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NAF Graphic Design

Lesson 10Fundamentals of Color

Student Resources

Resource Description

Student Resource 10.1 Analysis: Color Combinations

Student Resource 10.2 Instruction Sheet: Creating a Color Wheel

Student Resource 10.3 Reference Sheet: Color Combinations

Student Resource 10.4 Assignment Sheet: Creating Color Combinations

Student Resource 10.5 Reference Sheet: Shades, Tints, and Monochromatic Color Schemes

Student Resource 10.6 Assignment Sheet: Creating Designs with Tints, Shades, and Monochrome

Student Resource 10.7 Interactive Reading: Communicating Meaning through Color

Student Resource 10.8 K-W-L Chart: Color Systems

Student Resource 10.9 Reading: CMYK, RGB, and Grayscale Color Systems

Student Resource 10.10 Assignment Sheet: Creating a Color Palette

Student Resource 10.11 Creative Brief: Color Palette

Copyright © 2011–2015 NAF. All rights reserved.

NAF Graphic DesignLesson 10 Fundamentals of Color

Student Resource 10.1

Analysis: Color CombinationsStudent Names:_______________________________________________________ Date:___________

Directions: Look at the four designs on this page and decide which one you think is most attractive. List your reasons for your choice at the bottom of the page.

Which design do you think is most attractive?

List your reasons for this choice below, or on the back of this page.




Instruction Sheet: Creating a Color WheelStudent Name:_______________________________________________________ Date:___________

Directions: Follow the directions below to create a color wheel. Place your colors in the slots of the color wheel on the next page of this resource, and label each color with its correct name.

Using the materials and instructions provided by your teacher, create the following combinations to fill in your color wheel. Read through all of the steps before you start to get a sense of where you will go with your color wheel.

1. Place yellow, red, and blue in the three primary color slots of the color wheel.

2. Combine yellow and red to create orange; place orange in the secondary slot between yellow and red.

3. Combine blue and red to create violet; place violet in the secondary slot between blue and red.

4. Combine yellow and blue to create green; place green in the secondary slot between yellow and blue.

5. Combine green and blue to create blue-green; place blue-green in the tertiary slot between green and blue.

6. Combine yellow and green to create yellow-green; place yellow-green in the tertiary slot between yellow and green.

7. Combine violet and red to create red-violet; place red-violet in the tertiary slot between red and violet.

8. Combine red and orange to create red-orange; place red-orange in the tertiary slot between red and orange.

9. Combine yellow and orange to create yellow-orange; place yellow-orange in the tertiary slot between yellow and orange.

10. Combine violet and blue to create blue-violet; place blue-violet in the tertiary slot between blue and violet.




Reference Sheet: Color CombinationsStudent Name:_______________________________________________________ Date:___________

Directions: Follow the instructions to create color combinations in the right column.




Assignment Sheet: Creating Color CombinationsDirections: Follow the instructions below to create designs using complementary, triad, split complement triad, and analogous colors in Photoshop.

Complementary ColorsOpen the file ComplementaryColors.psd in Photoshop. Using the Eyedropper tool, choose one color from the color wheel in the background layer, and fill the circle. Then choose the complementary color and fill the writing. Make sure your complementary colors communicate hot (maybe a hot chili, maybe sunshine…).

TriadsOpen the file Triads.psd in Photoshop. Choose a triad of colors from the color wheel, and fill each circle with one of the colors in the triad. Then move the circles on top of each other to form a bull’s-eye target.

Split Complement TriadsOpen the file SplitComplementTriads.psd in Photoshop. Choose a split complement triad from the color wheel, and fill each circle with one of the colors in the triad. You may want to change the size of the circles or move them around to give your design an interesting look. You can also write some text in the circles if you want, using only the colors in your split complement triad.

Analogous ColorsOpen the file AnalogousColors.psd in Photoshop. Choose three analogous colors from the color wheel, and fill each flower with one of the colors. You can also fill the flower centers with one of your analogous colors. You may want to change the size of the flowers or move them around to give your design an interesting look. You can also write some text if you want, using only the analogous colors you have chosen.

Displaying Your WorkWhen you have completed all of your designs, make sure you turn off all of the color wheel layers. Then select Window > Arrange > Tile All Vertically to show all four designs in your Photoshop window.




Reference Sheet: Shades, Tints, and Monochromatic Color Schemes

Shades

In this color wheel, the colors on the outer edge are hues, or pure colors. The inner rings of color are shades, created by adding black to the pure color. The shades become progressively darker as more black is added. The range of lightness or darkness is called the value.

