Monochromatic
Monochromatic colors have the same hue but different levels of shading with black and tinting with white.Blue Flame#005e88
Dark Blue Flame#003a55
Medium Blue Flame#0075aa
Bright Blue Flame#00b0ff
Light Blue Flame#55cafe
Faded Blue Flame#a9e4ff
Analogous Colors
Analogous colors are colors that have a similar wavelength of light or are perceived as such. They normally match barring any cultural associations that cause them to clash.Arcade Green#77ff77
Sunblast Yellow#feff0f
Bright Green#66ff00
Yellow Rose#fff000
Caustic Green#11dd00
Ancient Yellow#eecd00
Warm Colors
Warm colors are reds, oranges and yellows that are perceived as warm to the touch due to their association with sunlight and fire. They generally match.Midwinter Fire#dd1100
Autumn Sunset#f38554
Electric Yellow#fffc00
Golden Yellow#ffdf00
Crimson Red#980001
Hawaiian Sunset#bb5c14
Cool Colors
Cool colors are blues and greens that are perceived as cool to the touch due to their association with cool elements of nature such as vegetation and water.Crushed Ice#c4fff7
Algae Green#93dfb8
Ice Climber#25e2cd
Seafoam Green#a7ffb5
Blue Lagoon#00626f
Alpine Green#005f56
Complementary Colors
Complementary colors are pairs of colors that are based on very different wavelengths of light. These produce a grey if you mix them. Complementary colors are thought to maximize contrast such that they are highly visible side-by-side. As they are often used together for purposes of visibility, they are perceived as matching.Blue Beetle#220099
Bright Orange#ff4f00
Blue Night#012389
Spicy Orange#d73c26
Blinking Blue#0033ff
Ultimate Orange#ff4200
Light Colors
Light colors are colors that have be heavily mixed with white. This can tame color differences such that pure hues that clash may match when they are both saturated with white.Ambrosia#d2e7ca
Creamed Butter#fffcd3
Chalk Pink#e6c5ca
Blue Frosting#86d2c1
Lavender Fog#d2c4d6
Claret Red#c84c61
Dark Colors
Mixing colors with black reduces the differences between hues such that they are more likely to match. For example, brown doesn't typically match red but they can match as dark colors.Dark Day#3b3f42
Barn Red#8b4044
Dark Granite#4f443f
Capsicum Red#76392e
Charred Brown#3e0007
Fired Brick#6a2e2a
Pastels
Pastels are sticks of pure pigment that don't contain many ingredients. Unlike many art supplies they don't contain a base that improves their color saturation. This allows hues of color to be blended and mixed. As pastels are pure pigment, they often look a little washed out and faded on a white background but may look surprising colorful on another color of paper, particularly black. Named pastel colors are based on the look of pastels on a white background and typically match each other.Pastel Magenta#f49ac2
Pastel Red#ff6961
Pastel Yellow#fdfd96
Pastel Blue#a2bffe
Pastel Cyan#9adedb
Pastel Green#b2fba5
Concept Colors
Colors that align to a concept such as earthy colors inspired by natural elements such as vegetation.Forest Floor#555142
Ploughed Earth#6c6459
Pine Forest#415241
Lichen#9bc2b1
Straw Yellow #f0d696
Charred Clay #885132
Cultural
Colors inspired by a culture, subculture or super culture. For example, the following colors were associated with the Gothic subculture of the 1990s.Accursed Black#090807
Gothic Grape#473951
Vampire Red#dd4132
Aubergine#372528
Sepia Black#2b0202
Dark Violet#34013f
Intended Symbolism
A common source of clashing colors is unintended symbolism whereby colors are accidentally selected that are strongly associated with a nation, organization or element of culture. For example, wearing red and green together may be perceived as Christmasy. If this is intended, these can be matching colors. It should be noted that color symbolism is situational and cultural and what matches in one context may have unintended symbolism in another. Practically every color combination is associated with something, the question is how strong will this perception be in a particular situation.Christmas Red#b01b2e
Christmas Green#3c8d0d
Christmas Gold#caa906
Christmas Silver#e1dfe0
Christmas Blue#2a8fbd
Christmas Pink#e34285
| Overview: Matching Colors | ||
Type | ||
Definition | Sets of colors that achieve color harmony in the context in which they are used. | |
Applicable To | ||
Related Concepts | ||
