The Magic of Colors


 The Magic of Colors 

Humans have their own psychology which is extremely helpful for designers and artists to allow them to convey the right emotion and set the right mood. Many elements are able to do this when talking about design. However, one major element is color. Colors have their own qualities that can trigger certain states and emotions in an individual's brain. Colors are able to do that because of the color theory. Let's dive in!

What is the color theory?

Color theory is the combination of science and art used to determine which colors look good together and can be used in a specific design. It's a collection of rules and guidelines that artists and designers use to convey specific emotions through appealing color schemes in visual designs. The base of the color theory is the color wheel. The color wheel can help graphic designers, artists, and producers generate different color combinations and produce appealing visual projects. 

The Magic of Complementary Colors 

Three Color Wheels 

A color wheel, a circle with different colored sections that are used to show the relationships between colors and shades, is the base of the color theory. The color wheel was invented in 1666 by Isaac Newton, a famous physicist and mathematician. While the color wheel can be divided into millions of sectors with different colors and gradients, there are three main color wheel sectors used to generate color combinations. As you can see in the image above, there are 3 main color wheel sectors that can be drawn from the main color wheel. On the color wheel, there are 12 main colors that can be divided into 3 categories- primary, secondary, and tertiary. 

The Three Main Color Categories 

Primary colors in the color wheel are the three colors that when combined, make create a pure brown color. These colors are red, yellow, and blue. These are colors that can't be mixed from other colors, but they are the base of secondary colors. 

Secondary colors in the color wheel are the three colors that result from mixing the primary colors together in certain combinations. These colors are orange (red and yellow mix), green (yellow and blue mix), and purple (red and blue mix). 

Tertiary colors in the color wheel are the six colors that are made by mixing a primary color with a secondary color. These colors are red-orange, yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-green, blue-purple, and red-purple. 

Canva, a free graphic design platform, is one of the best to use for making innovations, business cards, magazine covers, and other design projects. Their color wheel is a great way to find every single shade of each color that you would want and finding the perfect color combinations. 

Color Combinations

When combining colors, it's important to consider which colors can go together to be appealing to the viewer's eyes. Colors that are on opposite sectors of the color wheel are known as complementary colors. As the word implies, these are colors that complement or go with each other. These complementaries can mix to make each other appear brighter, or they can be blended for shadows. When put together. these colors can appear brighter and make the perfect match to have an appealing appearance on your audience. Below, you can see some of the different complementary color combinations.  An example of this combination is red and green. 
Complementary Color Combinations 



There are also other types of color combinations which include monochromatic, analogous, triadic, and tetradic colors. Let's learn more about each of them. 

Monochromatic colors are multiple shades, tones, and tints of one primary, secondary, or tertiary color. It allows for a very simple and subtle visual design which can be easy to create as well. Magazines, however, tend to not use this technique since it can be harder to work with their model or subject at times. A great example of this combination is green and all its shades such as sage and lime. 
Analogous colors are three colors that are side by side on the color wheel. In order to keep a balanced design, designers choose one main color and then surround it with accents. This color combination allows for a poppy look. However, it can be overwhelming hence that's why magazines don't use this combination as often. An example of this combination is yellow, yellow-orange, and orange. 

Triadic colors are three colors that are evenly spaced on the color wheel. This combination is very similar to complementary colors. Overall, it provides for a versatile and colorful look while also keeping it simple. Magazines tend to use this combination very often because it's very easy to work with for covers. A great example of this combination is red, blue, and yellow. 
Tetradic colors are four colors that are evenly spaced on the color wheel. This combination is very similar to triadic colors except for the fact that this is four colors and not three. This combination is very bold and allows for an imaginative scheme. An example of this would be the colors yellow-green, blue-green, red, and red-blue or violet. 


Colors and Their Emotions

Colors are thought to influence our buying choices, feelings, and even our memories. Therefore, it's extremely important for artists and designers to understand color psychology and how it works. 

"People decide whether or not they like a product in 90 seconds or less. 90% of that decision is solely based on color." 

Red is a warm primary color and its usually used for attracting a lot of attention. This color is associated with emotions such as love, passion, and anger. Red is a very vibrant color that can imply strength, power, and even courage. From Red Bull to Red Carpets, this color is very powerful and strong allowing designers to convey very extreme emotions. Depending on the saturation and luminescence, red can have very different meanings. High saturation or shade can mean danger or high energy while lighter shades and lower saturation can mean relaxation and passion. In fashion magazines, this color tends to be used very often whether its makeup or a model's dress to catch the viewer's attention. In the example below, the model is standing in a red jumper against a red background making her look extremely powerful and in control.