Tints

In this color wheel, the colors on the outer edge are hues, or pure colors. The inner rings of color are tints, created by adding white to the pure color. The tints become progressively lighter as more white is added. The range of lightness or darkness is called the value.

Monochromatic Color Scheme

A monochromatic color scheme is created by taking a single hue and extending it using shades and tints (that is, adding black for shades and white for tints). The monochromatic scheme in this image includes shades and tints of the same red hue. If you isolate one row out of the shade and tint color wheels above, you have a monochromatic color scheme. Since there are no contrasting hues, designs that use a monochromatic scheme are usually subtle and calm.




Assignment Sheet: Creating Designs with Tints, Shades, and Monochrome

Directions: Follow the instructions below to create a design in Photoshop that shows a triad of colors, tints, and shades of the triad, and then a monochromatic scheme using one of the colors in the triad.

1. Create a new page in Photoshop that is US letter size. You may need to click Preset and then select US Paper from the drop-down menu. You will be creating four different designs, so drag guidelines from the rulers on top and at the left side of the document to divide your rectangular page into four quadrants.

2. In one quadrant of the page, create a simple three-color design using any three colors that form a triad on the color wheel. (For example, you could do a three-color design something similar to the floating balloon in Student Resource 10.1, Analysis: Color Combinations.)

3. Copy your original design into the second quadrant of the page, and replace each color with a tint of the original hue. If the triad colors work together, the tints should also work together.Note: The easiest way to create tints is to select the object you want to color with the magic wand. Select Edit > Fill > Blending to change the opacity of the color. Make sure to select Contents > Foreground Color. The lower the opacity, the more white in the tint. (Note that this only works if your background is white and there are not any layers underneath. If you use the Color Picker, you can sample the color and then use the Color Picker to choose a lighter value.)

4. Copy your original design into the third quadrant of the page, and replace each color with a shade of the original hue. If the triad colors work together, the shades should also work together.Note: The easiest way to add black to a color is to open the Color Picker and increase the K percentage to increase the amount of black in the color.

5. Copy your original design into the fourth quadrant of the page. Keep one of the original hues, but replace the two other hues with tints of the hue you are keeping to create a monochromatic scheme.

6. Save your design as both a PSD file and a JPEG.

Your final design will have four versions of the same design and will illustrate the use of triad colors, tints, shades, and a monochromatic scheme.




Interactive Reading: Communicating Meaning through Color

Student Name:_______________________________________________________ Date:___________

Directions: Read through this text carefully and underline the different colors or color combinations that you would like to try in a design. As you are reading, respond to the “Your Ideas” questions and prompts interspersed throughout the reading.

Colors are more than a combination of red and blue or yellow and black; they are nonverbal communication. Colors have symbolism and meanings that convey a message or tell a story. As you choose colors for your designs, it’s important to think about how the eye and the mind perceive certain colors. Remember that meaning is associated with the colors in your design.

One of the easiest ways to attract attention to your design is to add color, but you need to make sure that the color you choose communicates the right message. In addition to symbolizing something or carrying a particular meaning, color can evoke moods. Did you know that most theaters have red walls because red tones are known to evoke hunger? Or that some car insurance companies charge more to insure red cars because owners of red cars are statistically more aggressive and take more risks?

Choosing the wrong color can send the wrong message, and this can be disastrous. For example, imagine a moldy-green-colored ad for a cleaning service. Or a gloomy gray ad for a seaside resort in the sunshine.

Cultures and ColorWhat do you think of when you see red and green together? How about black and orange? Or pastel blue and pink? In US culture, those color combinations have specific meanings. You wouldn’t create a red-and-green flyer to publicize a Halloween event!

In Western culture, white symbolizes purity, but in Chinese culture, it symbolizes death. Chinese wedding dresses are traditionally red, to symbolize good luck. In India, red symbolizes purity; in South Africa, mourning; in Western culture, danger and passion.

Your IdeasIn the chart below, write at least one word that each color evokes in your culture of origin.

red

silver

green

black

When creating a design, remember to research color meanings for all ethnic sectors of your target audience. It’s important to make sure you don’t offend any sector of the target audience. When you are designing for your own culture, you are likely to have at least an average understanding of how your audience will interpret the colors.



Techniques for Choosing Colors Graphic designers consider all aspects of the effect they want to create with a particular image and then choose colors that will create the desired effect. In addition to evoking specific meanings, colors are considered warm, cool, or neutral. Reds, yellows, and oranges are warm colors. Blues and greens are cool colors. Tans and grays are neutral colors that are influenced by the warm or cool colors in proximity.

