Complementary colors are pairs of colors located directly opposite each other on the color wheel. They create high contrast and visual impact when used together. You can find them by using a color wheel or by understanding the relationships between primary and secondary colors.
Finding Complementary Colors
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Using a Color Wheel: The simplest method is to use a color wheel, like the one available on Canva (https://www.canva.com/colors/color-wheel/). Simply identify a color and find its opposite. Many online tools, including Figma (https://www.figma.com/color-wheel/), offer interactive color wheels for this purpose.
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Primary and Secondary Color Relationships: The complement of any primary color (red, yellow, or blue) is created by combining the other two primary colors. For example:
- Red's complement is green (blue + yellow).
- Yellow's complement is purple (red + blue).
- Blue's complement is orange (red + yellow).
This principle extends to secondary and tertiary colors as well, although finding their complements on a color wheel is often easier.
Using Complementary Colors Effectively
While complementary colors offer high contrast, their use requires careful consideration. As noted on Reddit (https://www.reddit.com/r/Frontend/comments/zuftx9/how_do_you_use_complementary_colors_in_your_design/), using bold versions of both colors equally can be overwhelming. The secret, as highlighted by Copic Marker Tutorials (https://copicmarkertutorials.com/using-complementary-colors-effectively-video/), is to make one color dominant. This creates visual harmony and avoids a jarring effect. Examples of complementary color pairs include: red and green, yellow and purple, and orange and blue. Additionally, colors like blue-green and red-orange, which are mixed colors, can also be considered complementary.
