1. Color Schemes

2. What does
color theory
mean?
Color Theory is a basic set of
rules that guide color mixing
and help explain the visual
impacts of colors and
combinations.

3. The Color Wheel

4. Primary Colors
• Yellow, Red, and Blue are
known as the “Primary
Colors”
• All other colors on the color
wheel come from mixing
these three colors.
“Can’t Mix for Primaries”

5. Secondary Colors
• Orange,Violet, and Green are
called the “Secondary
Colors”
• If you mixed TWO of the
primary colors together you
get a Secondary (2) color.

6. Tertiary Colors
• These are also called
“Intermediate Colors”
• Tertiary colors are created
when you mix ONE primary
color with ONE secondary
color.
• When naming them, always
start with the primary color
followed by the secondary.

7. Now that we know all of the colors on our
color wheel. . . Color Theory now helps us
organize them into different combinations/
schemes.

8. Complementary Color Scheme
These are colors that are directly across from each other
on the color wheel. The strong contrast between the two
colors makes for a successful combination.
Blue & Orange Yellow & Violet Red & Green
“Complementary in Every Way”

9. Analogous Color Scheme
The analogous color scheme is a combination of three
colors located right next to each other on the color
wheel.

10. Monochromatic Color Scheme
This color scheme is made up of tints and shades of the
same color.
“Monochromatic”