The color wheel is a fundamental tool for designers to understand and leverage the relationships between colors. Artists and scientists as early as Isaac Newton have been creating color wheels to represent their understanding of colors. The standard color wheel models in common use: RGB and CMYK. RGB, also called additive color, is used primarily in design intended for computers or the web. CMYK, also called subtractive color, is used primarily for the design of physical objects being created with ink.
Businesses and individuals designing physical signage should use the CMYK model. Signage design benefits from proper use of color as it helps set a mood, attract attention or project a bold statement. Color wheels create harmony for combining colors and when used correctly can be a powerful design tool.
Brightness Contrast: A Primary Factor in Signage Design
Before we dive into color wheel schemes and theories, it's important to understand that the main governing factor in designing successful signage is to ensure appropriate brightness contrast between background and text so the sign is both legible and attention-grabbing. This is especially true for wayfinding and emergency signage. As long as designers account for appropriate contrast, the color schemes below can be used to create standout signage of any size.
Complementary Colors
Ever wondered why life rafts and vests are yellow? The answer lies in the concept of complementary colors, which are color pairings that sit across from each other on the color wheel. Look directly across the color wheel from yellow and you'll see blue, the color of water. As this life raft example shows, complementary colors create vibrant pairings that really stand out.
The risk with complementary colors is they can often be too bright at full saturation, creating a color vibration effect that almost hurts the eyes. Designers fix this problem by adjusting the saturation or intensity of complementary colors to create visually pleasing designs that still pop. Complementary colors aren't preferred for text, but work well when you want to create eye-catching contrasts.
Analogous Colors
An analogous color scheme uses adjacent colors to create a sense of calm and harmony. You can find these combinations in nature, like trees and foliage in varying shades of green against a blue sky. This sort of harmonious scheme of adjacent cool colors would work with business signage for a spa, to create a sense of serenity, or for trust-based services like counseling or financial advising. In an analogous color scheme, one color is dominant, while the others support as accents. When using this scheme, you should avoid using too many hues or combining warm and cool colors, which ruins the harmony. The downfall of this color scheme is it lacks the brightness of the complementary color scheme—be sure to use enough tone contrast when working with it.
Triadic Colors
A triadic scheme uses colors evenly spaced around the color wheel. Triadic goes bold on color but does so in a balanced way, pulling three colors from an equilateral triangle across the wheel. As with complementary schemes, the best triadic designs vary the hue or saturation of each color to avoid harsh color interactions. And just like with an analogous color scheme, a successful triadic color scheme should allow one color to dominate while the others support. This scheme is a great choice for businesses that want to convey a sense of boldness and fun. This scheme offers high contrast while still keeping balance. If colors look gaudy or overbearing, subdue them using contrast and saturation.
The true task of graphic designers, like those at FASTSIGNS, is to bring visual communications to life. Enlisting the help of CYMK color wheel fundamentals for signage creation might mean the difference between a beautiful, well-conveyed design and something that is harsh or tense to the eye. By mastering the technical use of the CMYK color wheel, you can create more effective designs that successfully express emotion and deliver information through strategic color combinations.