Color palette with blue and orange
How to Use Color Contrast in Photography (Orange and Blue)
Color in photography is a powerful tool to control the mood and grab the viewer’s attention.
Orange and blue make the most common color combination in photography. Do you know why? It’s all about color theory.
This article will look at when and how to use orange and blue to improve your photos.
[Note: ExpertPhotography is supported by readers. Product links on ExpertPhotography are referral links. If you use one of these and buy something, we make a little bit of money. Need more info? See how it all works here.]
Color Theory 101
Color theory is a set of practical guidelines on the visual effects of color combinations. It explains things like:
- How to mix colors;
- Why certain colors are pleasing in an aesthetic way;
- How to find pairings most suitable for your particular goal.
Color theory is a visual design element that we can use to create interest in our image. It uses the color wheel to represent the relationships between colors.
The color wheel shows how colors are organised by hues. And it provides the most common types of color pairings.
These are analogous colors, complementary colors and monochromatic colors.
Complementary Colors
These are opposite each other on the color wheel. The three traditional sets of complementary colors are:
- Red and green;
- Yellow and purple;
- Orange and blue.
They come from the model where the primary colors are red, yellow and blue.
Color theory states that the bigger the difference between two colors, the higher the level of contrast.
When two complementary colors are next to each other, they produce the highest contrast level.
Analogous and Monochromatic Colors
Complementary colors are powerful and intense. Nowhere is this more obvious than when comparing them with other color schemes.
Analogous color schemes use colors that are next to each other on the color wheel.
They harmonise well with one another.
Analogous colors are perfect for discreet and unobtrusive photos. If you need an image with a smooth and calm look, use analogous colors.
Shades of green and blue without distinct color contrastMonochromatic colors are derived from a single base hue and extended using shades, tones and tints. (en.wikipedia.org)
It helps the viewer to make sense of an image quicker. Your brain can understand the overall mood in a split second.
Monochromatic color schemes are perfect for images where you don’t want one element to stand out.
An example of monochromatic color scheme based on natural shades of coffeeWhy Use Orange and Blue in Photography?
Using contrasting colors is an easy way to make your image stand out. This works with different color pairings. But for some reason, the combination of orange and blue is the most notable one.
This color scheme is also known as ‘orange and teal’ or ‘amber and teal’ between filmmakers.
There are many reasons for using it. Let’s take a look at them one by one.
Orange and Blue Have the Highest Contrast
On the color wheel, orange and blue are opposite each other. The contrast between their exposures is higher than any of the other complementary color combinations.
Set your color wheel to grayscale. See how orange and blue transform into shades of grey with the most recognisable contrast.
This helps our brain to recognise objects with the smallest effort. Our minds love simplicity.
Blue and Orange Emphasise Each Other
Blue and orange are dominant colors, even if used in a monochromatic color scheme. But include both in the same image, and you’ll maximise the power of this combination.
The cold of the blue tones emphasises the warmth of the orange ones. And vice versa.
Photo by Şahin Yeşilyaprak on UnsplashBesides, fiery orange and cool blue are associated with opposing concepts. Unlike other pairs of complementary colors.
They represent warmth and cold, earth and sky, land and sea, fire and ice. This extends to more abstract concepts, as well, such as passion and indifference.
Photo by Bárbara Montavon on UnsplashBlue and Orange Tones are Close to Ambient Light
Natural light ranges from cool blue to warm orange, depending on the light source. Warm orange light against a blue sky is the definition of the golden hour.
The orange and blue duet appears a lot in nature even if you might not be aware of it. But once you start thinking about it, it’s everywhere!
Photo by Steve Halama on UnsplashUse Blue and Orange to Make Skin Tones Stand Out
Pushing blues into the shadows will make skin tones stand out from the rest of the image.
You can turn up the shadows to the cyan end and the highlights to the orange. Voila!
You can separate your model from the background in a visual way, and the image is easy to understand.
Photo by Ronaldo Oliveira on UnsplashHow to Use Orange and Blue in Photography
Orange and blue are excellent when used on purpose.
If it’s applied automatically, without thought, it becomes a disaster. You don’t want your photo to look like a frame from Transformers 2.
In fact, there’s a strong parallel between photography and movies. Some filmmakers use orange and blue to distinguish day and night, interiors and exteriors, and reflect different moods.
Other color everything in orange and blue because it looks cool. You want to be like Wes Anderson. Not Michael Bay.
So, how can we do it?