Orange is a secondary color that radiates warmth and happiness. It's a color of encouragement and self-confidence. Orange is a very simple color and it's usually used in monochromatic combinations because of its shades. From WNBA to Orange, this color also implies affordability. Fashion magazines don't use this color as often as you would expect, but they tend to use it in the fall season. However, when it is used, it can create a very warm and enthusiastic look. Below, the model is wearing a poofy, orange dress that takes up the whole background. This allows for a war and simple look to be achieved. 

Yellow is a primary color on the RYB color wheel that radiates happiness. This color is very appealing and allows for a friendly, happy, and uplifting vibe to be achieved. It's a very fun and happy color that's also very simple. From Ferrari to Snapchat, this color is very common in food brands and advertising brands.  Too much of this color can cause anxiety but when used in the right combinations, it gives off the happiest feelings. In fashion magazines, this color is used seasonally and also usually appears in the coverlines. Below, the model is wearing a simple yellow dress with a bow that accents the background. It makes for a happy and simple look that still appeals to the viewer. 

Green is a secondary cool color that's associated with nature and balance. It symbolizes harmony and healing. When used in brand logos, it implies security and safety. Lighter shades imply growth and freshness while darker shades imply wealth and prestige. It's commonly used in business and internet companies as it gives the customers a secure and balanced feeling. From Starbucks to Android, brands use this color in all its shades and tones. However, fashion magazines don't use this color that often. Mainly because it doesn't attract as much attention, and it can come off as too much. In the magazine below, the model is wearing a green dress standing against a green background with trees and grass very faintly appearing. This allows for a growth and natural emotion towards the cover. 

Blue is a cool primary color that is used for trust and peace. Royal blue is a commonly used color to imply royalty and fanciness. While normal shades of blue imply integrity and loyalty. It's almost the opposite of red, as it is calming and reduces tension. From American Express to Visa, this color is very commonly used in these types of companies to show friendliness and simplicity while also being relaxes and loyal. In fashion magazines, this color is very common, especially in backgrounds and in lighter shades. Below, you can see an example of a very blue magazine cover that even while being monochromatic, still doesn't appear as too much and makes the model look relaxed. 

Purple is a cool secondary color that is usually connected to high ideals and creativity. It can also mean royalty depending on the shade being used. Purple is a color of sensitivity and compassion. The use of this color can bring out people's creativity and sense of beauty. From Hallmark and Yahoo to FedEx and Taco Bell this color is commonly used across food chains and some online brands. The use of this color in fashion magazines is very common in darker saturation. Models also tend to appear in this color on covers very often due to it being in style almost all the time. The Vogue magazine below has a model wearing all purple with a pink and purple background. Her outfit makes her look royalty and fancy making that connection again.

Fashion Magazines

Well, now that we have went over the color wheel, color combinations., and color phycology along with examples, we can now explore fashion magazines specifically and how these ideas and elements work in them. 

In the fashion world, colors are used together in millions of combinations to appeals to the viewers and achieve a stylish look. Fashion magazines, specifically, use colors very carefully and mindfully in order to attract the right audience and convey the right emotions to these viewers. Vouge, InStyle, and Elle are three extremely famous fashion magazines that use very different colors in their magazines. 



These three magazines above use very different colors. From the mastheads to the actual models' clothes, the color combinations have different effects on the audience. the colors used in the Vogue magazine include purple, yellow, and orange- three very lively and happy colors. These colors achieve a happy and natural look with the flower crown. The masthead is a yellow color, very commonly used in fashion magazines as mentioned earlier, allows for an enthusiastic and cool look to be shown. The InStyle magazine uses a black masthead which is the most commonly used color for fashion magazine mastheads. The model is wearing all black while red accents are added to her look including the nail polish and lipstick. Some of the coverlines are also red which together, they allow for a powerful and lovely look to be seen. Finally, the Elle magazine has a model in a bright red dress that is the highlight of the cover. The bright color against the white background allows for a nice contrast to be seen and shifts the focus to the model and only her. A very simple brown is used for the masthead along with black coverlines are able to convey the information while keeping the focus on the model. These three magazines are very different due to the colors and combinations that they use these colors in, allowing for a unique cover in each and every one of them. 

Ultimately, color is a major part of every magazine and its cover, and it plays a substantial role in the emotions that a design can convey. Having a basic understanding of how to use colors is extremely important to artists and designers to produce the right designs. 

Works Cited 

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