6 types of color schemes and how to create them
There are six main types of color schemes that you can use to create a stunning color palette.
1. Monochromatic
Monochromatic color schemes are made up of different tones, tints, and shades of a single color. Hues are created by adding white, tones are created by adding gray, and shades are created by adding black (as shown below).
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Many color palettes contain at least partially monochromatic color schemes. They are very easy to create and great for beginners as it’s difficult to create a bad color palette if you stick with monochromatic colors.
2. Analog
Traditionally, an analog color scheme consists of three colors next to each other on the color wheel – but you can definitely choose more than three if you like.
If you’re new to creating color palettes, I highly recommend playing around with Canva’s interactive color wheel. You can select “Analog” or other color scheme types from the drop-down menu and slide the color picker around the wheel to see different combinations of analog colors.
You will notice that analogous colors are next to each other.
Analogue colors are often found in nature, which might explain why we humans find analogue shades so appealing. Imagine a fiery sunset or the greens and blues of tropical ocean waters and you will feel the allure of analogue colour. Here is an example of a five color palette created using analogous colors with Electric Violet (hex code 8F00FF) as the main color or starting point.
You will probably want more than just five colors to play with when designing a website . In this case, combining color schemes can come in handy, as illustrated below.
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This color palette combines analogous colors with their respective monochromatic tints and shades, giving us fifteen different colors that all look great together, again with a focus on electric violet.
3. Triadic
Triadic color schemes consist of three colors that form an equilateral triangle on the color wheel. The three primary colors (red, yellow, and blue) are triadic colors, as are the secondary colors (orange, green, and purple).
The image above shows a triadic color palette, and you can see that the small circles form an equilateral triangle. In the image below, we’ve included another triadic color palette created using Electric Violet along with monochromatic hues and shades.
By combining triadic and monochromatic color schemes, we can create a palette of nine, twelve, or more depending on how many tints, shades or tones you want.
4. Complementary
You’re probably familiar with complementary colors, even if you’re not a color expert. Complementary colors are colors that are on opposite sides of the color wheel. So the complementary color of Electric Violet is Light Green.
5. Tetradic
Tetradic color schemes consist of two sets of complementary colors that together form a rectangle or square on the color wheel. Here is an example of tetradic colors:
Here are a few more examples of tetradic color palettes. Below are two different tetradic color schemes, including Electric Violet and Bright Green.
Just like the previous color schemes, you can also combine complementary and triadic color schemes with monochromatic color schemes for a wider range of colors that are visually appealing together.
6. Split-Complementary
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To create a split-complementary color scheme, take two complementary colors and then swap one for the analogous colors of that color (or two shades next to that color on either side). For example, let’s revisit the complementary colors Electric Violet and Bright Green.
To create a split complementary color scheme using Electric Violet, we need to swap out Bright Green for two analogous colors.
Here is the resulting color palette.
As you can see in the examples above there are many different ways to approach color selection, and there are a variety of colors that can look good together. If you’re having trouble creating a color palette you like, try adding a swatch of black, white, or gray to the mix.
Tools for creating color palettes
You do You don’t need to be a color theory expert to create a beautiful color palette for your website (although it certainly helps). I often draw color palettes for websites and other design projects from photos I take of beautiful scenes on hikes or vacations.
You can use the color picker or the eyedropper tool in Photoshop (or most photo editing and illustration tools) use tools) to select colors manually from an image or simply use a color palette generator. All you have to do is upload a photo and you’ll have a custom color palette in seconds.The best part is, your photos don’t even have to be high quality. As long as you have some color variations in there it will work.
There are a lot of cool color tools for isolating colors as well Color scheme generators available online. No matter how you like to work or where you most often draw inspiration from, there’s likely software out there that can help simplify your workflow. And when in doubt, it’s always helpful to start with a classic or trendy color combination and build from there.
Key color considerations
Also make sure your color scheme is visually appealing and contrasting , you also need to consider your audience, your message, and your inclusivity when deciding on a color scheme for your website or other graphic design project.
- Your audience: People respond differently to color depending on geography, culture, and many other factors. For example, people from New Orleans may associate the colors purple and gold as symbols of Mardi Gras, while residents of Los Angeles might associate them as Lakers colors. If you can, conduct a survey of your audience before deciding on brand or website colors.
- Your Message: If you choose your Understand audience, choose colors that will reinforce your message. If you’re creating a website for a relaxing spa, you should probably stay away from bright reds and oranges.
- Inclusiveness and Accessibility: Approximately 4, 5% of the world’s population suffer from some type of color vision disorder. To ensure your website is inclusive and accessible, you need to check how it looks to people with different types of color blindness. It’s easy to do in Webflow with the Vision preview tool.
Finally, remember to let your (or your brand’s) personality shine. There are millions of color combinations to choose from, so take the time to find the right colors for your unique project.
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