Experiment With Color Blocking
The best way to get a sense of color is to experiment with bold colors and geometric shapes.
Pick a background, orange or blue. Pick some objects of a contrasting color. And try to arrange them in a minimalist composition.
It could be a balance between two bright tones or a single pop of color. An orange on a blue plate. A blue napkin with apricots.
A redhead against the blue sky. A man in a broad-brimmed blue hat. Start simple, keep geometric forms in mind and see where it will lead you.
For this series, I used brightly colored props. I looked at the tone of the teapot and cups. Then I decided to make them pop against a complementary colored background.
To add some variety to my palette, I cut out a couple of red paper circles and scattered them through the scene.
The result is a simple eye-catching image.
Colorful props + vibrant paper = eye-catching imageUse Orange and Blue for a Natural Look
You may want your photo to have a more balanced, natural look. But at the same time to save the appeal of the high color contrast.
In that case, you can look for objects with natural bright colors. Designers often complain that orange and blue images look the same.
Granted, movie posters with orange people against abstract blue backgrounds are to blame. But we can do better than that!
Look for blue and orange details. Food photography is a good option here, like maple syrup drizzled over blueberry pancakes.
Use Orange and Blue for Your Point of Interest
Make sure the dominant detail is the one you wish to emphasise most. The first step is to pick the color of an object and the color of the background.
Choose a bright, saturated object which stands out. Then match it with the contrasting background.
For example, look for a blue surface and make an orange object your main hero.
Spots of warm color correspond to the main point of interestMy favourite model here is tea. It has this warm glowing look that makes me smile every time I see it. Pair it with autumn leaves or cookies, and you get a gorgeous picture.
The background could be a sky-blue paper or a dark-blue wood. The important thing here is to match the saturation.
If your blue is washed-out, your orange should be rather pale too. And match a vibrant shade of blue with a vibrant shade of orange.
Use Contrast to Highlight the Details
You don’t have to use orange and blue for the entire surface of your image.
You can keep the background neutral and use spots of color to create the contrast.
Keep your composition in warm tones and add some bright blue details. These tiny details will make your image come to life.
My favourite example is this ‘Draw Your Home’ series I made.
I created a still life photo using craft paper with a flat layout as a background. I used warm colors for most of the props: papers, hands, wooden boxes.
Pops of blues (pencils, tiles, swatches) added a much-needed contrast. They also provided color balance.
The main palette here is warm, but little spots of cold blue add contrast and diversityAnother way is to shoot the orange and blue duet against a dark background. This way, they can work together on equal terms. You don’t have to overdo it, though.
Try orange tea with bluish steam. This still lies in amber and teal spectrum. But looks non-processed and natural.
My favourite example here is candlelight and smoke. The warm orange of a candle fire and cold misty blue of rising smoke create a natural contrast.
And it makes your picture fascinating to look at.
This doesn’t work only with candles. Sparklers and fairy lights look interesting even by themselves. But pair them with spots of blue, and the entire image looks magical!
Glass bottles are essentially colorless, but I added a bluish tinge to them in post-processingAvoid Using the Brightest Shades of Orange and Blue
You don’t have to work with the brightest shades of orange and blue to create visual contrast.
You’ve decided you’re going to use orange as your background color. This may seem a little intense.
But wooden backgrounds also lie on the orange spectrum. So does craft paper. Or autumn leaves.
Old paper and smoke are not that vibrant, but they still contrast with each otherNotes and Keepsakes is one of my favourite photos. I used a wooden background and a couple of craft paper notebooks to set the warm and cosy mood.
The rest of the little props are sky blue. Natural wooden shades can be a great replacement for vibrant orange.
It still contrasts with darker shades of blue but has a more tamed and well-balanced feeling.
Add Some Variety to Your Palette by Using Other Colors
Don’t limit your palette to these two colors. You can base color contrast on orange and blue. But add objects of other hues to provide variety.
In food photography, you can add accessories which bring out the color of your main dish using contrast.
But minor details like scattered berries or herbs can differ from your main palette. And the green of the herbs can bring out a very subtle contrast of pastel shades of orange and blue.
Adding spots of red and pinkOther types of color contrast can play the lead in your experiments too. Red and green is another common combination. So is purple and yellow.
Light shade of blue and pink, a gorgeous combinationI like to diverge from the straight line between two complementary colors. This means pairing light blue not with orange, but with pink.
There are many hues and tints that you can use within the wheel to personalise your color choice.
