Basic Color Principles

Goethe's color wheel from his 1810 Theory of Colours

When the eye sees a colour it is immediately excited and it is its nature, spontaneously and of necessity, at once to produce another, which with the original colour, comprehends the whole chromatic scale.

— Goethe

 


Like sounds, color can harmonize, contrast, and blend to differing effect.  

Altering arrangements of colors in various ways can alter the look of an outfit, room, or layout and ultimately, ones overall state of mind. 

Artists, of course, have known about the evocative power of the senses since the dawn of man.

Companies like Google commit large research budgets researching the physiological and psychological impact of color on consumer purchasing and other lifestyle decisions. 

More info about the: [http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_27143192/]

Color: Facts & Myths Part I

Fact #1: 

All other colors can be obtained by mixing arrangements of the primary colors Red, Blue, and Yellow. 

 
Combined with the secondary colors, Green, Orange, Violet, plus their pale and dark variations, there are an infinite number of colors. 

How many colors are there in the world? www.rit-mcsl.org/fairchild/WhyIsColor/files/ExamplePage.pdf




Fact #2:

A. Opposites Attract  
B. Likes Attract

 For the purposes of Style, the color wheel is the easiest way to understand colors and their relationship to one another.

Using the above color wheel as a point of reference, colors which are opposites are considered to be "compliments".

Red is the compliment of Green
Orange : Blue
Yellow : Violet

At the same time putting together colors in the in the same color family or near each other on the color wheel can be an simple way to create a harmonious visual dynamic.

Here is an interesting article about how many colors can we actually see.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/25-people-have-4th-cone-see-colors-p-prof-diana-derval

To get acquainted with color try arranging the clothes in your closet according to the color wheel.

Here is an app that can help train your eyes to distinguish between colors
http://www.blendoku.com/Blendoku