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Chapter 7 ∣ Design and Layout
Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.
to the printing process to help define shadows and
detail. See Figure 7-22.
Color must be thought about in three
dimensions. As seen in Figure 7-23, the three
dimensions of color are: hue, the real color on the
color wheel; saturation, how close to the neutral
middle the color is; and value, the lightness or
brightness of the color, or where it hits on the
white-to-black axis. While defining color is all about
science, using color is more about common sense.
Color Harmony
Harmonious color, or harmony, is a palette
that consists of colors that are pleasing when used
together. Because color can be very subjective, it
is important to select colors that are appropriate for
the given problem and meet the general objective
of the solution. Below are some basic theories for
color harmony.
Complementary
Complementary colors are colors that are
opposite each other on the color wheel. See
Figure 7-24. Using these colors creates maximum
contrast and stability. They should not be used in
equal portions, however, as they tend to vibrate and
can hurt your eyes. See Figure 7-25.
Analogous
Colors that are side by side on the color wheel
are analogous. To build this palette, extend the
color wheel to secondary and tertiary colors.
Secondary colors appear in between the standard
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Figure 7-22. The process colors used to generate four-color
process printing.
Goodheart-Willcox Publisher
Figure 7-23. The three dimensions of color are hue,
saturation, and value.
Goodheart-Willcox Publisher
Figure 7-24. Complementary colors are those directly
opposite each other on the color wheel.
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