Colour Theory

Colour theory is something you learn as a kid, in grade school or high school. I had a colour wheel as a kid handed down to me by my older sister who went through school for graphics. I kept that wheel and used it as I started teaching graphic design in 1992. I still have it with my art stuff somewhere with all the other tools that I have. 
​
And that's just it, it's a tool. It can help someone figure out what colours to choose for a project, whether it is for web, print or fine art. 

When I was teaching, the most fun for me was explaining the difference between CMYK and RGB colour and why that beautiful royal blue on your screen printed out as a purple colour on your printer. It's all about gamuts or "range" of what colours can be created. I still find myself informing someone on why it works as it does.  It is a basic tool for me that assists me on how to determining whether a design will be strong in complimentary colours or have a bit of that and work more with analogous ones. 

There is so much info on the psychology of colour and how we perceive them. That.. as an old Hammy Hamster episode would say...is another story. 
​
I love the language of graphic design and how it just makes sense. There are definite laws but as one of my favourite HGTV designers, Candice Olsen says, "It's understanding the rules, but knowing when to break them." That's what makes using colour so much fun, you can play with your choices and be creative. 

---