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The triad approach to selecting colors involves picking from the points of an equilateral triangle within a color wheel. That is, choosing three colors that are equidistant from each other. In Photoshop, choosing triadic associates for your base color is as easy as adding or subtracting 120° from the hue value. For example, a red with hue angle of 0° should be accompanied by a green of 120° and a blue of 240°.
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Triadic swatches:
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For the advanced, an alternate complement is a four-hue scheme that adds a complement of one hue to a triad. Another four-hue scheme is the tetrad – four colors selected from the points of a square within a color wheel. Both are shown in the diagram below.
Alternate complement |
Tetrad |
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Screenshot: adelaide36ers.com
The Adelaide 36ers use the bold primary colors of blue, red, and yellow, drawing directly from corporate colors. |
Sites employing the contrasting colors of triadic schemes still retain some sense of harmony, while bringing a lively feel to an online presence. If you are looking for a unique theme to create a stir for the site of an illustrator, a satirical magazine, or a quirky band, then one of these color sets is definitely worth a try. Also try de-saturating colors somewhat to maintain a unique look, but with a more restrained effect.
[To be continued in part 2. -Ed.]
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Created: December 2, 2002
Revised: December 2, 2002
URL: http://webreference.com/authoring/languages/html/definitive/1/6.html
