Colour & Contrast
How we perceive colour is all based on the idea of contrast. If there wasn't any other colours to compare to one another, you wouldn't be able to see different colours/tones etc.
CONTRAST OF TONE
Formed by the juxtaposition of light and dark values. This could be monochromatic. Primary colours articulate the brightest, darkest and middle tones of the colour spectrum. In terms of the tonal value, the further away the colours are on the colour spectrum, the more contrasting the colours are.
CONTRAST OF HUE
Formed by the juxtaposing of different hues. The greater the distance of hue on the colour wheel, the greater the contrast. Yellow stands out on black and blue stands out on white.
CONTRAST OF SATURATION
Formed by the juxtaposition of light and dark values and their relative saturation. You say that a colour is 'blue' or 'red' or 'purple', because of it being the most saturated colour when compared with other colours that you can see.
CONTRAST OF EXTENSION
Formed by the assigning proportional field sizes in relation to the visual weight of a colour. Also known as the contrast of proportion. The darker colours are the heavier colours and the lighter colours are lighter in weight. Because darker colours are heavier, you can use less of that colour next to lighter colours to create a balance of colours, which makes the design easier to look at or read. Think of colour having spacial quality. Yellow and violet worked best together when used in proportion. A small amount of yellow with a large amount of violet and vise-versa.
CONTRAST OF TEMPERATURE
Formed by juxtaposing hues that can be considered 'warm' or 'cool'. Blue being the coolest colour and orange being the warmest. Warmer value of colours affect the colours next to them, creating cooler values. For example a crimson red will make magenta look 'cool'.
CONTRAST OF COMPLEMENTARY COLOURS
Formed by juxtaposing complementary colours from a colour wheel or perceptual opposites. Because the colours oppose one another on the colour wheel, they are the highest contrast of one another.
SIMULTANEOUS CONTRAST
Formed when boundaries between colours perceptually vibrate. Fundamental impact on our ability to read colour. If a colour is absent, your brain starts to add in those colours. For example stripes of yellow and green will include yellow and blue in the colours. The blue found in the green will start to force out it's complimentary colour orange, which means that the eye is adding the colour red to the equation.
- Joseph Albare put together a variety of different experiments to show the change of colour that the eyes are fooled into seeing.
TASK
Create similar experiments to Joseph Albare in pairs (I worked with Sarah Heal) and document the different types of contrast.
Study 1 - Orange Headband
ON ORANGE
Contrast of Tone
headband ever so slightly lighter in shade, little to no contrast
Contrast of Hue
little to no contrast because of same colour
Contrast of Saturation
little to no contrast because of same strength of colour
Contrast of Extension
little to no contrast because of little contrast in tone
little to no contrast because of little contrast in tone
Contrast of Temperature
little to no contrast because of similar shade
little to no contrast because of similar shade
Complementary Contrast
no contrast in this case
no contrast in this case
Simultaneous Contrast
no contrast in this case
no contrast in this case
ON RED
Contrast of Tone
Some contrast, headband is a lot brighter than the red
Contrast of Hue
little to no contrast in hue
Contrast of Saturation
headband stands out because it is a stronger orange, and the background is a weak red
Contrast of Extension
the headband is lighter and brighter, and so the red is darker and 'heavier' so there is quite a contrast
Contrast of Temperature
although red is 'warmer', the orange in this instance is the warmer one because it is higher in saturation
Complementary Contrast
no contrast in this case
Simultaneous Contrast
little to no contrast in this case
ON GREEN
Contrast of Tone
hardly any contrast of tone, both of similar brightness
Contrast of Hue
quite a stark contrast of hue because of the variation of shades
Contrast of Saturation
slight contrast because of weak green and strong orange
Contrast of Extension
little to no contrast because of similar shade of tone
Contrast of Temperature
Cool green against warm orange equals stark contrast
Complementary Contrast