Conclusion
Color theory is complicated and versatile. There are no fixed rules to go by.
Basic facts about color can provide insight into your choice of palette. But the actual guidelines are much more nuanced. Feel free to experiment and discover your own unique color palettes!
Looking for more tips? Check out our new post about color saturation next!
21 Shades of Orange Color Palette
Orange is the color of happiness and creativity because it’s often associated with positive emotions like amusement and health. Orange is a color that can give your designs instant energy.
Seen as cheerful and warm, it's perfect for fashion and interior design because of its association with health, growth, fun tastes, etc. Orange is a color that can be vibrant and pure or mixed with other colors to create new shades.
You can see this color everywhere, from the Netherlands national football team (who has adopted it as their official jersey hue) to the Swedish flag, primarily orange and blue.
The History Of The Color Orange
The word orange originates from the Old French term, pomme d’orange. Orange sits between two primary colors, and you can use it as an accent or neutral color depending on its pairing with other hues.
When combined with red, its energy is lessened when it becomes a complementary hue that feels more like a neutral shade in contrast to the blue. This makes it feel energetic because of how eye-catching and optimistic oranges are!
Orange appeals most to brand designers who want their products to stand out against competitors. Below, take a look at some of our selected orange color palettes.
Orange Color PalettesThe Last SunsetSourceBrown is essentially called the black sheep of the neutrals and is considered dull. Most of us would not want a color combination like this.
Despite this, orange and brown compliment each other quite well.
This orange color scheme can create a very trendy and intense combination.
The three shades of orange pair well with brown and create a sunset-inspired orange color palette.
SourceAn orange color palette with beige, brown, and some creamy whites is perfect for a warm and elegant color palette.
The burnt orange in the living room with spicy accents creates a warm gathering space for family and friends.
Add the same potent combination on small details such as drapery, upholstery, pillows, and carpets to complete the look.
A cool finish completes this ambiance by adding beige or creamy white tones in decorating schemes and vibrant colors like yellow oranges or fiery oranges.
The WildflowerSourceThis monochrome orange color palette has colors of orange like electric orange pumpkin and lighter shades like jasmine that look like yellow.
This color scheme has a summery vibe that is radiant and bright, and you can use it in living room decor, food palettes, and wedding decor.
Though this is not one of those contrasting color combinations, we are sure you will draw many people to it if you choose this.
Even in website designs or social media, go for this color palette if you want a bright pattern.
The Dewdrop SmileSourceA very calm and light palette generally has light green and orange. This orange color palette evokes an intimate feeling of being close to nature.
It can inspire people who wish to keep it subtle yet make it look like a vision to the eyes.
These vibrant colors are combined so well that they are unfailing every time together with the cool tones of green, perfectly balancing the warm orange hues.
The Lost EraSourceThe colors that make up this palette are diverse, but they combine beautifully.
The striking reds and oranges of the Brown-Orange combination will liven any room while providing an age-appropriate color scheme for a younger person's bedroom or living space.
But you can also use it with more sophistication by combining charcoal to create a sophisticated look in your dining area!
You can also use this orange color scheme in outfits on a winter day or while creating logos or graphic designs.
The Color Plum
SourceIt's well-known that orange and green are iconic color combinations, but most people don't know about the more offbeat combinations of colors. Orange and Plum are chic yet bold color combinations that can catch your sight.
Two colors are often seen together but have never been put in such a fantastic fashion before this palette pops out at you with the perfect amount of white to balance it all out.
The Enchanted GardenSourceThe energizing orange, the softening pink, and the beautiful greens make for a calm and relaxing color palette. Though it might seem like an unlikely combination at first glance, contrast is precisely what makes them so dynamic!
This is an excellent way to play with varying shades without creating that mismatched look.
This reminds us of flowers in garden beds blooming beautifully together.
Purple and orange are the colors that bring out your creativity. Orange is a hue of happiness, while purple can represent royalty or spirituality.
When these two complementary colors come together, you feel like you're living in an enchanted land where anything is possible! So make sure to add some purples into your life with colorful clothes and decor such as curtains, rugs, paintings-you name it!
The Sun CoralSourceIn the Kingdom of Color, two colors reign supreme for as long as anyone can remember: orange and pink.
Tangerines in your garden or flamingos on a sandy beach make use of this combo to perfection while also being eternally trendy.
If you're interested in making these shades work with others, try adding some golden yellow into the mix for sunsets like no other!
You can use this orange color palette in a chic apartment or in wedding decor where people want it stylish and yet cozy.
