
You will find achromatic color schemes in many places. Dull shades are used to provide a meditative feeling or dreamy mood. These muted colors are not as exciting or appealing, but they do serve a good purpose. Blue is an excellent example of this.Īdding an achromatic color such as gray, black, or white dulls or mutes a color. Some colors can still draw attention, even if they are cool, with the use of saturation. It is described as the purity or strength. Saturation is the intensity of a specific chromatic color. They also offer a bit of personality to an otherwise sterile location. Lighter tints are ideal in hospital settings for their soothing effect. This is why pastels are commonly used for baby items, but they can just as easily be used for grown-ups in certain situations. Tint, on the other hand, is used to represent daytime as well as things like spring or childhood. A night club would use darker shades in their ads than a store with daytime hours. For example, chromatic value is often used to represent the time of day. Chromatic value impacts how you feel when you see a particular color. Tint is created by adding the achromatic color white. Chromatic ValueĬhromatic value is the measure of light or darkness in a color. It can be used as a warm or cool color, depending on the exact hue. Remember this when you work with shades of violet. On the other hand, a violet that is closer to red can feel warm. A violet that is closer to blue feels cool. While violet is categorized as a cool color, it can be a bit tricky. They work wonderfully as a background color, as they appear to recede rather than overpower when it comes to interior design, photography, or when creating advertising pieces. Cool colors have a calming effect that is often used to reduce tension. Keep in mind that when you work with these, warm colors will dominate when placed next to cool colors.Ĭool colors include green to blue in the color spectrum as well as violet. They are frequently used to indicate motion and heat. These warm colors are often associated with the sun or fire. They include orange, pink, and burgundy as well. Warm colors are found in the color spectrum from red to yellow. For example, what color do you associate with hot? What about ice? Did you say red and blue? Your answers are a result of nature and culture creating an association between these colors and our feelings. Color TemperatureĬolor temperature is an attribute that is found across the color spectrum. The temperature of a color, the chromatic value, and the saturation all work into how each color makes you respond. How a color is used will have a psychological effect on people. In order to understand how chromatic and achromatic colors are used, you need to know how colors make us feel or react.

Achromatic colors are considered to be shaded or tinted. They are the colors that contain all wavelengths in equal amounts such as white, black, and gray. These would be colors like blue and green. The absence or presence of saturation determines whether a color is chromatic or achromatic.Ĭhromatic colors are ones where there is only one particular wavelength that predominates.

The intensity and vividness of a color is created by the saturation. Saturation is a determining factor in distinguishing one from another. Chromatic and achromatic colors are groups of colors that can create a specific look or feel whether you use them in art, photography, or interior design.
