Use of colour within Graphic Design

Additive colour consist of light being emitted in order to create colours by combining red, blue and green light in different combinations, using all colours will result in the colour white. Combining these primary addictive colours creates secondary addictive colours such as cyan, magenta and yellow. This techniques allows colour to be created for screen which is specifically useful within graphic design for use within branding and web design. Addictive colour originally starts without colour as black however light with different wavelengths is used to create colours due to the way light is reflected and refracted in certain situations. Consequently subtractive colour consists of physically mixing paints, dyes and inks in order to create the desired colour. Colour is created as the mixture of paints, dyes and inks absorb wavelengths of light which cause the final colour depending on which colours within the electromagnetic system are reflected. In addition hue is common term in relation to colour as it refers to the core spectrum of colours which make up other colours for example navy has a Hue of blue as this is its core colour. consequently different huge are created by different wavelengths which both additive and subtractive colours to be created. 

Consequently chroma relates to the purity of a colour as it tells you how pure the hue is, therefor a colour with high chroma will appear very vivid whereas a colour with low chroma will appear darker and more dull. Chroma is often with saturation which relates to the intensity of colour within an image. 

In relation to the use of colour within graphic design, trends can play a large role. This can be seen in the case of IKB which was widely used across multiple platforms within graphic design between 2013-2015 causing a lot of design work to look similar. The use of colour trends is interesting as it highlights how audiences respond to certain colours on a mass scale, but may also cause design work to become stagnant as designers will follow the same trends. Innovation creates interesting design which can be lost when designers follow trends especially those involving colour. This plays a significant role in engaging an audience and how they initially react to the colours in things such as a sign, rather than the other elements. Trends are interesting as they are usually based on a new and innovative idea or experimentation which can inspire other designs, allowing the design to progress. However, when innovative ideas are copied and not adapted, design becomes stagnant and repetitive which is when trends become a problem. They cause designers to follow a certain style or use a certain colour which restricts their practice.