Warm ColorsGraphic designers use warm colors to attract attention and increase visibility. Red attracts attention, and yellow is highly visible from a distance. Combinations of red, yellow, and orange are used for packaging and for signs that need to be seen from a distance. These warm colors seem to advance toward the viewer.

Your IdeasIn the box below, make a list of popular products that are packaged in warm colors. (Cheerios cereal is a good example.)

Red Use the color red to grab attention and to get people to take action. Red suggests speed combined with confidence and perhaps even a dash of danger. Red is a good choice when you don’t want to sink into the background. But remember: that little bit of red goes a long way. Small doses can often be more effective than large amounts of this strong color.

Combining red with other colors: To create a cheerful palette, combine multiple shades of red and even pink or orange.

Use cool blues to provide contrast and to tone down the heat of red.

Light pinks and yellows harmonize with red if they are not too close in value. For example, try a dark red with a pale or golden yellow.

Be careful using purple. It can be an elegant combination, but too much could be overpowering.

Add a dash of red to a soft but sophisticated pink and gray combo.

Red, white, and blue create a patriotic combination in the United States, even if the shades are different from those in the flag.

Yellow Yellow is a warm color that evokes the idea of sunshine and cheerfulness. It denotes happiness and joy. In the United States, a yellow ribbon symbolizes the hope of military troops coming home. But like red, yellow has conflicting symbolism. Yellow is also the color of cowardice and deceit.

Bright yellow is a perky color you can use to create excitement when red or orange may be too strong or too dark.

Combining yellow with other colors: Use yellow to perk up more subdued cool blues and grays.

Use lemon yellow with orange to create a healthy or summery citrus palette.



Use very pale yellows as neutral colors alongside darker colors.

Use yellow and blue for a high-contrast, eye-popping combination.

Combine yellow with gray and a hint of black for a high-tech look.

Orange Orange is a vibrant color that denotes energy, warmth, and the sun. Orange is a bit less intense or aggressive than red, because it is calmed by the cheerfulness of yellow. Orange is a warm color that stimulates the emotions and even the appetite.

If you want to get noticed without screaming, try using orange. Softer oranges such as peach are more soothing and friendly, but still energetic.

Combining orange with other colors: Orange really pops with a medium blue.

Combine bright red, yellow, and orange for a fiery hot combination.

Combine more subdued shades of red, yellow, and orange for a fresh, fruity palette.

Combine orange with green to convey tropical.

Combining orange and pink creates a ’60s psychedelic look that you may want to avoid.

To catch the viewer’s eye, try a hint of orange with deep purple, or a hint of purple and orange with lots of yellow or white.

Your IdeasIn the box below, describe a design you would like to create using warm colors.

Cool ColorsCool colors tend to have a calming effect. They can be cold and impersonal, but they can also be comforting and nurturing. Blue, green, and the neutral colors white, gray, and silver are examples of cool colors. When you think of a lake, a forest, or a snow-capped mountain, you see cool colors. You can combine blues and greens to create natural, watery color palettes. If you have a color palette that you think is too cool, heat it up with a spot of red or orange.

Blue Blue is a calming color. Almost everyone likes some shade of the color blue. It can be strong and confident or light and friendly. A blue power suit in the corporate world or blue uniforms for police officers convey importance and confidence. In American culture, dark blue has traditionally been considered a corporate color, and it can be associated with intelligence, stability, unity, and conservatism. Because of the blue of the sky, blue is considered a natural color.

Combining blue with other colors: Combine light and dark blue to convey trust and truthfulness. Banks often use this combination.

Use pastel blues with pinks and pale yellows to suggest springtime.

Use a spot of blue to cool down a hot red or orange palette.



Combine blue and yellow to get attention.

Combine navy blue with white for a fresh, crisp, and perhaps nautical look.

For an elegant combination, use dark blue with metallic silver accents.

Green Green is a restful color with some of the same calming attributes of blue. Because of its abundance in nature, green often symbolizes life, growth, renewal, health, and environment. But in American culture, green also symbolizes envy, jealousy, and inexperience.

Combine several shades of green for a fresh, spring feeling. Olive green can be a summery green, but it also has military overtones.

Combining green with other colors: Green with blue conveys new beginnings and growth.

Combine green with brown, tan, or beige to communicate organic or recycled.

