The Ultimate Guide to Understanding Color Models in Printed Designs

What are tertiary colors?

A basic color and a secondary color are combined to generate tertiary colors. Red-orange, yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-green, blue-purple, and red-purple are the six tertiary hues. These colors provide a wider variety of colors, enhancing the color pallet with depth and richness—two qualities necessary for bright and dynamic designs.

  • Red + Purple = Red-Purple (magenta)
  • Yellow + Green = Yellow-Green (chartreuse)
  • Yellow + Orange = Yellow-Orange (amber)
  • Blue + Purple = Blue-Purple (violet)
  • Blue + Green = Blue-Green (teal)
  • Red + Orange = Red-Orange (vermillion)

Complementary Colors

Complementary colors are pairs of colors that sit opposite each other on the color wheel, such as red and green, blue and orange, or yellow and purple. When used together, they create a striking contrast that can make designs pop. This high contrast can draw attention and highlight important elements. In art and design, complementary colors are often used to create vibrant, dynamic compositions. Additionally, when mixed, they neutralize each other, resulting in grayscale colors. Understanding and utilizing complementary colors effectively can enhance visual interest and impact in various creative projects, from graphic design to interior decorating.

Analogous Colors

Groups of three hues, such as blue, blue-green, and green, that are adjacent to one another on the color wheel are called analogous colors. Their tight friendship allows them to produce designs that are attractive and harmonious. These hues, which are peaceful and cozy, are frequently seen in nature. Analogous hues create a visually pleasing and harmonious effect when employed in design. Whether in fashion, home design, or graphic design, they are perfect for achieving a cohesive and well-balanced style. An effective use of similar hues can improve a design's emotional resonance and visual attractiveness.

Monochromatic Colors

Definition: Colors that are monochromatic have different tones, tints, and hues of the same color.

Harmony: By employing varying degrees of the same color, they provide a unified and harmonious appearance.

Simplicity: Designing with a single color makes things easier and can produce a polished, tidy look.

Versatility: Adaptable to a wide range of design tasks, such as fashion, interior design, and branding.

Emphasis: Designers can draw attention to particular elements and add visual interest by adjusting the saturation and luminance.

Mood: Monochromatic color schemes can elicit particular feelings, such as excitement with reds or serenity with blues.

Consistency: They offer a cohesive and consistent appearance that helps strengthen brand identification.

What are primary colors?

primary colors


Definition: Primary colors are the basic hues that can only be obtained by combining certain other hues. Every other hue comes from them.

Primary Colors: Red, blue, and yellow are the three primary colors.

Color mixing: Primary colors can be blended in a variety of ways to create secondary and tertiary hues.

Design Importance: Since primary colors are the building blocks of color theory and the color wheel, it is imperative that artists and designers comprehend them.

Applications: To create a wide spectrum of hues, use in painting, graphic design, and digital media.

Symbolism: Red is frequently associated with passion, blue with serenity, and yellow with happiness. Each basic color can represent a distinct feeling.

Educational Value: Teaching children the primary colors at a young age aids in their understanding of color relationships and the development

  • Red
  • Yellow
  • Blue

What are secondary colors?

secondary colors


Two main colors are mixed in equal quantities to create secondary colors. The hues green, orange, and purple are the three secondary colors. Red and yellow can be combined to make orange, blue and yellow to make green, and red and blue to make purple. On the color wheel, these hues act as a bridge between the primary colors and the secondary colors. Secondary colors give a color pallet depth and variation, which enables the creation of more intricate and subtle designs. They are crucial to the formation of a wider range of hues and the visual appeal of compositions in art and design.


  • Red + Yellow = Orange
  • Blue + Red = Purple
  • Yellow + Blue = Green


The Color Circle

The color wheel, sometimes referred to as the color circle, is a method of arranging colors in a circle according to their characteristics and relationships. Primary (red, blue, and yellow), secondary (orange, green, and purple), and tertiary (mixtures of primary and secondary) colors are all included. Principles of color harmony and contrast found in art, design, and other fields are illustrated by the circle. Artists and designers can balance color schemes, produce compositions that are visually pleasing, and elicit particular feelings by knowing the color circle. It is a key component of color theory and guides the choice and arrangement of colors to produce desired visual and expressive effects.

Color Tool

To successfully choose, blend, and balance colors, artists and designers need a color tool. It helps to communicate desired emotions and create compositions that are visually pleasing.

Adobe Color

Using a variety of color principles, Adobe Color is a web-based tool that assists users in creating color schemes. Because of its simplicity of use and compatibility with Adobe Creative Cloud, it is well-liked by designers.

Illustrator Color Guide

With the aid of color harmonies, swatches, and editing tools, designers can quickly and easily create visually appealing color schemes with Adobe Illustrator's Illustrator Color Guide function.

Preset Color Guides

Color Guides


Design software has preset color guides that provide established color schemes and harmonies to help designers quickly create coherent palettes. Complementary, similar, triadic, and monochromatic schemes are frequently included in these guidelines, which offer a basis for visually appealing designs and permit adaptation to meet the demands and tastes of individual projects.

Finding The Correct Color Scheme

60-30-10 guideline when using color

By following the 60-30-10 guideline, you may select and maintain a color scheme with ease. It can also aid in creating the identity of a brand when done correctly. Use a primary color 60% of the time, a secondary color 30% of the time, and an accent color 10% of the time while following this rule.


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