quite a stark contrast because of the difference in the two ranges the colours come from
Simultaneous Contrast
slight contrast in this
slight contrast in this
ON YELLOW
Contrast of Tone
little contrast - the orange is slightly darker
Contrast of Hue
little contrast in hue because of similarity of colour range
Contrast of Saturation
slight contrast in saturation because the orange is a stronger orange than the yellow is yellow
Contrast of Extension
The orange is heavier than the yellow because it is darker in tone
Contrast of Temperature
the orange is warmer
Complementary Contrast
little to no complementary contrast
Simultaneous Contrast
quite a lot of contrast because the colours are so close together on the colour wheel
quite a lot of contrast because the colours are so close together on the colour wheel
ON BLUE
Contrast of Tone
little contrast in tone, because the orange is bright but the blue is light
Contrast of Hue
high contrast, because the two colours are opposite one another on the colour wheelContrast of Saturation
quite a large contrast in between the strengths of these colours
Contrast of Extension
little to no contrast since they are both quite dense colours
Contrast of Temperature
large contrast between temperatures as blue is far into the cold range and the orange being the opposite
Complementary Contrast
large contrast because of the contrast in temperature
Simultaneous Contrast
little to no contrast
little to no contrast
Study 2 - Blue Shampoo Bottle
ON BLUE
Contrast of Tone
little to no contrast of tone
Contrast of Hue
little to no contrast in hue - same colour spectrum
Contrast of Saturation
little contrast of saturation - both quite weak blues
Contrast of Extension
little to no contrast in extension, because of lack of contrast in tone
Contrast of Temperature
little to no contrast in temperature
Complementary Contrast
little contrast because of similar colour shades
Simultaneous Contrast
little to no simultaneous contrast
little to no contrast of tone
Contrast of Hue
little to no contrast in hue - same colour spectrum
Contrast of Saturation
little contrast of saturation - both quite weak blues
Contrast of Extension
little to no contrast in extension, because of lack of contrast in tone
Contrast of Temperature
little to no contrast in temperature
Complementary Contrast
little contrast because of similar colour shades
Simultaneous Contrast
little to no simultaneous contrast
ON YELLOW
Contrast of Tone
little contrast of tone
Contrast of Hue
mid contrast of hue - blue and yellow are relatively close colours, however this yellow is slightly warmer than the blue, so is nearer to the red spectrum
Contrast of Saturation
little contrast of saturation - the yellow is stronger than the blue
Contrast of Extension
little to no contrast in extension
Contrast of Temperature
mid contrast in temperature
Complementary Contrast
high contrast, because of immediate appearance in photograph
Simultaneous Contrast
high simultaneous contrast
little contrast of tone
Contrast of Hue
mid contrast of hue - blue and yellow are relatively close colours, however this yellow is slightly warmer than the blue, so is nearer to the red spectrum
Contrast of Saturation
little contrast of saturation - the yellow is stronger than the blue
Contrast of Extension
little to no contrast in extension
Contrast of Temperature
mid contrast in temperature
Complementary Contrast
high contrast, because of immediate appearance in photograph
Simultaneous Contrast
high simultaneous contrast
ON GREEN
Contrast of Tone
minimal contrast of tone
Contrast of Hue
little contrast of hue, as green and blue are relatively similar colours
Contrast of Saturation
little contrast in saturation
Contrast of Extension
minimal contrast of extension due to minimal contrast of tone
Contrast of Temperature
mid contrast in temperature
Complementary Contrast
little complementary contrast
Simultaneous Contrast
little to no simultaneous contrast
ON ORANGE
Contrast of Tone
little contrast of tone
Contrast of Hue
high contrast of hue
Contrast of Saturation
high contrast of saturation as the orange is very strong
Contrast of Extension
little contrast of extension
Contrast of Temperature
high contrast of temperature - the orange is very warm and the blue is very cold
Complementary Contrast
high complementary contrast as the colours are perceptual opposites
Simultaneous Contrast
quite high simultaneous contrast
ON RED
Contrast of Tone
mid contrast of tone
Contrast of Hue
high contrast of hue
