Top Questions about Colors

  • What is a Color Wheel?

    A Color Wheel is a circle showing the relationship between 12 primary, secondary and tertiary colors.
  • What is Pantone?

    Pantone or 'Pantone Matching System' is a proprietary color system of colors used to match colors in print design.
  • What is Hex?

    Hex is a color code used in HTML, CSS and design software. Colors are defined by a pound sign (#) followed by six-digit combination of letters and numbers.
  • What is Hue?

    Hue is any pure color on the color wheel, such as red, blue or green.
  • What is Chroma?

    Chroma is the purity or brightness of a color with no black, white or gray added.
  • What is Shade?

    Shade is a variety of a color created by adding black to a hue. This creates deeper, dark colors.
  • What is Tone?

    Tone is a variety of a color created by adding black and white, or gray, to a hue. This creates a duller, less intense version of a pure color.
  • What is Tint?

    Tint is a variety of a color created by adding white to a hue. This creates lighter colors, such as pastels.
  • What is Grayscale?

    Grayscale is a monochromatic range of gray shades.
  • What is Monochrome?

    Monochrome is a color scheme based on one color or different shades of a single color.
  • What is a Complementary Color?

    A complementary color scheme is based on two opposite colors on the color wheel.
  • What is an Analogous Color?

    Analogous color schemes are based on three colors adjacent to each other on the color wheel.
  • What is Triadic?

    A triadic color scheme is based on three colors evenly spaced apart on the color wheel. The dominant color and two accent colors create a triangle on the color wheel.
  • What is a Gradient?

    A gradient is a gradual transition or fade from one color to another. Common gradient techniques are radial, when one color is positioned in the center, or linear, when colors are on opposite ends.
  • What is Saturation?

    Saturation is the brightness or intensity of a hue in an image or design. The more saturated, the more pure and vivid the color appears.
  • What is Opacity?

    Opacity is the degree of transparency of a design element. Lower opacities achieve more transparency whereas 100 percent opacity achieves a solid text or image.
  • What is CMYK?

    CMYK stands for the primary colors of cyan, magenta, yellow and key (or black), this is the four-color model typically used for printing, achieved by mixing the colors together.
  • What is RGB?

    RGB stands for the primary colors of red, blue and green, these are the colors displayed on a digital screen.
  • What is a Palette?

    A palette is the range of colors chosen for an illustration or design. Colors are typically harmonious with one another for an aesthetically pleasing look.