The Blue Velvet
SourceWith the prevalence of blue and orange in action movies, it's easy to forget that these two colors are opposites.
This orange color palette uses the classic combination with varying shades of orange and blue that have been and still are perfect matches for each other.
Despite them being direct opposites on the color wheel, they’re considered as complementary colors in film, making blue and orange are perfect matches that create two very different but equally intense sensations when matched together.
The combination of these two results in a very vivid image is formed when this color palette is used.
The Mellow Yellow
SourceMuch like blue and orange, this color combo is a no-brainer. It’s as natural as an orchard at the beginning of autumn when oranges are ripe for picking at the beginning of autumn.
Rich dark green works great with burnt orange or tan - just think about how beautiful it would be to have these colors in your home!
The lighter shade of orange and coral colors have a soothing effect on the palette.
This color combination was something that many thinks might not work very well, but it turns out they're perfect together!
Like blue and orange, you can't go wrong choosing either one because both provide such amazing vibes into any space.
The Pink Cadillac
SourcePink and orange are two colors on the color wheel that are close to each other. Earlier it was considered taboo to use these two colors because they would not look good together.
However, now you can see the orange and pink color palette is almost everywhere. This color palette has become a trendy choice from runways to decors.
In this orange color palette, a shade of green and ivory white is added that complements both the pink and orange beautifully.
These equally hot and vibrant colors create excitement and fun.
The Rosy Romance
SourceThis sunshine orange color is a beautiful and serene palette. A lovely light green shade makes a vibrant palette with ivory white to balance things out.
Light shades of orange remind us of early morning sunshine. This color palette is perfect for a light and airy room that creates a stimulating atmosphere.
The Peach Blossom
SourceYour peaches may be in Georgia, but you can find your way to the perfect palette with a monochromatic orange color scheme.
With many shades of this warm hue and an endless amount of creativity that comes through each shade wearers’ eyes, there is no limit to how great it feels when wearing these colors!
The colors all flow into each other wonderfully to showcase how emotions change through the day.
The Royal Rumble
SourceThis vibrant color scheme is a grand display of how orange interacts with the colors yellow and red.
With these two choices, it can paint an atmosphere that's fun, playful, or optimistic.
You can use this orange hue in different ways, depending on what you're looking for at the time.
If you want an optimistic atmosphere with hints of fun or popularity, use it alongside yellow; mix it with red when boiling down drama and intensity but still wanting prosperity!
So if you want to add some color and zest to your life, go for this orange color palette.
The Grey Dawn
The color pairing of orange and grey is a great way to add warmth to your life! You can use this funky combo for outfits, paintings, or even the walls.
With colors from opposite ends on the spectrum (warm/cold) this duo offers an exciting contrast that will make you feel happy no matter where you are in your home.
The bright yellow-orange hue also provides energy and excitement, which you can see from our favorite outfit combos of this season!
The Orange County
SourceThe deep hue of orange against the depth of dark black certainly creates a powerful impact within the interiors.
Perhaps this combination can be viewed as striking and would not work in all settings, but at The Ritz-Carlton, they are bold and dangerous!
Black is conservative, while orange brings life to your space with its vibrancy.
With both colors working in unison, this combination can be viewed with style and elegance, having it serve you well into fall.
The light pink shades add a new twist to make this classic color combo even more versatile for any occasion!
Pink adds that touch of femininity for you who like some romance without overdoing it - perfect for those looking to bring out their inner diva!
The Lemon Tree
This fresh and vibrant color palette is a timeless combination of shades with the same tone.
The colors are complementary, brightening your space with life-giving energy while still looking sophisticated.
Both greens and oranges are vibrant, fresh colors that you can pair because they contrast beautifully with each other while maintaining balance in your space.
The Cloud Dancer
SourceThe cool blue colors in this palette work nicely with the muted orange shades that make a pleasant and relaxing combination. This romantic and peaceful color scheme is reminiscent of beautiful mountain scenery, perfect for living room or bedroom decorating!
The cool colors symbolize the mountains, while the muted orange adds to its relaxing atmosphere.
It will surely give your home an eclectic touch while adding coziness!
The Leaf Busters
SourceAnother way to express the changing seasons is through color.
The browns and oranges in this palette allow you to breathe in fall with a comforting warmth, reminiscent of an apple pie cooling on your kitchen countertop or sipping hot cocoa by the fire while reading your favorite book for hours on end.