Contrast of Saturation
high contrast of saturation as the red is very wholesome and strong
Contrast of Extension
mid contrast of extension due to mid contrast of tone
Contrast of Temperature
high contrast of temperature
Complementary Contrast
high complementary contrast, as the colours are near to perceptual opposites
Simultaneous Contrast
high simultaneous contrast
Study 3 - Orange Scissors
ON BLUE
Contrast of Tone
mid contrast of tone
Contrast of Hue
high contrast of hue
Contrast of Saturation
high contrast of saturation - the orange is a lot stronger than the blue
Contrast of Extension
quite a high contrast of extension, because of the mid contrast in tone and high contrast of saturation
Contrast of Temperature
high contrast of temperature
Complementary Contrast
high complementary contrast as the colours are perceptual opposites
Simultaneous Contrast
quite a high simultaneous contrast
ON YELLOW
Contrast of Tone
little to no contrast of tone
Contrast of Hue
mid contrast in hue
Contrast of Saturation
little contrast of saturation as both colours are bright
Contrast of Extension
little to no contrast in extension, because of the low contrast of tone
Contrast of Temperature
little contrast of temperature as both colours are warm
Complementary Contrast
low complementary contrast
Simultaneous Contrast
high simultaneous contrast
ON GREEN
Contrast of Tone
little to no contrast of tone
Contrast of Hue
high contrast of hue
Contrast of Saturation
little contrast in saturation
Contrast of Extension
little to no contrast of extension
Contrast of Temperature
quite a high contrast in temperature due to the orange being very warm and the green edging to the colder side
Complementary Contrast
high contrast in this case
Simultaneous Contrast
quite a high simultaneous contrast
ON RED
Contrast of Tone
mid contrast of tone
Contrast of Hue
little to no contrast of hue
Contrast of Saturation
little to no contrast in saturation as both colour are bright
Contrast of Extension
little contrast of extension because of the mid contrast in tone
Contrast of Temperature
mid contrast in temperature as both colours are warm, yet the red is slightly cooler in colour
Complementary Contrast
little to mid complementary contrast
Simultaneous Contrast
little to no simultaneous contrast
ON ORANGE
Contrast of Tone
no contrast of tone
Contrast of Hue
no contrast of hue
Contrast of Saturation
no contrast of saturation
Contrast of Extension
no contrast of extension
Contrast of Temperature
no contrast in temperature
Complementary Contrast
no complementary contrast
Simultaneous Contrast
possibility of simultaneous contrast in that they are practically the same colour - you cannot tell where one colour ends and the other begins if not for the shadow of the object
Study 4 - Orange Paper
ON BLUE
Contrast of Tone
high contrast of tone between the vivid piece of paper and the dull blue backgroundContrast of Hue
very high contrast of hue
Contrast of Saturation
very high contrast of saturation as the blue is extremely weak
Contrast of Extension
high contrast of extension because of the high contrast in tone
Contrast of Temperature
high contrast of temperature
Complementary Contrast
Complementary Contrast
high complementary contrast as the colours are perceptual opposites
Simultaneous Contrast
Simultaneous Contrast
quite a high simultaneous contrast
ON YELLOW
Contrast of Tone
little contrast of tone
Contrast of Hue
little to mid contrast of hue
Contrast of Saturation
quite a high contrast of saturation - the yellow is less saturated
Contrast of Extension
little to no contrast in extension, because of the little contrast in tone
Contrast of Temperature
mid contrast of temperature
Complementary Contrast
mid complementary contrast
Simultaneous Contrast
mid amount of simultaneous contrast
ON GREEN
Contrast of Tone
notable contrast of tone
Contrast of Hue
high contrast in hue
Contrast of Saturation
little to no contrast of saturation
Contrast of Extension
little to mid contrast of extension because of the notable contrast in tone
Contrast of Temperature
high contrast in temperature
Complementary Contrast
high complementary contrast as the colours are nearly perceptual opposites
Simultaneous Contrast
mid to high simultaneous contrast
ON RED
Contrast of Tone
little contrast of tone
Contrast of Hue
little to no contrast in hue
Contrast of Saturation
mid contrast of saturation
Contrast of Extension
little to no contrast in extension because of the little contrast of tone
