Color is a fundamental element of visual design. It has the power to convey emotion, inspire thoughts, and captivate attention. When used skillfully, color can elevate a design and enhance the user experience. As designers, understanding the values and attributes of color is essential for making informed color choices that align with project goals and audience preferences.
The Meaning of Color Value
In visual design, color value refers to the lightness or darkness of a color. It is one of the three main attributes of color, along with hue and saturation. Value is measured on a scale from 0 (pure black) to 100 (pure white). The higher the value, the lighter the color appears. The lower the value, the darker the color appears. For example, a bright lemon yellow has a high value, while a forest green has a low value.
Value is important because it creates contrast and visual hierarchy in a design. Dark values tend to recede, while light values come forward. Using a range of light, medium, and dark values helps direct the viewer’s eye throughout the composition. Value contrast between elements like text and background makes content easy to read at a glance.
The Color Value Scale
The value scale runs from black to white, with various shades of gray in between. Here is a look at the basic levels of the value scale:
- Black: The lowest value, with 0 lightness.
- Near black: Very dark gray values, with lightness under 25%.
- Dark gray: Darker mid-range grays, with lightness around 25-50%.
- Medium gray: Mid-range grays, with lightness around 50%.
- Light gray: Lighter mid-range grays, with lightness around 50-75%.
- Near white: Very light grays, with lightness over 75%.
- White: The highest value, with 100% lightness.
Most colors used in design will fall somewhere within this value range. Pure saturates colors at their maximum intensity have a medium value around 50%. Desaturating a color by adding black or white pigment increases or decreases its value respectively.
Low Value Colors
Low value colors have a darkness that creates a sense of drama, sophistication, or mystery. They tend to visually recede in space. Some examples of low value colors include:
- Navy blue
- Emerald green
- Burgundy
- Chocolate brown
- Charcoal gray
These darker shades are popular for evoking elegance and prestige. They are commonly used for backgrounds, borders, and accents. However, large areas of very low value color can overpower a composition or feel dreary.
Medium Value Colors
Medium value colors have a lightness that makes them adaptable and versatile. They inhabit the central area of the value range. Some examples of medium value colors include:
- Royal blue
- Lime green
- Salmon
- Tan
- Pewter gray
With their middle-of-the-road lightness, medium value colors work well for all kinds of design purposes. They have enough contrast against white backgrounds to maintain legibility. Medium values are popular primary palette colors for branding and websites.
High Value Colors
High value colors have a lightness that feels energizing, refreshing, and contemporary. They visually advance in space. Some examples of high value colors include:
- Sky blue
- Lawn green
- Tangerine
- Buttercream
- Silver gray
These light shades grab attention and create an optimistic mood. They work best for accents so as not to overwhelm the design. High value colors also make pleasing, unobtrusive backgrounds.
Using Value for Visual Hierarchy
Skillful use of value establishes visual hierarchy, the order of importance and flow of information. High value elements appear dominant and come forward. Low value elements recede into the background. Value contrast prioritizes certain content over others.
For example, bright white text layered over a dark photo creates readability. Or, bold headers in a deep color stand out clearly against a light body text. Matching the values of adjacent elements reduces distinction and visual separation between them.
Check for sufficient value contrast between colors by converting a design to grayscale. Elements with inadequate contrast become hard to distinguish in black and white.
Achieving Value Harmony
A value scale also creates color harmony. Colors close together on the value scale, like a light blue and light green, appear unified. Colors further apart on the value scale, like a navy blue and lemon yellow, create vibration and pop. Use a wide range of values in moderation for visual vibrancy.
Analogous color schemes rely on hues with similar values. For example, a monochromatic blue palette remains cohesive because all the colors share a common lightness level. Triadic and complementary color schemes often mix one low, one medium, and one high value color.
Knowing the inherent values of different hues helps build palettes with value variety. Yellow, for instance, tends to be naturally light while purple leans dark. Begin with one dominant medium value key color, then choose high and low value supporting colors.
Tips for Using Value
Here are some key tips for skillfully using value in your designs:
- Use light values to visually advance an element and create emphasis.
- Use dark values to visually recede an element into the background.
- Aim for high value contrast between text and background colors.
- Check for sufficient value differences between adjacent palette colors.
- Convert designs to grayscale to identify inadequate value contrast.
- Build color schemes with a range of low, medium, and high value colors.
- Watch out for large areas of very dark or very light colors.
Conclusion
Value is a vital yet often overlooked attribute of color in design. Mastering value creates aesthetically pleasing contrast, visual clarity, and color harmony. Use the value scale as a guide to make informed choices about lightness levels. Combine low, medium, and high value colors purposefully to enhance designs. With practice, value control becomes intuitive. A thoughtful grasp of value develops visual communication skills and takes color use to the next level.
| Value Level | Lightness % | Visual Characteristics | Design Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 0% | Dramatic, elegant, sophisticated | Backgrounds, outlines, accents |
| Near black | Under 25% | Dark, moody, powerful | Headlines, borders, emphasis |
| Dark gray | 25-50% | Serious, formal, subtle | Text, smaller accents |
| Medium gray | Around 50% | Neutral, balanced, adaptable | Backgrounds, main text |
| Light gray | 50-75% | Clean, open, translucent | Backdrops, tints |
| Near white | Over 75% | Airly, ethereal, refreshing | Accents, highlights |
| White | 100% | Crisp, pure, energizing | Backgrounds, key accents |
In summary, value is a core principle of visual design and color theory. Mastering the value scale unlocks skills for building color palettes, creating contrast, establishing hierarchy, and developing harmonious designs. A sensitivity to lightness levels brings visual clarity and control to projects.