Another excellent thing about this palette is how you can use it throughout different areas of interior design.
For example, you can seamlessly implement it on home decorating, clothing, hair styling/coloring, etc., without having too many colors competing against each other.
This results in more flexibility when deciding what style best suits whatever space one wishes to create!
A Muted brown tones down the bright oranges to create a charmingly subtle color scheme that you can see in flowers or nature during the fall season!
The Rainbow Wand
SourceThis bold palette of orange and blue creates a strong scheme that makes the pure bright energy stand out.
Pale blush pink and maroon provide soothing counter-colors to create balance in this design.
A slight hint of sky blue is a great way to complement the blush pink, maroon and orange shades.
Here, the color scheme balances all the colors to give an excellent, vibrant orange color scheme, one of our favorites.
Conclusion: Orange Color Palette
Picking a color scheme needs continuous learning and constant practice. After reading everything above, we hope you’ve got a better understanding of the orange color palette.
Although seeing orange hues would make us feel warm inside, it’s best not to use them too much as they can be overpowering. However, keep experimenting until you find out the best color for your needs!
Do you need more inspiration about color palettes? Check these articles out:
More articles on Color Palettes:
Pastel Color Palettes | Home Color Palettes| Earth Tones Color Palette| Blue Color Palette| Rustic Color Palettes | Food Color Palettes | Neon Color Palettes | Nude Color Palette
Why the palette of modern films is orange-blue / Sudo Null IT News This color scheme is also known as "orange and greenish blue" or "amber and greenish blue".
Don't believe? Let's check. I warn you right away - after what you see, you will not be able to unsee it, you will notice this palette everywhere. The IMITATION GAME (2014)
Into The Woods (2014)
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
MAD MAD (2015) (slightly more yield previous examples, but nevertheless)
And, of course, let's not forget about advertising posters. They must be bright and flashy, so their saturation is stronger - but the palette is the same.
Yes, this palette can be seen not in every scene in every movie. Some directors prefer original color schemes. But everyone else gravitates towards orange-blue. One of the bloggers, after analyzing the palette of trailers in 2013, came up with the following diagram:
Edmund Helmer - analysis of movie trailers in 2013
Digital coloring
The Wizard of Oz predates the trend
What's up? Previously, the colors of the film depended only on the shooting conditions and the use of camera color filters, since all films were shot on film.
It was possible to recolor the result only frame by frame.
Now all movies are shot with digital cameras and it's pretty easy to give the image any look you want. But it still needs to be done on purpose. And if the result is bad, then you will have problems.
O' Brother Where Art Thou (2000) is often cited as an example of strong post-processing. The Coen brothers wanted it to look retrograde, so the entire film is in sepia. The cinematographer said: "They needed the film to look like an aged picture, where the intensity of the color is determined by the scene, and the skin tones would be all the colors of the rainbow."
But how did we go from all the colors of the rainbow to orange?
Modern video tools allow you to apply one color scheme to many scenes at once. The more scenes in a movie that look good with the same outline, the less work you'll have to do. Also, if filmmakers are mixing several different film formats into one film, applying the same color scheme ties them together.
One way to find a good picture is to find a common denominator for most scenes. And so it turns out that actors participate in most scenes. Actors are usually people. And people are orange (well, almost). Most skin tones fall in the pale peach to dark brown range, which leaves them in the orange segment of any color chart. And blue and cyan are at the opposite end of the diagram.
You may have heard that pairs of opposite colors complement each other. That is, being together, they create a good color contrast - greater than with any other color. And usually we achieve just a good contrast.
So the trend origin theory is that if you make the actors' colors as warm and orange as possible, and the background colors as blue as possible, you'll have a very contrasty picture and complementary colors. As Dan Seitz of Cracked writes:
This is not necessarily a matter of laziness. A color specialist must process a two-hour film, sometimes frame-by-frame, in about two weeks.You don't have to pay too much attention to the deadline looming on the calendar to throw up your hands and say: “Fuck it, everyone loves blue and orange!”.
Each movie has its own look
Blade Runner. Blue with orange before it became a trend
In general, this is just a theory. Although this color scheme has become popular in recent times, it has also been used in the past. TV Trope notes:
Unlike other pairs of complementary colors, fiery orange and cold blue are associated with opposite concepts: fire and ice, earth and sky, land and sea, day and night, humanism and indifference, explosions and futuristic views. This image enhancement method is used because it makes sense.
