by Melanie Aves

Created on: June 03, 2009

The three secondary colors are located exactly halfway between three pairs of primary colors on the color wheel. Between the primaries red and yellow is the secondary color orange. Between the primaries yellow and blue is the secondary color green. Between the primaries blue and red is the secondary color violet. The order and placement of these six colors is important and illustrates an important relationship between them.

Secondary colors are formed by mixing equal parts of two primary hues. When placed on a wheel equidistant from the two primary "parent" colors, a secondary color will be exactly opposite the third primary color. So green is opposite red, violet is opposite yellow, orange is opposite blue on the color wheel. These opposing hues are called complementary colors, and the relationship between them is key to understanding color mixing. Any color can be made less intense (duller) by adding tiny amounts of its complement (the color directly across from it on the color wheel.) The possibility for an infinite number of tones of a single color is contained in this simple relationship. The tone of a color mixed in this way may be varied even more by the addition of small amounts of white to form tints or black to form shades.

The pure secondary colors, green, orange and violet, are second only to the primaries in popularity as basic colors, pleasing to the human eye. Used full strength, these colors can act as strong accents in all types of design from industrial products to interior design to graphic design and fine art. Their character changes to more delicate and romantic when tinted up, and becomes rich and strong when shaded down.

Green is refreshing, soothing, cool and familiar. We associate it with youth, health, growth and security. It seems to act as a natural neutral, complementing virtually all other colors.

Orange is associated with fertility and fruition, as it appears naturally in a wide variety of popular fruits and vegetables such as mangoes, peaches, tangerines, apricots, pumpkins, and squash, in addition to oranges. We also associate it with the warm glow of sunrises and sunsets.

Violet is associated with royalty and tragedy in its stronger deeper tones, but with delicate femininity when tinted into pastels. It is a familiar flower color, and evokes fragrance associations, particularly with lavender, a scent that has soothing, calming effects.

Altogether secondary colors complete the magical order of the color wheel. They provide balance in color relationships and add richness to our perception of both the natural and manmade colors of our universe.

Further references can be found at: http://www.technologystudent.com/designpro/pricol1.h tm; http://tinyurl.com/o3dgvl

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