Contrast of Temperature
little to no contrast of temperature
Complementary Contrast
little complementary contrast
Simultaneous Contrast
little to no simultaneous contrast
ON ORANGE
Contrast of Tone
little contrast in tone
Contrast of Hue
little to no contrast in hue
Contrast of Saturation
little to mid contrast of saturation as the background is slightly weaker than the foreground
Contrast of Extension
little to no contrast in extension
Contrast of Temperature
little to no contrast in temperature
Complementary Contrast
little complementary contrast
Simultaneous Contrast
little simultaneous contrast
Study 5 - Orange Beaniebaby
ON BLUE
Contrast of Tone
high contrast in tone
Contrast of Hue
high contrast in hue
Contrast of Saturation
high contrast in saturation as the wings of the toy are a lot stronger than the dull blue background
Contrast of Extension
high contrast of extension
Contrast of Temperature
high contrast of temperature - the blue is very cold
Complementary Contrast
high complementary contrast
Simultaneous Contrast
mid simultaneous contrast
ON YELLOW
Contrast of Tone
little to no contrast in tone
Contrast of Hue
little to no contrast in hue
Contrast of Saturation
little contrast in saturation as they are both very bright
Contrast of Extension
little contrast in extension
Contrast of Temperature
little contrast of temperature
Complementary Contrast
little complementary contrast
Simultaneous Contrast
little to no simultaneous contrast
ON GREEN
Contrast of Tone
little to no contrast in tone
Contrast of Hue
high contrast in hue
Contrast of Saturation
little contrast in saturation
Contrast of Extension
little to no contrast in extension, because of little to no contrast of tone
Contrast of Temperature
mid contrast of temperature
Complementary Contrast
mid complementary contrast
Simultaneous Contrast
mid simultaneous contrast
ON RED
Contrast of Tone
notable amount of contrast in tone
Contrast of Hue
little contrast in hue
Contrast of Saturation
mid contrast in hue
Contrast of Extension
notable contrast of extension
Contrast of Temperature
little to mid contrast of temperature
Complementary Contrast
little complementary contrast
Simultaneous Contrast
mid simultaneous contrast
ON ORANGE
Contrast of Tone
little amount of contrast in tone
Contrast of Hue
no contrast in hue
Contrast of Saturation
little to no contrast in saturation as both oranges are of similar strength
Contrast of Extension
little amount of contrast in extension because of little tonal range
Contrast of Temperature
little to no contrast in temperature
Complementary Contrast
little to no complementary contrast
Simultaneous Contrast
little to no simultaneous contrast
Study 6 - Blue Plastic Item
ON BLUE
Contrast of Tone
little contrast in tone
Contrast of Hue
little contrast in hue
Contrast of Saturation
mid contrast in saturation as the background is a lot duller
Contrast of Extension
little contrast in extension
Contrast of Temperature
little to no contrast of temperature
Complementary Contrast
little complementary contrast
Simultaneous Contrast
little simultaneous contrast
ON YELLOW
Contrast of Tone
great contrast of tone
Contrast of Hue
mid contrast of hue
Contrast of Saturation
mid to high contrast in saturation as the background is very strong when compared to the dull object
Contrast of Extension
high contrast of extension
Contrast of Temperature
mid contrast of temperature
Complementary Contrast
high complementary contrast as the colours are nearly perceptual opposites
Simultaneous Contrast
mid to high simultaneous contrast
ON GREEN
Contrast of Tone
great contrast in tone
Contrast of Hue
little contrast of hue
Contrast of Saturation
high contrast in saturation as the background is stronger than the object
Contrast of Extension
high contrast of extension because of great contrast in tone
Contrast of Temperature
little contrast of temperature
Complementary Contrast
little complementary contrast
Simultaneous Contrast
mid simultaneous contrast
ON RED
Contrast of Tone
little contrast of tone
Contrast of Hue
high contrast of hue
Contrast of Saturation
high contrast of saturation
Contrast of Extension
little contrast in extension
Contrast of Temperature
high contrast of temperature as the background is very warm and the object is very cold
Complementary Contrast
high complementary contrast as they are pretty much perceptual opposites
Simultaneous Contrast
little simultaneous contrast
ON ORANGE
Contrast of Tone
high contrast of tone
Contrast of Hue
