Line Texture Shape Light Color

The Most Powerful of the Design Elements!

Color Affects

the Audience the Most.

Color has the

Strongest Impact on

the Emotions.

What do YOU think when you see the color . . .

WHITE BLACK

RED GREEN

ORANGE PINK BLUE

HUE: the name of a color; the quality that differentiates one color from another. VALUE: the gradations between the lightest and darkest variations of a color. INTENSITY/SATURATION: the brightness or dullness of a color; the amount or percentage of a particular hue in a color mixture.

PRIMARY COLORS

Yellow Red Blue

SECONDARY COLORS

Orange Violet Green

TERTIARY: 1 PRIMARY + 1 SECONDARY = A TERTIARY

Yellow – Orange Red – Orange Red – Violet Blue – Violet Blue – Green Yellow – Green

WARM COLORS

Reds, Oranges, Yellows Sun, Molten Metal Physiological effects =

actually feel warm when you see the colors.

Advance Can have opposing

connotations: example: Red = love and violence

COOL COLORS Blues, Greens, Violets Foliage and Water Physiological effects =

actually feel cool when you see the colors.

Recede Can have opposing

connotations: example: Green = life and sickness

http://thevirtualinstructor.com/interactivecolorwheel.html

Two colors, side by side, interact with one another and change our perception accordingly. The effect of this interaction is called simultaneous contrast.

Since we rarely see colors in isolation, simultaneous contrast affects our sense of the color that we see.

For example, red and blue flowerbeds in a garden are modified where they border each other: the blue appears green and the red, orange. The real colors are not altered; only our perception of them changes.

Colors immediately after prolonged exposure, you will get an after color of its compliment.

the gradations between the lightest and darkest variations of a color.

Adding White to a Color. Tints are pastels = youthful

Adding Black to a Color Shades are muted colors = age

Real strong value contrast will pull focus. Black and white combination is the strongest. Light values advance and enlarge. Dark values recede and reduce. Dark values appear to weigh more than lighter

values. Light values = femininity, delicate, refined. Medium values = subdued, conservative, hide

figure flaws. Dark values = quiet, dignified, ponderous. Light colors = reflect heat, Dark colors = absorb

The brightness or dullness

Fire Engine Red vs.

Dusty Rose

Fully Saturated = purest, vivid and clear hue. To dull a hue: add grey or its complimentary

color. Can dull a hue, but can not raise the intensity. Highly Saturated Colors = flamboyant, happy. Low Saturated Colors = softness, conservative,

thoughtful. Large areas of unrelieved, bright intensity can

become tiring to the observer

Brighter intensities demand more attention.

Bright intensities advance and enlarge. Dull intensities recede. Different intensities intensify each other

regardless of hue. Small areas of bright intensity balance

larger areas of dull intensity.

PRIMARY

Use of all the primary colors.

Most pleasing to the brain to view.

Often associated with young children.

COMPLEMENTARY

Using the primary and its complement.

Emphasizes the intensity of each color.

Most often utilized in sports teams.

MONO-CHROMATIC

Using any shade, tint, or tone of one color.

More sophisticated palette.

Used for older, more refined, or elegant spaces or character.

ANALOGOUS

Using any colors that are adjacent (next) to each other on the color wheel.

Think Autumn or Water.

SPLIT COMPLEMENTARY

Choosing one color and using the color on each side of its complement on the color wheel.

DIAD

Using two colors that are two colors apart on the color wheel.

TRIAD

Color scheme in which three colors equally spaced from each other on the color wheel.

TETRAD

Contrast of 4 colors on the color wheel (think square or rectangle).

Color reference in script. Action in script. Genre or mood of the script. Seasonal associations. Changes or progressions in play. Support historical period. Production concept. Scenery, costumes, lighting choices dictate Avoid same color value intensity on other

characters Don’t rely on color symbolism, but use when

necessary.