consists of different values (tints and shades) of one single color. These color schemes are easy to get right and can be very effective, soothing and authoritative. They do, however, lack the diversity of hues found in other color schemes and are less vibrant.
A Triad color scheme is 3 colors of equidistant distribution on the color wheel are used, e.g., red, blue, and yellow.
Complementary colors are colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel, such as blue and orange, red and green, purple and yellow. Complementary color schemes have a more energetic feel
The high contrast between the colors creates a vibrant look, especially when used at full saturation. Complementary colors can be tricky to use in large doses.
Compound
Shades
Isn't that fun?!?! My favorite scheme with this color ended up being Complementary.
If you are anything like me, I get stuck on color, for some reason I gravitate back to the same color schemes over and over. It is not like I mean to either, I think it is just that I know what I like and not meaning to I go back to the same schemes to often (for me it is Brown, Turquoise, and Pink...). I don't think that all of my clients like want the same colors, so when I get stuck, Adobe Kuler is the best! It really helps me explore lots of color options with out overdoing the default swatches in Illustrator and Photoshop.
Adobe Kuler is free and super easy, sign up for an account and just play around with it. I chose one color as my base color (#FF6B7D, the color shown in the center of each scheme), and look at all the fun color schemes that I was able to come up with. Below each color scheme is the description of the color scheme(the definitions are from Wikipedia).
The high contrast between the colors creates a vibrant look, especially when used at full saturation. Complementary colors can be tricky to use in large doses.
Isn't that fun?!?! My favorite scheme with this color ended up being Complementary.
Relax and enjoy, don't be rush.
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