Color

1. The Color Spectrum

The color spectrum is made up of the seven hues of visible light: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.

These hues are arranged on the spectrum by wavelength.

terms to know

Color Spectrum

The seven hues of visible light: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. These hues are arranged on the spectrum by wavelength.

Hue

The name of a color.

2. Hue

Color is the makeup of each individual band of the refracted visible light waves. A hue is the name of a specific color.

think about it

If you look at the chart below, which hue is at 0?

ANSWER: This hue is red.

think about it

Which hue is located at about 120 on the chart?

ANSWER: This hue is green.

The concept may start to make more sense if you think about how the word "hue" is typically used in a sentence: "That grass has a nice greenish hue,” or “These flowers have beautiful rainbow hues.”

3. Saturation

Color also comes in different saturation, which is another term for the intensity of a color. Saturation usually refers to a color's purity or vividness.

In the image above, the base color is the third color from left to right. As you lower the saturation, it becomes more muted. As you raise the saturation, it becomes more pure and vivid.

You can start to see tints and shades arise when this happens. A tint is a color mixed with white, while a shade is a color mixed with black.

Below, you can see what a raised saturation does in a more conventional design.

All of these aspects of color play a huge role in design, as they work together with other elements to create visual interest, mood, appeal, and many, many other factors.

term to know

Saturation

Another term for the intensity of a color, usually refers to the purity or vividness of a color.