Color wheel
Use our interactive color wheel tool to play with shades across the spectrum and find the right color combination for any project. Whether you're a designer, artist, or simply a color enthusiast, the color wheel is your gateway to creative inspiration.
Play with color
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Using the wheel to explore color theory
Color theory is a fundamental aspect of design and art, providing a framework for understanding how colors interact and influence each other. At the heart of color theory lies the color wheel, a visual representation that organizes colors in a circular format. This wheel helps artists and designers identify relationships between colors, such as complementary, analogous, and triadic schemes. The color wheel chart is an invaluable tool for selecting harmonious palettes, whether you're using a HEX or RGB color wheel picker to efficiently apply colors to a project, or exploring a creative color wheel online for inspiration.
The concept of complementary colors is central to color theory. These are pairs of colors located directly opposite each other on the color spectrum wheel, such as red and green or blue and orange. When used together, they create high contrast and vibrant visuals. The color wheel spinner can be an engaging way to experiment with these combinations.
For color combinations with less contrast, the color theory wheel also highlights analogous colors—those that sit next to each other on the wheel—and triadic schemes that form a triangle within the circle. These arrangements offer balanced yet dynamic palettes for various creative projects.
Understanding the principles of the color wheel theory allows you to spin the wheel of color with confidence, picking hues that enhance your work's aesthetic appeal and elevate your artistic endeavors.
Understanding color relationships
Complementary colors
Pairs of colors located directly opposite each other on the color wheel are known as complementary colors. They create a high contrast and vibrant look, making them ideal for creating standout designs.
Split-complementary colors
This type of color scheme starts with a base color, and incorporates the two colors on either side of the base’s complement, creating a soft contrast that doesn’t overwhelm the viewer.
Monochromatic colors
A monochrome color palette involves variations in lightness and saturation of a single color. It provides a cohesive and soothing palette, perfect for minimalist designs.
Analogous colors
These are groups of three colors that sit next to each other on the color wheel. They usually match well and create serene and comfortable designs.
Triadic colors
A triadic color scheme uses three colors evenly spaced around the color wheel. It offers a vibrant yet balanced palette, often used to create dynamic visuals.
Tetradic colors
Also known as double complementary, this combination involves four colors arranged into two complementary pairs. It offers plenty of possibilities for variation but requires careful balance to avoid overwhelming the design.
Primary, secondary, and tertiary colors
Primary colors
These are the foundation of all other colors on the color wheel. Traditionally, they include red, blue, and yellow.
Secondary colors
Created by mixing two primary colors, these include green (blue + yellow), orange (red + yellow), and purple (red + blue).
Tertiary colors
Formed by mixing a primary color with a secondary color, resulting in hues like red-orange or blue-green.
Warm and cool colors
Warm colors
These include reds, oranges, and yellows. They evoke warmth and energy, often associated with sunlight and heat.
Cool colors
Comprising blues, greens, and purples, these colors convey calmness and tranquility reminiscent of water or sky.
Hue, saturation, and luminance
Hue
Refers to the pure spectrum colors found on the color wheel—essentially what we commonly refer to as "color."
Saturation
Describes the intensity or purity of a color. High saturation means vivid colors while low saturation results in muted tones.
Luminance (or Lightness)
Indicates how light or dark a color appears. Adjusting luminance can affect how prominent or subdued a color looks in design contexts.
Shades, tints, and tones
Shades
Created by adding black to a base hue to make it darker. Shades add depth to designs without altering the hue's core characteristics.
Tints
Formed by adding white to a base hue to make it lighter. Tints provide softness and can create airy or pastel effects in designs.
Tones
Achieved by adding gray to a base hue. Tones offer subtlety and complexity by reducing the intensity of the original color.
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FAQs
What is a color wheel?
A color wheel is a circular diagram that visually represents the relationships between different colors. It organizes colors into primary, secondary, and tertiary categories, allowing users to understand how colors interact. The color wheel is an essential tool in design and art for creating harmonious color schemes and exploring complementary colors.
How do I use the color wheel to build color schemes?
To build color schemes using the color wheel, start by selecting a base hue. From there, you can explore various combinations such as complementary, analogous, or triadic schemes. A color wheel picker or online tool can help visualize these combinations by showing how different hues work together, and some provide the HEX or RGB color codes so you can use them in your designs. This approach ensures balanced and aesthetically pleasing designs.
What is the color wheel terminology?
Color wheel terminology includes terms like primary, secondary, and tertiary colors which describe the basic categories of hues on the wheel. Other important terms are complementary colors (opposite each other on the wheel), analogous colors (adjacent on the wheel), and monochromatic schemes (variations of a single hue). Understanding these terms helps in effectively using the color theory wheel.
How do I know what colors go together?
To determine which colors go together, use the principles of the color theory wheel. Complementary colors provide high contrast while analogous colors offer harmony. Triadic and tetradic combinations add variety and balance. Tools like a spin-the-wheel color picker can assist in experimenting with different palettes to find visually appealing matches for your project.