high contrast of hue
Contrast of Saturation
high contrast of saturation
Contrast of Extension
high contrast of extension because of the high contrast in tone
Contrast of Temperature
high contrast of temperature
Complementary Contrast
high complementary contrasts as the colours are perceptual opposites
Simultaneous Contrast
little to no simultaneous contrast
Study 7 - Blue Box
ON BLUE
Contrast of Tone
dramatic contrast in tone as the box is drastically darker than the paper
Contrast of Hue
little to mid contrast of hue, however the box is a stronger blue than the paper
Contrast of Saturation
little to mid contrast in saturation
Contrast of Extension
high contrast of extension because of the high contrast in tone - proportionally imbalanced
Contrast of Temperature
not a great contrast in temperature, in fact maybe none at all
Complementary Contrast
high complementary contrast because of the high contrast of tone
Simultaneous Contrast
mid amount of simultaneous contrast
ON YELLOW
Contrast of Tone
drastic contrast of tone between the bright yellow paper and nearly black box
Contrast of Hue
mid contrast of hue
Contrast of Saturation
high contrast of saturation as the yellow paper is bolder
Contrast of Extension
high contrast of extension, making it proportionally imbalanced
Contrast of Temperature
mid to high contrast in temperature
Complementary Contrast
high complementary contrast as the colours are verging on perceptual opposites
Simultaneous Contrast
mid to high simultaneous contrast
ON GREEN
Contrast of Tone
high contrast in tone between the bright, lime green paper and the nearly black box
Contrast of Hue
mid contrast of hue
Contrast of Saturation
mid contrast of saturation
Contrast of Extension
high contrast of extension
Contrast of Temperature
mid to high contrast in temperature
Complementary Contrast
high complementary contrast because of the contrast in tone
Simultaneous Contrast
high simultaneous contrast
ON RED
Contrast of Tone
high contrast in tone
Contrast of Hue
high contrast of hue
Contrast of Saturation
high contrast of saturation
Contrast of Extension
high contrast of extension
Contrast of Temperature
quite a high contrast in temperature
Complementary Contrast
high complementary contrast
Simultaneous Contrast
quite a high simultaneous contrast
ON ORANGE
Contrast of Tone
high contrast in tone
Contrast of Hue
high contrast in hue
Contrast of Saturation
high contrast of saturation as the blue is very dark and the orange is very bold and bright
Contrast of Extension
high contrast of extension
Contrast of Temperature
high contrast in temperature as the orange is warm and the blue is cold
Complementary Contrast
high complementary contrast
Simultaneous Contrast
high simultaneous contrast
Study 8 - Blue Paper
ON BLUE
Contrast of Tone
mid contrast of tone
Contrast of Hue
little to mid contrast of hue
Contrast of Saturation
little contrast in saturation
Contrast of Extension
mid contrast of extension
Contrast of Temperature
little contrast in temperature
Complementary Contrast
mid complementary contrast because of tone
Simultaneous Contrast
little to no simultaneous contrast
ON YELLOW
Contrast of Tone
high contrast in tone
Contrast of Hue
mid contrast of hue
Contrast of Saturation
high contrast in saturation
Contrast of Extension
high contrast in extension
Contrast of Temperature
mid to high contrast in temperature
Complementary Contrast
high complementary contrast as the colours are almost perceptual opposites
Simultaneous Contrast
high simultaneous contrast
ON GREEN
Contrast of Tone
high contrast of tone
Contrast of Hue
mid contrast of hue
Contrast of Saturation
little to mid contrast of saturation
Contrast of Extension
high contrast of extension because of high contrast of tone
Contrast of Temperature
mid contrast of temperature
Complementary Contrast
high complementary contrast
Simultaneous Contrast
quite a high simultaneous contrast
ON RED
Contrast of Tone
mid to high contrast of tone
Contrast of Hue
high contrast of hue
Contrast of Saturation
high contrast of saturation
Contrast of Extension
mid contrast of extension
Contrast of Temperature
high contrast of temperature
Complementary Contrast
high complementary contrast
Simultaneous Contrast
high simultaneous contrast
ON ORANGE
Contrast of Tone
high contrast of tone
Contrast of Hue
high contrast of hue
Contrast of Saturation
high contrast of saturation as the foreground is a lot duller than the background
Contrast of Extension
high contrast of extension