Use green with yellow and black or white to communicate a sporty, outdoors feeling.

Combine purple with green for a lively contrast.

Lime green with orange and yellow is a fresh and fruity palette.

Silver Silver, like its non-shiny counterpart gray, is a neutral color. Shiny, metallic silver is on the cool side of neutral, like gray. Silver is of course livelier and more exciting than gray. Silver often symbolizes riches, just as gold does. Silver can also convey glamour. We think of gray-haired men and women as old, but a silver-haired person is said to be distinguished. Silver can be sleek and modern, or it can be ornate.

Because silver is a neutral color, it coordinates easily with other colors. You can use silver with other colors to create a high-tech or industrial look. A touch of silver pops with medium blue.

Your IdeasIn the box below, describe a design you would like to create using cool colors.

PurplePurple is a secondary color made by combining red and blue, so the “temperature” of the purple depends on how much red and how much blue is in it, but it has both warm and cool properties. A mysterious color, purple is associated with royalty, nobility, and spirituality. Purple has a special place in nature; lavender, orchid, lilac, and violet flowers are all very delicate. Deep or bright purples suggest riches, and lighter purples are more romantic and delicate. Be careful using purple. It can be an elegant color but too much can be overpowering.

Combining purple with other colors: Combine a deep, eggplant purple with tan or beige for a conservative, earthy color combination

with a touch of mystery.

Green and purple can be a striking combination. Use deep tones to communicate richness, or lighter shades to convey a cheerful, springlike feeling.



Combine pink and purple to create a feminine appeal.

Tips for Using ColorDeciding which colors work together is not an easy task. It is not uncommon for graphic designers to try out many color combinations in their design before coming up with the final combination. They might try out several different colors to see what looks right and what makes the message pop.

The colors you choose should contribute to the legibility, organization, feeling, and personality of your page. Here are some tips to help you make sure this happens:

Use color to attract attention to what is important in your design. For example, make the most important information on the page a bright color to draw the viewer’s attention to it.

Pick colors that are appropriate for your design topic and for your audience.

Use color consistently to help organize your design.

Make sure there is sufficient contrast to create a visual impact.

For legibility, make sure there is a lot of contrast between background color and typeface color. Do not use bright color combinations such as red and yellow on pages with lots of small text, because this is hard on the eyes.

Rather than becoming overwhelmed by color choices, try using a maximum of three colors to reinforce your message.

Your IdeasIn the box below, describe a design you would like to create. Explain how one or two of the above tips will help you choose the right colors for your design.

The Colors You Choose Will “Color” Your MessageUsing color to communicate meaning effectively will add a new dimension to your designs. The more you practice selecting and using colors to communicate, the more likely your designs will click and resonate with your target audience.




K-W-L Chart: Color SystemsStudent Name:_______________________________________________________ Date:___________

Directions: For each row in the chart, write down what you already know in the first column, and write down what you would like to learn in the second column. During the presentation, as you learn new information, fill in what you have learned in the third column.

K

What I Know

W

What Else I Want to Know

L

What I Learned

CMYK

RGB

Grayscale




Reading: CMYK, RGB, and Grayscale Color Systems

This presentation explains the important differences between these color systems, and when it is appropriate to use each type of color.



Color is difficult to control when you are creating an original work, and even more so when a work is reproduced in print or viewed on a computer screen. Knowing the correct color system to use for a particular piece is important. Which color system is right depends on whether the final piece will be printed or viewed on a computer screen.

Each of these color systems is a color mode in Photoshop. When you create an image in Photoshop, you need to use the color mode that is most suited for your image.



Just about everything you ever see printed on a poster, a brochure, a book, a magazine, or a cereal box is printed using the CMYK color mode. Graphic designers specify CMYK colors for all projects that will be printed by a printing press onto something physical, such as paper.

When you prepare a print job for a printer, you will most likely always specify the colors in CMYK. Although only four colors are used, the viewer perceives full color that is created by dot patterns of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. When you have a print job, it is important to confer with the printer to make sure you get the exact colors you want.

When you select a color using the Photoshop Color Picker, the Color Picker gives you the CMYK values for the color.



In the world around us, when the spectrum of visible light hits an object, the object absorbs most of the spectrum, and what it doesn’t absorb reflects back to our eyes as color. However, on a computer monitor or TV screen, the color of the light is not reflected; the visible light goes directly into our eyes. RGB is composed of these beams of colored light.

