Color Relationships (2024)

Now that we know how colors are made, the second purpose of a color wheel is to explore color relationships.

Color relationships are set methods of choosing colors that relate in some way to each other and look good together. Eighteenth century scientists wanted to create an easily repeatable method of creating and using color that anyone could do. From that desire color theory was born, anda lot of study has been devoted to finding quick and easy ways to put together appealing color schemes over the centuries. That’s why we have color relationships today.

Knowing that, let’s ask the question again: why do some color schemes work when others don’t? A big part of “why” has to do with what color relationship is at work in that color scheme. Your eye knows when something is working and when it’s not. So, if you’re looking to replicate a “good” color scheme, you’ve got to be able to identify what relationship you’re looking at.

There are seven color relationships – monochrome, analogous, complementary, triad, tetrad, neutral, and random – so let’s go through them one by one.

Monochrome is the first and simplest color relationship. It uses just one color, but different variations and shades of that color. One example would be shades of blue – light blue, medium blue, dark blue, dull blue, etc.

Why it works: Monochrome relationships work because it’s clean and simple. There’s a sense of unity to the piece because all of the shades are derived from one color. Visual interest can be added and focus can be directed to a particular section or area by choosing different shades with different values and saturations. Take a look at the six swatches above – where does your eye wander to? It should end up back on swatch #2, because that is the most vibrant blue of the bunch. That’s a perfect example of how to create visual interest and focus in a monochromatic color scheme.

When to use it: Use a monochrome relationship when you want your piece to feel cohesive. This is especially true if you have a lot of details that compete with each other that you’d like to blend together. Focusing on just one color will help unite all of the parts of your piece. This is also great for beginners learning how values and saturations work (which we’ll cover in depth in a later post).

Analogous relationships use two or more colors that sit next to each other on the color wheel. Examples would be orange/yellow-orange/yellow or yellow-green/green/blue-green. You can choose as many colors to use here as you like, but generally you want to stick to two, three, or four.

Why it works: Analogous relationships work because the colors transition into one another in a way that makes sense to our brains (thanks to the secondary and tertiary colors, which help connect the dots). This goes back to learning the colors of the rainbow as children – we know that green comes before blue, and blue comes before purple. So, if we use blue-green, blue, and blue-purple together, it makes sense to us. There is a natural flow because blue is used to create the other two colors.

When to use it: Use an analogous relationship when you want more than one color, but still want a sense of unity. Because the colors sit next to each other on the color wheel, using analogous colors will help your piece feel blended together and purposeful. Using a brighter, more vibrant shade of a color can help direct attention to a specific part of your piece, while still working with that natural flow of colors. Generally speaking, analogous relationships have less contrast to them than a complementary relationship, because of how the colors flow into each other.

A variation on an analogous relationship is split-analogous, which would still use two or more colors, but you’d choose every other color on the color wheel (assuming your color wheel has 12 swatches like mine does above). So, a split-analogous example would be blue-green/blue-purple/red-purple, red/orange/yellow, or blue/purple/red.

Complementary relationships are done in pairs, and those pairs sit directly opposite each other on the color wheel. Red and green, orange and blue, yellow and purple are all complementary colors.

Why it works:Complementary colors are powerful because they naturally play off each other, thanks to their color wheel positioning; red never looks more red than when it’s against green, and vice versa. Additionally, complementary colors will have one warm color (red, orange, yellow, and their variations) and one cool color (green, blue, purple, and their variations). Because the colors sit opposite each other, and a warm color is paired with a cool color, there’s a natural tension to this color relationship, which is intriguing to our brains. Whether we do it consciously or unconsciously, our brains are constantly searching for harmony, and color is no exception. So, when we see natural tension between complementary pairings, it forces our brain to stop and look.

When to use it: Use complementary colors when you want to emphasize the colors, when you want lots of contrast, or when you want to draw attention to multiple areas at the same time. Change the value and saturation of at least one of the pair for a more sophisticated color scheme, like a bright red against a soft sage green.

The variation on a complementary color is called split-complementary. You’d start with one color, then pick the two colors that sit oneither side of its complement. So, instead of red/green, you’d choose red/yellow-green/blue-green for a split-complementary color scheme.

Why it works:Split-complementary colors play off the complementary relationship, and also makes our brains stop and look (but for a different reason). Where red and green makes us pause because they are exact opposites, we’re pausing with red/yellow-green/blue-green because they aren’t exact opposites. There’s enough tension and visual interest to keep our brains engaged while it puzzles out what it’s seeing. And while our brains are engaged, we’re still looking, which is always a plus when it comes to art.

When to use it:All of the suggestions for complementary colors apply here, too. Additionally, you could use split-complementary colors when you don’t want to be obvious about the color scheme, when you want to add a little more drama, or want an extra color to play with.

The triad relationship uses three colors, and these are chosen by picking every fourth color on the color wheel. The name comes from the shape that occurs between the colors, if you’re curious, and the split-complementary relationship could also act as a variation of a triad relationship. Triad examples include red/yellow/blue as well as red-purple/yellow-orange/blue-green.

Why it works: Triads work because there’s equal distance between the colors on the color wheel. Even if a viewer isn’t familiar with the color wheel or color theory, their brains see the relationship as a balanced one, and “balance” equals “harmony” to our brains and eyes.

When to use it:Use a triadic color grouping when you’re looking for a more complex color scheme, something that’s intriguing without being obvious.