Color Harmony & Schemes

WARM ANALOGOUS                COOL ANALOGOUS
COLOR SCHEMES

The analogous scheme is one of the most pleasing of the color harmonies. It uses any three colors that are next to each other on a 12-part color wheel. Usually one of the three colors predominates while the others are used to enrich the scheme. The analogous scheme offers more variations while retaining the simplicity and elegance of the monochromatic scheme.

WARM & COOL MIXED ANALOGOUS

While you should usually avoid combining warm and cool colors in this scheme, it can be used to create some visually stimulating combinations.



However, when attempting to mix temperatures, it is usually best to let the isolated temperature predominate and to use the other two colors to accent and accentuate. For exampe, using the colors in the example above. The green is the lone cool color and should be allowed do dominate the other two warm colors (yellow and yellow-green) in your design.

COMPLEMENTARY SCHEME
 
The complementary color scheme is made of two colors that are directly opposite each other on the color wheel, such as red and green, orange and blue, or yellow and purple. When using the complementary scheme, it is important to choose one color to dominant and use its complementary color to accent. This provides color dominance combined with sharp color contrast drawing maximum attention without exhausting the eye.

SPLIT COMPLEMENTARY

The split complementary scheme is a variation of the standard complementary scheme. It uses a color and the two colors adjacent to its complementary. This provides high contrast without the strong tension of the complementary scheme. It offers captivating possibilities. To use this scheme start by choosing one key color then use the two colors next to its compliment to accent.

Part Three  will discuss the two remaining complex schemes triadic and tetradic.

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