Colour Harmonies

Colour Harmony is the theory of when combining colours on the colour wheel, in a fashion sense, choosing colours which theoretically harmonise, the colours will look well together to the eye. 

There are six different kinds of harmonies, they are called: Complementary, Analogous, Triad, Split-Complimentary, Tetradic and Square.

Complementary:

A Complementary harmony is when the colours that are directly opposite each other on the colour wheel, for example: red and green. Due to the high contrast of the complementary colour, it creates a vibrant look, especially when used at the colour's full saturation. A lot of the time, complementary colours work well when there is something you want to stand out, for example, red and green are both used and recognised as Christmas colours as they stand out when together.

Although, complementary colours also have cons, they can be quite tricky to use in a large amount at amounts. The main con for complimentary colours is that they are really bad for text, this is due to how vibrant the colours are.

Split-Complementary:

The Split-Complementary colour scheme is a variety of the Complementary colour scheme. At the base of Split-Complementary colour schemes, uses two colours which are adjacent to its complement. 

This colour scheme is quite visually strong due to the contrast of the colours, like the Complementary colour scheme, but compared to the Complementary colour scheme, it has a little less tension.

Analogous:

Analogous colour schemes use colours which are next to each other on the colour wheel. These colours, when combined, usually, harmonies with one and other to create a serene and comforting design.

They are often found in nature and are also harmonised to make it comforting to the eye. When using an Analogous colour scheme, to make sure you get the most out of the effects from the colours, you must make sure the colours have a balanced contrast. 

An example of where the colours can be used effectively is a website or possibly a promotional book/leaflet as they must look inviting for the viewer by selecting colours which suit each other.

Triad:

A Triad colour scheme uses colours which are evenly spread out on the colour wheel. Triad colour harmonies are usually quite vibrant, even when you were to select an unsaturated version of a colour. 

To use Triad colour schemes successfully, the colours must be carefully balanced, but having one colour dominate and have the other two as accents.

Rectangle (Tetradic):

The Rectangle/Tetradic colour scheme uses four colours which are arranged into two complementary pairs. When using this colour scheme it allowed rich colours to be used, offering a variety of possibilities. 

To successfully use it, you must let one of the four colours to be dominant. When using the colour scheme, to ensure you are using the correct balance of colours, you must focus on the balance in the warm and cold colours.

Square:

The Square colour scheme is similar to the Rectangle colour scheme, but it has four evenly spread out evenly around the colour wheel. It works effectively there is mainly one dominant colour.

When using them, it is important to focus on the balance between the warm and cold colours.