Color Rule: Learn the Basic Color Terminology

Using appropriate color terminology will significantly aid you in being able to strategically design information. It will also assist in you speaking to designers and printers who may help you in developing a final product. An alphabetical shortlist of color terminology important for working with color is below. Review the other color rules on this website for more critical terms and concepts to master in order to be proficient at designing in color.

Additive

Color system (or mode) based on red, green, and blue (RGB) that is used for screens and monitors like computers, televisions, and phones.

Associations

How people broadly connect colors to emotions, experiences, memories, and cultural norms.

Connotations

How people connect specific colors to emotions and ideas, like red to war, love, stop, or anger.

Contrast

Juxtaposition or overlaying of colors that are drastically different in hue, saturation, or brightness.

Denotations

What a color physically represents, like a grean leaf representing what grows on a tree.

Gradient

Any point on a spectrum of a single hue, from its lightest tint (white) to its darkest shade (black).

Harmony

When two or more colors aesthetically work together, providing appropriate emphasis and accord in the meaning of the overall design.

Hue

The generic term for a color. “Yellow,” is a hue, as is “red” or “blue.” Hues are tinted and shaded to create new hues.

Legibility

How clearly a color can be read. Legibility is affected by lighting, the colors themselves, the contrast between other colors, background textures and shapes, a person’s own color blindness, or size and weight of design elements.

Movement

The appearance of depth, or how a color appears to advance or recede in a composition. Warm colors tend to look like they are advancing, whereas cool colors tend to recede.

Saturation (Intensity)

The intensity of a hue (color). Fully saturated colors appear bright; colors that have been tinted or shaded appear dulled.

Shade

The adding of black to a hue (color) to make it darker.

Subtractive

Color system (or model) that is based on cyan, magenta, yellow, and key (CMYK) and is used for printing.

Temperature

The “warmth” or “coolness” that a color appears to radiate. Blues and greens feel more cool and reds and yellows feel more warm.

Tint

The adding of white to a hue (color) to make it lighter.

Tone (Value)

The lightness or darkness of a color. When white is added to a color (when it is “tinted”), the tone brightens. When black is added to a color (when it is “shaded”), the tone darkens.

Vibration

The juxtaposition of two complementary, highly saturated colors; when side by sid,e, they appear more virbrant and seem to vibrate along their edges.

Weight

Colors appear to have weight to them; blues and greens appear lighter to most people, whereas reds and browns appear heavy.