Contrast of Temperature
high contrast of temperature
Complementary Contrast
high complementary contrast as the colours are perceptual opposites
Simultaneous Contrast
high simultaneous contrast
Study 9 - Orange Material
ON BLUE
Contrast of Tone
mid to high contrast of tone
Contrast of Hue
high contrast of hue
Contrast of Saturation
high contrast of saturation
Contrast of Extension
mid to high contrast of extension
Contrast of Temperature
mid to high contrast of temperature
Complementary Contrast
high complementary contrast as the colours are perceptual opposites
Simultaneous Contrast
mid to high simultaneous contrast
ON YELLOW
Contrast of Tone
little contrast of tone
Contrast of Hue
little to mid contrast of hue
Contrast of Saturation
mid to high contrast of saturation
Contrast of Extension
little contrast of extension
Contrast of Temperature
little to mid contrast of temperature
Complementary Contrast
little complementary contrast
Simultaneous Contrast
little to no simultaneous contrast
ON GREEN
Contrast of Tone
little to no contrast of tone
Contrast of Hue
mid to high contrast of hue
Contrast of Saturation
little to mid contrast of saturation
Contrast of Extension
little to no contrast in extension
Contrast of Temperature
little to mid contrast in temperature
Complementary Contrast
little to mid complementary contrast because of tone
Simultaneous Contrast
mid to high simultaneous contrast
ON RED
Contrast of Tone
little contrast of tone
Contrast of Hue
little to no contrast of hue
Contrast of Saturation
little to mid contrast of saturation as the orange t-shirt is a bit duller than the red paper
Contrast of Extension
little contrast of extension
Contrast of Temperature
little to no contrast in temperature
Complementary Contrast
little complementary contrast, because of tone
Simultaneous Contrast
little to no simultaneous contrast
ON ORANGE
Contrast of Tone
no contrast of tone
Contrast of Hue
very little contrast of hue
Contrast of Saturation
little to no contrast in saturation, however the t-shirt is less saturated
Contrast of Extension
little to no contrast in extension
Contrast of Temperature
little contrast in temperature, but the t-shirt is a colder orange than the paper
Complementary Contrast
no complementary contrast
Simultaneous Contrast
little to no simultaneous contrast
Study 10 - Blue IKEA Bag
ON BLUE
Contrast of Tone
high contrast of tone
Contrast of Hue
very little to no contrast of hue
Contrast of Saturation
quite a high contrast of saturation
Contrast of Extension
high contrast of extension
Contrast of Temperature
little contrast in temperature
Complementary Contrast
high complementary contrast because of the high contrast of tone
Simultaneous Contrast
little to mid simultaneous contrast
ON YELLOW
Contrast of Tone
high contrast of tone
Contrast of Hue
mid contrast of hue
Contrast of Saturation
mid to high contrast of saturation
Contrast of Extension
high contrast of extension makes this proportionally imbalanced
Contrast of Temperature
high contrast of temperature
Complementary Contrast
high complementary contrast as the colours are verging on perceptual opposites
Simultaneous Contrast
mid to high simultaneous contrast
ON GREEN
Contrast of Tone
high contrast of tone
Contrast of Hue
little contrast of hue
Contrast of Saturation
mid contrast of saturation as the blue IKEA bag is a lot more saturated
Contrast of Extension
high contrast of extension
Contrast of Temperature
high contrast of temperature
Complementary Contrast
high complementary contrast due to the high contrast in tone
Simultaneous Contrast
quite a high simultaneous contrast
ON RED
Contrast of Tone
high contrast of tone
Contrast of Hue
high contrast of hue
Contrast of Saturation
mid contrast of saturation
Contrast of Extension
hight contrast of extension due to high contrast of tone
Contrast of Temperature
high contrast of temperature
Complementary Contrast
high complementary contrast as the colours are close to perceptual opposites
Simultaneous Contrast
high simultaneous contrast
ON ORANGE
Contrast of Tone
high contrast of tone
Contrast of Hue
high contrast of hue
Contrast of Saturation
little to mid contrast of saturation
Contrast of Extension
high contrast of extension
Contrast of Temperature
high contrast of temperature as the orange is really warm and the blue is cold
Complementary Contrast
high complementary contrast as the colours are perceptual opposites
Simultaneous Contrast
mid to high simultaneous contrast
