eFrog Digital Design |

So to follow up on the last post on colour palette basics, todays post will look at some slightly more advanced (easier to mess up) colour combinations.

First up: The complimentary combination.

This is a kind of opposites attract idea. They can, when used carefully bring out good qualities in each other. Don’t use these if their purpose is primarily to display text.

Triadic scheme:

Using three colours which are evenly spaced in a triangle. Again, this is one to use with caution as the combination tends to be very vibrant and intense, even when you use these at low saturation. As with most colour combinations – especially when using 3 colours or more, it’s usually best to use one as a primary colour and the others as secondary or accents.

Split Complimentary:

Slightly easier to pull off than the triadic scheme, still selecting three colours – this is what happens when selecting the two colours that are on either side of the compliment, as opposed to the single compliment. It’s easier to pull off because the two colours that are adjacent to the compliment are more similar than those in the triadic, meaning there is less visual conflict with those two colours. It’s still a vibrant combination though, and often best used when the colours closer to each other taking precedence, and the more contrasting colour – the accent.

So there you go, some slightly more advanced colour combinations. In order to pull these off successfully, you have to give a great deal of thought into your selection, as well as the weight you give each colour. Have fun and good luck!