The color split complement of red refers to the two colors on either side of red’s complement color on the color wheel. Red’s complement is green, so the split complements are the colors yellow and blue. Using split complements creates visually appealing color combinations by pairing a color with hues adjacent to its complementary color. This article will explore what split complements are, how to find them, and provide examples of red’s split complements in design.
What are Split Complements?
The split complement color scheme uses three colors – a base color, and the two colors on either side of the base color’s complement on the color wheel. For example:
| Base Color | Complement | Split Complements |
| Red | Green | Yellow and Blue |
Split complements create vibrant and eye-catching color combinations. Using a color with hues next to its complement results in a high contrast triad that stands out. The split complements provide visual interest while retaining harmony and balance.
How to Find the Split Complements
Finding the split complements of a color is simple if you understand color wheels and complementary colors. Follow these steps:
1. Identify the base color – in this case, red.
2. Find the complement of red on the color wheel – this is green.
3. Look at the colors on both sides of the complement. For red, the colors are yellow (to the left of green) and blue (to the right of green).
4. Yellow and blue are the split complements of red.
You can also think of split complements as the colors formed by a triangle if you drew a straight line from the base color through its complement on the wheel.
Color Wheel showing Red’s Split Complements
The following color wheel shows red, its complement green, and split complements yellow and blue:
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| Color wheel showing red, green, yellow and blue |
As you can see, the split complements yellow and blue fall on either side of the complement green, forming a triad with red.
Examples of Red’s Split Complements in Design
Using red’s split complements of yellow and blue can create vibrant, energetic color schemes. Here are some examples of red, yellow and blue used together in design:
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| Colorful poster using red, yellow and blue | Bold graphic design with split complements |
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| Fashion using red and blue | Interior design with red and yellow |
As you can see, using red with its split complements of yellow and blue creates vibrant, energetic color schemes that grab attention. The contrast between the colors really makes them stand out.
Benefits of Using Split Complements
There are many benefits to using split complementary color schemes in design:
– Creates high visual contrast and impact
– Adds vibrancy and energy to a design
– Colors stand out against each other
– Achieves visual balance and harmony
– Combines brightness and warmth
– Split complements are easy to identify
The contrast between a color and the hues next to its complement result in eye-catching designs. At the same time, split complements retain color harmony in a way that true complementary colors often don’t.
Tips for Using Red’s Split Complements
When using red, yellow and blue in designs, keep these tips in mind:
– Use one color as the dominant hue. The other two should play supporting roles.
– Avoid using all colors in equal proportions or the design may look chaotic.
– Try different variations of the colors. For example, vermillion, crimson or burgundy instead of pure red.
– Use tints, tones and shades of the hues to expand your palette.
– Add neutrals like black, white or gray to balance bright colors.
– Pay attention to value contrast between colors.
– Be aware of color meaning and symbolism.
Following these guidelines will result in cohesive, professional designs with vibrant split complements.
Psychology of Red, Yellow and Blue
It’s important to understand the psychology behind the colors when using a split complementary scheme. Here is the meaning and symbolism of red, yellow and blue:
| Color | Psychology |
| Red | Energy, passion, aggression, excitement, danger |
| Yellow | Cheerfulness, optimism, warmth, creativity |
| Blue | Peace, tranquility, trust, professionalism, depression |
Consider if the emotional impact of the colors matches your intent for the design. For example, using a lot of bright yellow with red and blue may come across as playful. Deeper shades may seem more elegant.
Extensions and Variations
While red with yellow and blue is the traditional split complement, many color wheel variations exist. Some allow more flexibility in finding split complements.
For example, the 12-hue color wheel contains more shades between primaries. This provides more options for split complements, such as red-orange with yellow-green and blue-violet.
Split complementary schemes can also be extended to tetradic and square designs by including the base color’s direct complement. For red, adding green creates a tetrad of red, yellow, blue and green.
Analogous colors next to the base hue on the wheel can also augment the scheme. overall though, the triad formed by the base color and its two split complements is the core relationship.
Conclusion
In summary, the split complements of red are yellow and blue – the colors on either side of red’s complement, green, on the color wheel. Using red’s split complements creates high-contrast, vibrant color schemes that are visually engaging. Careful use of value and proportion is needed to ensure cohesion. Understanding the psychology behind the colors is also important for intentional designs. With an eye-catching vibrancy and intrinsic visual harmony, red’s color split complements are a useful scheme for all designers to have in their toolbox.
