Module 10

Lecture-1

Introduction to fundamental principles of colour, colour theory: hue, value, saturation, gray scale, cool and warm colour. Visual patterns, textures.

This chapter is an introduction to fundamental principles of colour and colour theory: hue, value, saturation, gray scale, cool and warm colour. Visual patterns, textures etc. Colour is one of the most important and strong design elements.

Colour is a property of light. Our eyes can see only a small part of the electromagnetic spectrum called visible light. Visible light is made up of the wavelengths of light between infrared and ultraviolet radiation (between 400 and 700 nanometers). These frequencies, taken together, make up white (sun) light.

Colour has three distinct properties: hue, value and saturation or intensity. To understand colour you must understand how these three properties relate to each other. Hue is a name of any colour. Value is lightness or darkness of a particular hue. Such as the value of blue hue is dark blue to light blue. Saturation is brightness or dullness of a particular hue which means brightness to dullness of a particular hue. For eg.bright red to dull red. Saturation is concerned with the intensity , or the brightness and dullness of colour. A saturated colour is high in intensity, it is bright. A colour that is dull is unsaturated or low in intensity. Another term for saturation is chroma . A colour without any brightness (no hue) is achromatic (black, white and/or gray-Fig 131) Saturation is the most difficult aspect of colour to understand. Since value and saturation are often confused.

Fig. 131: Achromatic colours