Color Theory

Hue - the name of the color family (i.e., Red, Green, Blue, Cyan, Yellow, or Magenta)
Saturation - pertains to how intense or dull the color is.
- Shade is a related quality. It is the color obtained when black is added to the color .
- Tint is another related quality. It is the color obtained when white is added to the color.
Value - pertains to how light or dark the color is
Another way to desaturate is to mix in the complementary color.

Palette / Schemes

Analogous - directly next to each other in the color wheel. The colors farther away from the primary color have increased saturation.
- Typically creates a softer design with less contrast.
Monochromatic - one hue with varying values (going light to dark).
Complementary - use two colors that are directly adjacent from each other on the color wheel.
- The traditional approach is one color is dark and desaturated, the other is light and saturated.
- It tends to evoke high contrast.
Split Complementary - create a Y on the color wheel. That is, one dominant color and the two colors adjacent to the dominant color’s complement.
- All colors provide contrast. Two colors work great together but more than two will require more balance.
Triadic - choose three colors that are equally placed in lines around the color wheel.
- Tends to create high contrast while retaining saturation.
- Gives a bright and lively appearance.
Square - choose four equidistant colors from each other. Typically, we choose one dominant color than try to balance all four.