Whether it makes sense or not, this way of coloring films has now become common. However, as color specialist Stefan Sonnenfeld says, “There is no particular process for choosing a color palette where we would sit in a room and say: “We will only use these complementary colors to make a certain impression on the viewer.
” Every film has its own look."
Sonnenfeld is known for his work on some of the most spectacular and some of the most orange-and-blue films of the last 15 years: the Transformers series.
"Transformers" is so orange and blue that one team of researchers working on an automatic coloring algorithm took their palette as one of the main ones. Their algorithm allows you to colorize the video in any of the palettes taken from any movie:
Above - "Amelie", painted in the palette of transformers. Below - "Transformers", painted in the "Amelie" palette.
The method is not fully automatic, you need to choose where in the picture is the background and where is the foreground. But the results are still impressive.
As colorization technologies develop, we may see new trends in the choice of palettes. In the meantime, look and notice the orange and blue.
Logo color combinations - the best combinations
Natalia Shpitula
Updated by
Loading.
..
Contents:
- How to choose a double color combination?
- Triple combination
- The evolution of trend colors from 2012 to 2020 according to Pantone
- Online services that will help you choose a color combination for your website
by the end of the second line, you will start naming the shades you see rather than reading the text. If you write “Stop” on a green background, and “Go” on a red background, then many will do everything exactly the opposite. Why is this happening? Psychologists have an answer, and it lies in Color Theory. According to this theory, colors have their own way of communicating with a person, although we often do not notice this. Therefore, when choosing your main color for branding a website, be guided by whether it can convey the message you need to customers. If the main color is chosen very carefully and responsibly, then according to research, 51% of entrepreneurs leave the corporate coloring monochrome, using different shades of the same paint.
The second color in corporate design is added by 30% of developers. And for three or more paints, only 19 are solved%. If you want to dilute your main tone and not lose its charm, then we have some simple solutions for you.
How to choose a double color combination?
There is one old but proven cheat sheet for matching colors - a color wheel. This is a conditional form of the visible color range. But before talking about any combinations, let's figure out how to use it.
- Method 1: Match adjacent shades.
- Method 2: Combine contrasting shades that are diagonal to each other.
For example, let's take popular colors in logo design and branded products and look at what their combinations are on the color wheel. In comparison, we do not take into account achromatic shades, since black, white and gray suit each color and only allow them to fully open up.
Colors that go with red
- Warm couple: Orange
A bright tandem that can awaken the feeling of hunger.
Associated with a warm sunset and folklore style. Such a combination is best done in gradation, without it it will convey a feeling of imitation of a heavenly body.
Source - Pinterest.com
- Cool couple: Purple
Two colors symbolize power and strength, but radically different in mood. Red, with the longest wave in a dominant position, will absorb violet with the shortest wave. Therefore, scarlet is best to muffle or darken.
Source - Pinterest.com
- Contrasting pair: Green
Emotional red in combination with soothing green create an interesting duet, each color of which clearly leads its part. Experiment with tones, combining burgundy with emerald, light green with coral, etc.
Source - Pinterest.com
Colors that go with green
- Warm couple: Yellow
This can create a pretty spring and friendly atmosphere around your brand. This combination of colors looks light and natural, like the sun and grass touching each other on the horizon on a warm day.
Source - Pinterest.com
- Cool couple: Blue
If your brand is dominated by green, and blue stretches like a thin stream among large grassy hills, then you can recreate the feeling of nature in its purest form and attract tired of the bustle of the city the views of customers.
Source - Pinterest.com
- Contrasting pair: Red
In the case when the green tone dominates the red, the design looks more calm and natural. In this case, the main color attracts attention, and the additional one sets bright accents.
Source - Pinterest.com
Colors that go with blue
- Warm couple: Green
This combination creates a feeling of a sea wave. Do you want a little freshness in the brand? Take blue, add some green, and voila, your brand will look clean and cool, like a sea breeze.
Source - Pinterest.com
- Cool couple: Purple
Such a cosmic combination of shades can bewitch.
In this tandem, the conservatism and rigor of blue is diluted in the non-standard and playfulness of purple, even if the former dominates.
Source - Pinterest.com
- Contrasting pair: Orange
A bright orange accent on a blue background will make it more friendly and human. The design will acquire charisma, but will not lose the solidity of its main tone, if you do not overdo it with accents, of course.
Source - Pinterest.com
Colors that go well with purple
- Warm couple: Red
Purple, like purple, goes well with red, forming a soft and feminine range. The difference is that violet prefers rich scarlet when paired, while purple prefers a more muted one.