Each RGB color contains a value from 0 to 255 of red, green, and blue. So, for example, the value for red is R = 255 G = 0 B = 0

And for an orange red, some green is added to the red, so the value is R = 255 G = 51 B = 0

To get a peachy color, both green and blue are added to the red, and the value is R = 255 G = 153 B = 102

Since RGB colors are composed of beams of colored light, black is the total absence of color. The RGB value for black is R = 0 G = 0 B = 0

White is a combination of all colors, so the RGB value is R = 255 G = 255 B = 255

Each RGB color has a hexadecimal value that is used to specify the color in HTML code. The lowest hex value is for black (00000) and the highest hex value is for white (FFFFFF).

When you select a color using the Photoshop Color Picker, the Color Picker displays the RGB values for the color.



You can convert an image to grayscale in Photoshop by selecting the Image menu and then choosing Mode > Grayscale.

Grayscale imaging is sometimes called “black and white,” but technically grayscale is different from black and white. True black and white is also known as halftone, and the only possible shades are pure black and pure white. In a halftone image, the image is a grid of black dots on a white background (or vice versa), and the size of the individual dots determines the shade of gray. Photographs in newspapers are typically printed using the halftone technique.

You can convert an image to black and white in Photoshop by selecting the Image menu and then choosing Adjustments > Black & White.

Photo credit: Ansel Adams, Manzanar volleyball. This map image is included under fair-use guidelines of Title 17, US Code. Copyrights belong to respective owners.



As you work in graphic design, you will get more practice with the different color modes. Remembering these basic rules is key to making good decisions about color.




Assignment Sheet: Creating a Color PaletteDirections: Follow the steps below to determine which colors work for your business or organization and create an appropriate color palette. Before you begin work, review the assessment criteria on this assignment sheet and make sure you understand how your work will be assessed. Also, look at the example at the end of this resource to get an idea of what your color palette should look like.

Step 1: Determine What Colors Fit Your Business 1. Decide what business or organization you want to create a color palette for. The business or

organization can be real or fictitious, but you need to have enough information about it to create a meaningful color palette.

2. Once you’ve decided on a business or organization, fill out the creative brief in Student Resource 10.11, Creative Brief: Color Palette. The creative brief information will help you determine what you want to communicate through color.

3. Based on your creative brief, choose a main color and an accent color for your color palette. Then decide what shades and tints of those colors would also be useful for your business. You might want to use Student Resource 10.5, Reference Sheet: Shades, Tints, and Monochromatic Color Schemes, to get some ideas of what shades and tints you could use.

Step 2: Create a Color Palette in Photoshop1. Open the file ColorPalette.jpg in Photoshop.

2. Use the Marquee selection (or Magic Wand) tool to select the top box, and then fill the box with your main color.

3. Select the second box and fill it in with your accent color.

4. Fill in the other boxes with tints and shades of your main and accent colors to create a complete palette of all the colors your business or organization will use. Use the same method to create tints and shades that you used with Student Resource 10.6, Assignment Sheet: Creating Designs with Tints, Shades, and Monochrome.

5. Use one of your colors to write the name of your business or organization at the top of the page.

6. Use one of your colors to write two or three sentences at the bottom of the page describing why you chose the hues, tints, and shades that you chose. Be sure to write with one of the darker colors or shades in your palette.



Make sure your assignment meets or exceeds the following assessment criteria: The creative brief shows that skilled and thoughtful planning work was put into the color palette.

The color palette is clearly appropriate for the products or services offered and for the target audience.

The six colors below the main color and the accent color are all tints or shades of the main color or the accent color.

The sentences describing the color choices give a convincing rationale for the choices.

The final product shows careful, accurate work in both text and graphics.

Example Color Palette




Creative Brief: Color PaletteStudent Name:_______________________________________________________ Date:___________

Directions: Before you create the color palette for your business or organization, fill out this creative brief to gain a clear understanding of what you should communicate about your business through your color palette. You will submit this creative brief for assessment along with your color palette.

Color Palette—Creative Brief

Name of company or organization:

BACKGROUNDExplain a bit about the history of the company or organization and tell why it could use a color palette.

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

What products or services does the business or organization offer?

TARGET AUDIENCEAge, income, interests, geographic location, and so on.

COMMUNICATION OBJECTIVESWhat will you communicate about the business or organization through the use of color?

DELIVERABLESA color palette with a main color, an accent color, and six additional colors that are shades or tints of the main color or the accent color. The color palette will be presented on an 8.5" x 11" page with the name of the business or organization at the top and a sentence explaining why the colors were chosen at the bottom.


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