color wheel
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Colors are everywhere in our daily lives, and they can affect our feelings, thoughts, and actions, often without us even noticing. To understand how colors and emotions are connected, it helps to understand a little about the color wheel and how different colors and types of colors work together. By learning about the color wheel and how colors relate to each other, we can create spaces, clothes, and other things that make people feel certain ways.

The Color Wheel

The color wheel is a circular diagram that shows how colors are related. It’s a useful tool for artists, designers, and anyone else who works with colors. The color wheel helps us see how colors mix and match and how they’ll look when you put them together.

Primary Colors

Primary colors are the building blocks of the color wheel and are combined to make secondary colors. There are three primary colors: red, blue, and yellow. These colors can’t be created by mixing other colors.

Secondary Colors

Secondary colors are made by mixing two primary colors together. The secondary colors on the color wheel are green, orange, and purple.

Primary 1 Primary 2 Secondary
Blue Yellow Green
Red Yellow Orange
Red Blue Purple

Tertiary Colors

Tertiary colors are created by mixing a primary color with a secondary color that’s near it on the color wheel. These colors fill the gaps between the primary and secondary colors on the color wheel, giving us lots more colors to use.

Colors and Moods

The colors we see can affect how we feel. The effects of different colors on a person’s mood can vary from one person to the next, but here are some general rules that are true for most people:

  • Red: The color red is a strong, emotionally intense color that can make us feel excited, passionate, or even angry.
  • Blue: Blue has a calming effect on people’s emotions. It is one of the most popular colors in the world. Different shades of blue can make people feel different feelings. Light blue is more likely to make you feel relaxed and calm, while dark blue feels more serious. Wearing dark blue clothing can make you feel powerful, like a police officer or president.
  • Yellow: Yellow is a bright, cheerful color that can make people feel happy or warm when they see it. But it’s also the color of yellow traffic lights and caution signs, so it can mean “be careful.”
  • Green: The color of plants, green, can make people feel balanced, safe, and comfortable. But green is also a color that’s associated with jealousy.
  • Purple: Purple can make people feel creative, wise, or thoughtful. It’s also traditionally a color for royalty, which is why kings and queens dress in purple robes.
  • Orange: The color orange feels energetic and fun. It’s a happy color that can also make people feel alert.

The Effect of Color Combinations and Patterns

How colors are combined and the patterns they create can change how we feel about them. Two important concepts related to how colors are combined are complementary colors and analogous colors. Complementary colors are opposite each other on the color wheel, and putting them together creates strong, eye-catching looks. These colors together can evoke powerful feelings or draw attention. On the other hand, combining analogous colors, which are next to each other on the color wheel, creates a calm, harmonious look.

Patterns can also affect our moods. Simple patterns, like stripes or dots, usually feel playful and fun, while complex patterns with lots of shapes can feel either calming or energizing, depending on the colors used. Patterns inspired by nature, like ones with flowers or leaves, often make us feel relaxed and peaceful.

Additional Resources