Color Theory
The fundamentals of how colors work and relate to each other.
Color theory is the set of ideas that explain how colors relate to each other and why some combinations work. These guides start with the color wheel and the three properties of every color, then show how temperature, lightness and saturation change a palette, with examples you can open in the tools.
Guides
- Color TheoryColor Theory: A Complete Beginner's GuideLearn the color wheel, hue, saturation and lightness, tints and shades, and warm and cool colors, with examples you can open and edit.3 min readBeginnerRead the full guide
- Color TheoryThe Color Wheel Explained: RYB vs RGB and How to Read ItHow the color wheel is laid out, why the painter's RYB wheel and the screen RGB wheel disagree, and how to read neighbors, opposites and triangles on it.6 min readBeginnerRead the full guide
- Color TheoryPrimary, Secondary and Tertiary Colors in RYB, RGB and CMYKWhy primary colors depend on the color model, how secondary and tertiary colors are mixed in paint, light and print, with HEX values and tips for screen design.6 min readBeginnerRead the full guide
- Color TheoryHue, Saturation and Brightness: The Three Properties of ColorHue, saturation and brightness explained one change at a time, the difference between HSB and HSL, why yellow looks lighter than blue, and how to use it all.5 min readBeginnerRead the full guide
- Color TheoryWarm vs Cool Colors: How Color Temperature WorksWhich colors are warm or cool, why the line moves, and how to use color temperature for depth, mood and focus in a layout or a room, with example palettes.6 min readBeginnerRead the full guide
- Color TheoryShades, Tints and Tones: How to Build a Color ScaleWhat adding black, white and gray does to a color, how to build a 50 to 950 scale from one base color for UI work, and how to avoid muddy, drifting scales.6 min readIntermediateRead the full guide