ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how designers harness the power of color to grab our attention, organize visual flow and evoke emotion. Picture a black and white poster with one pop of color—a hat, for instance—in bright pink. That bright pink immediately becomes a focal point. Color can sort and clump to indicate what goes with what. That’s the principle behind color-coding systems, such as electrical wiring and mall parking lots. As for designing with color, some people seem to be born with color sense. The point is that color complements found at opposite sides of the color wheel indeed do “complement” each other visually. Although the primary colors are blue, red and yellow, other triplets of color from the color wheel also can make pleasing color palettes. Getting different colors in electronic environments depends on the saturation, or in the case of light-emitting screen “intensity,” of red, green and blue light along with their various combinations.