Source - Pinterest.com
- Cool couple: Blue
This "cold" blowing perfectly warms up the imagination and awakens inner strength, since the purple that dominates here is the color of magic and mystery, and the deep blue accent only emphasizes this association.
Source - Pinterest.com
- Contrasting pair: Yellow
The purple color of the night starry sky and yellow - bright sunlight in tandem form a sacred contrast: day and night, reality and magic, reminiscent of ancient legends and myths that beckon with their secrets.
Source - Pinterest.com
Colors that are combined with olive
- Warm couple: Yellow
Olive, like a shade of green, is obtained if yellow prevails over blue when mixed. Accordingly, a pair of olive and yellow are close to each other and look very harmonious.
Source - Pinterest.com
- Cool pair: Blue
Olive, in contrast to the truthful green, is a more muted and darkened color. Therefore, if this particular color should be the main one in your design, try to match the same soft tones of blue and cyan in this combination.
Source - Pinterest.com
- Contrasting pair: Violet
So blue, violet can easily take over all the attention.
If that's not what you're looking for, then experiment with more subtle tones of violet, such as cyclomen, orchid, or amethyst, for example.
Source - Design-seeds.com
Colors that go with menthol
- Warm couple: Green
Menthol is best combined with warm and bright shades of green, otherwise the colors on your design will merge each other. Fresh menthol and rich green create a feeling of a forest fairy tale and relax.
Source - Pinterest.com
- Cold couple: Blue
The union of these shades calms and sets up constructive cooperation. If you plan to show transparency and seriousness in your intentions, use menthol and muted tones of blue in your brand design.
Source - Pinterest.com
- Contrasting pair: Orange
Like ice and fire, this explosive combination with radically different temperatures looks very exotic, and at the same time harmonious. Try to focus on soft shades of orange: nectarine or coral rose.
Source - Pinterest.com
Colors that go with gold
- Warm shades
Gold has long been associated with us with expensive metal, which is decorated with the most colorful stones. Therefore, we have learned how to perfectly combine it with any paints. Warm shades, for example, emphasize the fieryness of gold.
Source - Pinterest.com
- Cool shades
Cool colors combined with gold give the design an elegant and luxurious look. It is best to choose rich shades of colors that can match the brilliance of gold.
Source - Pinterest.com
Triple combination
Picking up two colors was not so difficult. What if three? To do this, we must again turn to the circle already known to us. How to do it?
- Method 1: Combine adjacent shades. You can take two colors after the main one or before it. Or in such a way that it is in the middle.
- Method 2: Combine contrasting colors located at the corners of a regular triangle.
- Method 3: Combine the previous two methods by taking two adjacent shades, draw a diagonal from one of them, and add a contrasting color standing on this diagonal.
If the design of your web resource requires the presence of three shades, then use the ratio rule: 60% (primary color) - 30% (secondary) -10% (accent). Knowing the meaning of each color and the arrangements of the two shades, it is easy to guess what role a small percentage of a shade will play in placing accents.
Source - Beadsandpieces.com
Color trend evolution from 2012 to 2020 according to Pantone
Now the numbering of colors is no longer new. But in 1963, such a solution became innovative and it belonged to the Pantone Matching System (PMS), which patented its idea. Since then, designers, fashion designers, architects, and other artists who deal with color definitions have been reaching rapport with customers, retailers, or manufacturing much faster by pointing to the Pantone color number alone, without describing it in words.
Then the Panton Color Institute decided to make it even easier for those involved in creativity by trying to predict next year's trend colors based on an analysis of global trends and social movements. Many popular fashion houses release their clothing lines in spring / summer, autumn / winter season colors, taking into account Pantone color data. But in branding, it is enough to know the main favorite color of users for the entire current year. We have compiled the history of color fashion over the past 8 years for your inspiration. And they even found the opinion of experts regarding the upcoming 2020. But, traditionally, the final verdict should be expected closer to December.
- 2012: Tangerine Tango (17-1463) is a passionate and dynamic shade that has become a source of vitality during an economically difficult period around the world. Mandarin combines with contrasting rich turquoise and phlox, and also perfectly complements cream, beige, pale yellow and latte color.
Source - Pinterest.com
- 2013: Emerald (Emerald 17-5641) - personifies luxury and radiance, especially in combination with gold. The emerald was intended to continue the mood of the tangerine and add a little more depth and meaning to it. Bright emerald is well suited for a neutral achromatic palette. It looks more contrasting with plum and blue tones.
