
Blue, red, yellow, green, orange, and violet all have associations that can
be used to transmit visual messages. Combinations of colors also
have the power to affect our emotions and physical responses. Indeed,
the value of color contrast as a tool for making visual communication
cannot be overstated.
In The Art of Color, Itten describes his theory of color expression.
He provides a thoughtful, instructive, and poetic analysis of
the “mental and emotional expressive values” of the primary and
secondary colors. Here is a sample:
“Yellow is the most light-giving of all hues. It loses this trait the moment
we shade it with gray, black or violet …. ...