Color Theory Primer – The Color Wheel

I’ve written about color branding several times on Brandcurve, but I haven’t taken the time to talk about the basics of color theory, which are extremely important in terms of creating tangible representations of your brand through logo design, web design and so on. I thought I’d publish a series of posts about color theory, then I’ll put them all together as a Color Branding Primer. With that in mind, let’s talk color theory starting with the color wheel.

Primary Colors

You probably learned a bit about the color wheel in grade school and remember the three primary colors from which all other colors can be created are red, yellow and blue. It’s important to understand that no other colors can be combined to create red, yellow or blue. It could be said that red, yellow and blue are akin to primary numbers in math (if you’re a “numbers person” this might be an easier way to think of primary colors).

Secondary Colors

Secondary colors (orange, green and purple) are formed by mixing some combination of primary colors. Red and yellow make orange. Red and blue make purple. Yellow and blue make green (quick quiz – name that sandwich bag company that uses the famous “yellow and blue make green” copy).

Tertiary Colors

Tertiary colors are made by mixing a primary color with a secondary color. Typically, these colors are referred to by two-word names such as blue-green, etc.

The Color Wheel and Branding

When you define your brand’s creative strategy, be sure to choose a complete color palette that includes primary, secondary and tertiary colors. When it comes to branding, you’ll be more likely to be selecting colors from the Pantone color chart than the traditional color wheel, but the theory remains the same. You need to select your predominant brand color (primary color) as well as secondary and tertiary colors then consistently use colors from that pre-selected color palette in all of your marketing communications.

Check back in within the next day or so for my next post in my new Color Branding Series: Color Harmony and Context

Read more on Brandcurve about Color Branding and Color Theory:

7 Ways Research Shows How Color Affects Your Brand

Color Branding: The Meanings Behind Colors

Color Meanings Around the World

Color Branding and Marketing: A Review of Color Preferences

Tags: color branding, color marketing, color theory, color wheel, logo design, brand design, web design