Color Harmony Compendium

18 Color Harmony Compendium

Light

Light colors are pale pastels. They

take their hue from an absence of visible

color in their composition, and are almost

transparent. Lightness increases, and vari-

ations between the different hues decrease.

Light colors open up the surroundings

and suggest airiness, rest, and liquidity.

They resemble sheer curtains on a window

and send a message of relaxation.

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Dark colors are hues that contain

black in their composition. They close up

space and make it seem smaller. Dark col-

ors are concentrated and serious in their

effect. Seasonally, they suggest autumn

and winter. Combining lights and darks

together is a common and dramatic way

to represent the opposites in nature, such

as night and day.

Dark

20 Color Harmony Compendium

Pale

Pale colors, like ivory, light blue, and

pink, suggest gentleness. They can be seen

in the clouds in a soft, early light, or in

the lavender colors of a misty morning.

Because they are calming colors, pale hues

are frequently used in interior spaces.

Pale hues are the softest pastels. They

contain at least 65 percent white in their

composition, and have a diminished hue

which is most often referred to as soft or

romantic.

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The amount of pure color within a

hue determines its brightness. The clarity

of bright colors is achieved by the omission

of gray or black. Blues, reds, yellows, and

oranges are colors in full brightness.

Bright colors are vivid and attract

attention. A yellow school bus, a bunch

of colored balloons, the red of a clown’s

nose, never go unnoticed. Exhilarating

and cheerful, bright colors are perfect for

use in packaging, fashion, and advertising.

Bright