Color Theory

Color is one of the most powerful tools in a designer's toolkit. Understanding basic color theory helps you make intentional decisions rather than relying on guesswork.

The Color Wheel

The color wheel organizes colors by their relationship to each other. It starts with three primary colors — red, blue, and yellow — which combine to create secondary colors (orange, green, purple), which in turn combine to create tertiary colors.

Color Relationships

The color wheel reveals relationships you can use to create harmonious palettes:

• Complementary — colors directly opposite each other (blue and orange). High contrast, high energy. Good for call-to-action buttons against a background.

• Analogous — colors next to each other (blue, blue-green, green). Low contrast, harmonious. Good for backgrounds and subtle gradients.

• Triadic — three colors evenly spaced (red, yellow, blue). Balanced and vibrant. Good for playful designs.

Color in Web Design

On the web, color serves specific functional roles:

Contrast matters. Text must have sufficient contrast against its background to be readable. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) specify minimum contrast ratios — 4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text.

Less is more. Professional sites typically use 2-3 colors plus neutrals. A limited palette creates visual coherence. Adding more colors creates noise.