Colors

Colors has been a problem to me for a long time. Until these days I found some good materials about color theory that makes me clear about it.

From the very beginning, I started to learn how to build a nice website. And I realized that which troubled me most was not HTML or JavaScript, it’s CSS. Why? It's hard for a beginner to imagine a lookable style. I knew nothing about shape, typography, color and didn’t know when to use shadow or what is a loyout. In brief, I didn’t know anything related with design.

After years’ obervation, learning and practice, I felt changed by design gradually. And the deeper I learn design, the more attractive design is for me. And when thinking comes to what is beauty, that’s something about Aesthetics. This is another question. Learning design makes me see more from everyday’s life and nature like a good badmiton player can get more details from a professional badmiton match than others.

Colors confused me for couple of years. At first I just tried them one by one to find some comfortable colors for a certain web page. They often didn’t make any sense and wasted me lots of time. With time goes by, I seemed to get some experience about color matching which I doubt. Sometimes I can make serveral colors harmonnious but I just think it’s lucky. So there’s a strong voice in my brain that ask me to learn colors. But it’s hard to find a good course about color. Until today.

From Mr. Han’s website, there is a video about colors. That’s just what I want all the time. Bravo! This video will tell you why we see a colorful world which seems very normal to you and what is tricolor and so on. The demonstration of complementary color and the principle of color wheel is impressive. Hope you can get a lot from it too!

Why colors can form a wheel?

I’m sorry that the video’s language is Chinese and I haven’t known where to find a great English one. But you can see Color theory in wikipedia instead if you have trouble with listening Chinese and there is a great Graphic Design Specialization in Coursera for you. I learnt fundamental course and part of typo. Maybe they are helpful too.

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Below are some useful websites that can help us understanding color.

Video Materials

• Digital Color Theory(Just what you want!): 数字色彩理论
• Hue Test: The X-Rite Color Challenge
• Funny mantis shrimp:
  • Oatmeal - Why the Mantis Shrimp is my new favorite animal.
  • [中文版]为什么皮皮虾是我最喜欢的生物
• Why Colors transform in a wheel?: 人类的色相模型为啥闭环？
• Comparasion of gamut between RGB & CMYK: RGB 和 CMYK，谁的色域大？
• How to learn PhotoShop & AutoCAD systematically as a architectual student? - 建筑系学生怎么系统地学 Photoshop、CAD 之类软件？

Tools

• Paletton: paletton.com
• NIPPON COLORS: 日本の伝統色

Reading More

• PPT color matching: 怎样的 PPT 配色会让人觉得舒服？
• Excel color matching: Excel 中的颜色要怎么搭配，视觉上更能接受且区分度高？
• Magic Dress: 这条裙子的颜色是白金还是黑蓝？为什么争议如此大？