Color Schemes
Selecting a Color Scheme for Your Web Page
As you can see color plays a big role in the design of your web page. After consideration about your web page's message you may have chosen a main color to build a color palette or color scheme from. When building your color scheme, it is important to understand the relationship between the different colors on the color wheel so as to create a visually-appealing, meaningful design for your web page.
Complementary Colors
Complementary colors are "colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel" ("Color Harmonies," n.d., para. 2). Complementary colors can be used to create a vibrant color scheme, however it is important to note that overuse of complementary colors can be tiresome on the eyes.
Additional Color Scheme Structures
The complementary color scheme is one of a variety of color schemes widely used by designers. Other color schemes employed in design include the:
- Analogous Color Scheme - Similar colors on the color wheel. Colors that are close to one another on the color wheel.
- Triad Color Scheme - Color scheme selected by drawing a triangle on the color wheel. Each angle of the triangle represents a color in the color scheme.
- Split-Complementary Color Scheme - A combination of the complementary color scheme and the analogous color scheme.
- Rectangle Color Scheme - Color scheme selected by drawing a rectangle on the color wheel. Each angle of the rectangle represents a color in the color scheme.
- Square Color Scheme - Color scheme selected by drawing a square on the color wheel. Each angle of the rectangle represents a color in the color scheme ("Color Harmonies," n.d.).
 Extend Your Understanding: Color Schemes
Be sure to check out the following web sites to extend your understanding of color theory / color schemes:
In addition, visit the Coolors Color Schemes Generator to generate color schemes quickly and view how the schemes look across various mobile platforms.
References:
Color harmonies - Basic technique for creating color schemes. (n.d.). Retrieved from: http://www.tigercolor.com/
color-lab/color-theory/color-theory-intro.htm#color_harmonies
William Cromar. (2011, January 9). Traditional RYB color wheel. Edited March 2016 by Rachel Boylan. Retrieved from:
flickr.com. License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/.
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