{"id":4117,"date":"2018-01-03T17:05:18","date_gmt":"2018-01-03T14:05:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tubikstudio.com\/?p=4117"},"modified":"2023-08-14T18:18:34","modified_gmt":"2023-08-14T18:18:34","slug":"design-glossary-color-terms-and-definitions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tubikstudio.com\/blog\/design-glossary-color-terms-and-definitions\/","title":{"rendered":"Design Glossary: Color. Terms and Definitions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Color is one of the fundamentals that design is built of. It can be a powerful tool in the expert\u2019s hands affecting numerous factors that are vital for the compelling visual perception. Color has a significant impact on our minds. It changes the way we feel about an object within a few seconds as well as makes people react and even take certain actions.<\/span><\/p>\n

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At first sight color science may seem not that difficult to master but diving into the details it\u2019s obvious that there are many peculiarities which demand to be comprehended. In the article Color Theory: Brief Guide For Designers<\/a>, we touched upon the basics of the science helping designers in their craft. Today we gathered a handy glossary with the essential terms of the color theory which will help graphic and UI designers get a better understanding of how color works.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Add the Color Illustration<\/em><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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Color<\/span><\/h2>\n

Before we step any further, it\u2019s important to figure out the essence of color itself. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as a phenomenon of light (such as red, brown, pink, or gray) or visual perception that enables one to differentiate otherwise identical objects. Simply put, color is a quality of an object which is caused due to the light being reflected or emitted by this object. Color can be verified visually by measurement of its properties such as hue, saturation, chromaticity, and value. To gain proper awareness of color meaning let\u2019s define its characteristics.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Color Properties<\/span><\/h2>\n

Hue<\/span><\/h3>\n

The term hue is often mistaken for the color so it needs to be cleared out. First, we should understand that \u201ccolor\u201d is a general term that people use to name all the hues, tints, and tones. On the other hand, a hue is exactly the thing we mean asking \u201cwhat color is it?\u201d. Basically, it is a family of twelve pure and bold colors presented on the color wheel.<\/span><\/p>\n

A hue serves as a basic material that can be transformed in three different ways – tinting, shading, and toning. Depending on the applied technique, a hue is modified into tint, shade, or tone.<\/span><\/p>\n

They are easy to distinguish. A tint is created by mixing a hue with white, while a shade is a mix of a hue and black. Toning is a more delicate process because it requires adding both black and white the reason why the results may seem more natural than shades and tints.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Source<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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Value<\/span><\/h3>\n

As we said above colors have certain characteristics by which they can be recognized. Value is a property telling how light or dark a color is. The characteristic is defined by the level of whiteness. The more white has been added to a hue, the higher value it receives.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chromaticity<\/span><\/h3>\n

Chroma, or chromaticity, shows the purity of a hue. The characteristic is measured by the presence of white, grey, or black in a color. Twelve basic hues described above have the highest level of chromaticity since they don\u2019t contain any additional elements. Colors with high chroma usually look bold and vivid.<\/span><\/p>\n

Saturation<\/span><\/h3>\n

This characteristic has much in common with value and chroma, so sometimes they may be mistaken. Still, it\u2019s vital to understand the differences. Unlike two previous properties, saturation doesn\u2019t apply mixing hues with any other colors. It is about how a color looks under different lighting conditions. Saturation describes how bold or pale color is according to its look in the daylight and weak light. The property is also known as the intensity of a color.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Color Wheel<\/span><\/h2>\n

If you had any lessons related to painting, you must have seen the circle consisting of different colors. It is called the color wheel and helps to understand how different colors relate to each other and how they can be combined. The color circle is usually built of primary, secondary and tertiary colors which are also known as hues.<\/span><\/p>\n

The color circle was created in 1666 by Isaac Newton in a schematic way and since then it has gone through many transformations but still remains the main tool for color combination. The idea is that the color wheel must be made that way so colors would be mixed appropriately.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Color Types<\/span><\/h2>\n

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Primary colors<\/span><\/h3>\n

They are three pigment colors that cannot be formed by any combination of other colors. The primary colors serve as the basis of a whole system. The primary colors vary depending on the type of color system. A subtractive system is based on cyan, magenta, and yellow, while red, green and blue colors form the additive system. And the painting system RYB includes red, yellow and blue.<\/span><\/p>\n

Secondary colors<\/span><\/h3>\n

These colors appear by the combination of two primary colors. Since each system has different basic colors, the secondary colors vary too. Here is a schematic explanation of secondary colors appearing in each system.<\/span>
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