Source - Pinterest.com
- 2014: Radiant Orchid (Radiant Orchid 18-3224) - a symbol of love, joy and prosperity. The combination of fuchsia, pink and purple conveys the desire for creativity and originality, which the researchers of the Panton Institute have found necessary traits in the modern world. The color harmoniously looks with peach, pale yellow, gold, as well as blue and achromatic tones.
After all, he really managed to intoxicate us for many years. But in 2015, marsala broke into all design industries with a new, fresh solution, and became the preference of millions of users.
He managed to continue the brilliance, confidence and luxury of his predecessors and bring his own charm to the color palette of fashion.
Source — Pinterest.com
- 2016: Rose quartz (Rose quartz 13-1520) and Blue serenity (Serenity 15-3919) is a real surprise from the colorists of the Institute, as they chose not one main color of the year, but a combination two contrasts. It is like a feminine and a masculine principle, like joy and tranquility - the harmony of opposites, which came together in pastel colors. Pinterest.com Emerald green was last in vogue in 2013, but 4 years later, it's a brand new green. The defiant color is combined with no less explosive pink, yellow, orange, red and bright blue tones.
Source - Pinterest.com
- 2018: Ultra Violet (Ultra Violet 18-3838) is a deep, spiritual, provocative, dramatic and almost cosmic color. Violet itself is the prerogative of extraordinary creative ideas and a symbol of dissent, rejection of conservatism.
Ultraviolet has become not just a color choice, but has managed to reflect the desire of modern man to decipher the secrets of space and his own soul.
Source - Pinterest.com
- 2019: Living Coral (16-1546) - the bright trend of the outgoing year carries a wise message. After all, the corals that adorn the bottom of the ocean can be such a rich and healthy shade only in a clean environment. Therefore, living coral has become an excellent and relevant reminder for us to take care of wildlife.
Source - Pinterest.com
- 2020: The Institute predicts a trend towards natural, natural and calm shades. Therefore, the dominant colors next year will presumably be different shades of green: from turquoise to olive, as well as muted, pastel colors of other natural colors.
Source - Pinterest.com
Online services that will help you choose a color combination for the site
If the shades are elementary, then finding a pair is easy.
But what to do when there are colors in the design, the name of which is even difficult to pronounce? Exotic paints are often difficult to unambiguously identify to any one color, they seem to stand on the periphery. Accordingly, finding a couple for them becomes a real test. But we know the faithful assistants in this matter. Make the selection of your color scheme automatic thanks to online services.
Coolors
Free color matching service. Everyone can cope, even without special knowledge in color, because the generator offers many ready-made combinations. Here you can also be inspired by other people's work and borrow the idea of combining shades from them. Come in and you won't be left without inspiration.
Logaster
An online service that allows you to create a logo and all branded products in 10 minutes. This is an advantageous feature of the service, since here you can evaluate your solution directly on the corporate elements. The generator showcases the most interesting palette combinations for your brand.
It remains only to choose the best.
Colormind
The service is useful in the process of developing web design, as it allows you not only to determine an interesting color scheme, but also to find out what kind each shade will acquire in case of applying effects. This will help you understand how the background changes when overlaying buttons, tabs, and other elements that imply distortion of the primary color.
Material Color Tool
The service is designed for designers who already have experience in creating user interfaces. Therefore, for beginners, it may take a little time to master the program. But the undeniably indispensable functionality here is the possibility of a preliminary inspection to evaluate your selection. This will allow you to actually see the result of your work.
Colordot
It's like a simple computer game with simple rules: use your mouse to move around the screen until you find your color, and when you find it, click on it and it will be part of your combination.
So you can intuitively choose your palette. Download the program to your phone and use the camera like a pipette to find the numbers of the colors around you.
Palettr
Can't create your own palette? Don't worry, just go to Palettr and break the system. The service works in reverse: instead of selecting shades for a picture or photo, it reads them from it, forming an interesting combination. Perhaps this approach will inspire you to a more unexpected, but effective solution.
Ready to create your own logo?
Excellent! After all, the Logaster online service is already waiting for you to introduce you to its huge library of high-quality ready-made icons for a brand name.
You will face many questions when branding a website. We hope that this article will help you not to dwell on the issue of combining a color palette for a long time. Determine the base paint according to Color Theory, see what compositions the color wheel suggests, get the opinion of experts from the Pantone Institute, and then turn the skills into reality.
