The direct complement of green on the RYB (red, yellow, blue) color wheel is red. This means that green and red are opposite colors that create a strong contrast when placed next to each other. Understanding color theory and how colors interact visually can help graphic designers, artists, and anyone working with color choose effective color combinations.
In color theory, complement colors or complementary colors are any two colors located directly opposite each other on a color wheel. Complementary color pairs create the strongest contrast of any two colors. This strong contrast creates a vibrant look especially when used at full saturation. Complementary colors highlight each other when placed side-by-side and create a balanced, harmonious color combination.
The most common complementary color model is based on the RYB (or red, yellow, blue) color wheel. This wheel has primary pigment colors of red, yellow, and blue. When you look at a RYB color wheel, the direct complement of any color is located directly across from it on the wheel. The direct complement of green is red, the complement of purple is yellow, and the complement of orange is blue. Understanding direct complementary colors like these allows designers to pick color schemes with attractive visual contrast.
What is the RYB color model?
RYB stands for red, yellow, blue. It is a basic color model that describes the use of these three pigment colors as the primary colors. When artists first began theorizing color in the 18th century, they started with red, yellow and blue as the primary triad. This is because the RYB primary colors were the most commonly used pigments in painting.
The RYB color wheel arranges the primary pigment colors along with their secondary mixtures of orange, green, and purple. Tertiary colors fill in the wheel between the primaries and secondaries. The RYB color model defines relationships between these colors including hue, saturation, and their complementary pairs.
Here are some key facts about the RYB color wheel:
- The primary colors are red, yellow and blue because they cannot be mixed from other pigments.
- Secondary colors are created by mixing two primary colors: orange (red + yellow), green (yellow + blue), and purple (blue + red).
- Tertiary colors are made by mixing a primary with a secondary: red-orange, yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-green, blue-purple, and red-purple.
- Complementary colors sit opposite each other on the color wheel.
- Colors near each other on the wheel are analogous colors and create harmonious combinations.
Modern color theory uses the RGB (red, green, blue) and CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) models more often today. But the RYB color wheel remains an important foundation for understanding how colors interact and influence each other.
What is the complementary color of green?
On the RYB color wheel, the direct complement of green is red. Green sits between yellow and blue, while red sits between purple and orange. These opposite colors create the highest contrast possible within the RYB spectrum.
Mixing green and red together theoretically results in a neutral grayscale color. When placed next to each other, the green appears more green and the red appears more red. This happens because the colors seem to “vibrate” against each other. Their strong visual tension draws the eye and creates an energetic color scheme.
| Color | RYB Complement |
|---|---|
| Red | Green |
| Orange | Blue |
| Yellow | Purple |
| Green | Red |
| Blue | Orange |
| Purple | Yellow |
As shown in the table above, green’s direct complementary color on the RYB wheel is red. Other direct complement pairs are:
- Orange-Blue
- Yellow-Purple
- Blue-Orange
- Purple-Yellow
Notice that the complement of any primary color is the mixture of the other two primaries. This pattern is consistent around the entire RYB color wheel.
How can you use color complements?
There are many ways designers and artists utilize complementary colors in their work. Knowing that green’s complement is red helps guide color choices. Here are some common ways to effectively work with complements:
- Create contrast in focal points – Use complements like green and red together on the most important elements that you want to stand out and add emphasis.
- Communicate meaning – Color pairs like green and red have deeply embedded cultural meanings that can be leveraged to evoke certain responses.
- Add highlights – Complementary accents and highlights help key elements come forward visually against background colors.
- Establish balance – The high-contrast vibration between complements promotes balance, a key principle of artistic harmony.
- Unify a split complementary scheme – A color and its two neighbors create a harmonious triad, with the complements bringing it all together.
- Bridge adjacent colors – Small touches of a complement can create transitions between other nearby hues.
Many designers use these methods with complementary colors almost intuitively. But understanding the foundational color theory behind it improves how complements are used together. Let’s look further at applications for green and red specifically.
Examples of green and red together
There are infinite possibilities for pairing green and red creatively. Here are a few examples:
- Christmas designs – Red and green are quintessential Christmas colors, playing heavily on existing color associations.
- Complementary nature palette – Green foliage paired with red berries or flowers mimic nature’s use of complements.
- Modern graphic design – Saturated green headlines grab attention against clean red backgrounds on posters and ads.
- Warning signs – Red lights and accents against green indicators signal caution or alert the viewer.
- Digital buttons and icons – Small red icons link to related content against site menus with green backgrounds.
- Sport team colors – Fan apparel often features team colors of green and red for contrast.
These examples rely on stability from color theory as well as emotional associations we already have with the red and green pairing. Many combinations are possible by manipulating hue, saturation, and brightness levels of each.
How to build a color palette with complements
All colors have an analogous palette on both sides of it on the color wheel. These combinations create pleasant schemes. But color palettes also benefit from accents of complements strategically added in. Here is one process for developing a complementary palette:
- Select a base color such as green as your starting point.
- Find its direct complement which is red.
- Pick out analogous colors on both sides of your base hue like blue-green and yellow-green.
- Add in small touches of the complement red as accents throughout.
- Balance the palette tonally by varying light, medium, and dark versions.
This creates a harmonious palette unified with complement accents. You might have a light green, medium teal, dark pine green, with pops of cherry red sprinkled throughout. The red complements both balance the green and also make it stand out more vibrantly.
Key facts summary
To summarize the key facts:
- On the RYB color wheel, the complement of green is red.
- Complementary colors sit directly opposite each other.
- Together, complements create the strongest contrast.
- Their stark visual contrast allows them to highlight and accentuate each other.
- Designers use complements strategically to add interest, energy, and harmony.
By leveraging complementary colors like green and red, artists and designers can craft aesthetic work that is both well-balanced and visually interesting. The high-contrast pops of color catch the viewer’s eye where needed. Color theory concepts help guide the use of color pairs based on their inherent relationships. Understanding that red and green complement each other on the RYB color wheel is key for working effectively with this dynamic color combination.
Conclusion
In summary, the direct complement of green on the RYB color wheel is red. Complementary colors sit opposite each other and create high visual contrast when combined. This makes them useful for adding emphasis and highlights. Knowledge of direct complements guides designers in making color choices that are both balanced and impactful. Red and green have a special visual energy that can be leveraged creatively in all kinds of applications. By learning fundamentals like complementary colors, artists and designers master skills for effectively manipulating color.
