• Try “portfolio”, “ink”, “branding” or a code like “PRS 101”.

GDS 103Graphic Design

Colour Theory

Practical colour for designers and artists: hue, value and saturation, building palettes, using colour for emphasis, and keeping colour consistent from screen to print.

Planned

About this course

This course treats colour as a working tool rather than a wheel to memorize. You will learn how light and pigment mix differently, why colours change with their surroundings, how to build palettes from value first, and how to use colour to create emphasis and mood within a composition. A final module covers specifying colour (hex, RGB, CMYK, spot colours) and the basics of why screens and prints never quite match. Exercises work in paint, cut paper or any digital tool.

Who it’s for: Designers, illustrators and painters who want reliable colour decisions. No prior training needed. Pair with Composition and Visual Hierarchy for layout fundamentals.

You will be able to

  • Describe any colour by hue, value and saturation and adjust each independently.
  • Explain the difference between additive (light) and subtractive (pigment and ink) colour.
  • Build a palette for a project starting from a value structure, and test it in greyscale.
  • Use colour to create a focal point and support a composition's hierarchy.
  • Specify colours correctly for screen and print and explain why results differ between them.

Studio project

A documented palette system and one finished piece that keeps its hierarchy in greyscale, with supporting colour studies.

To complete this course

  • Complete every required lesson.
  • Have the assignment “Colour studies and palette system” accepted by an instructor.
  • Records of completion are issued only for courses whose content has passed instructor review.

Part of

Syllabus

Working titles: they may change as the course is written.

  1. Module 1: How colour works

    The properties of colour and how our eyes and devices produce it.

    1. 1.1Hue, value and saturationReading · 30 min
    2. 1.2Light and pigment: additive and subtractive colourReading · 30 min
    3. 1.3Colour in context: simultaneous contrastExercise · 40 min

  2. Module 2: Building palettes

    Methods for making palettes that work, rather than picking colours one at a time.

    1. 2.1Colour harmonies as starting pointsReading · 30 min
    2. 2.2Value-first palettesStudio · 45 min
    3. 2.3Palettes from observationExercise · 40 min

  3. Module 3: Colour in composition

    Using colour to direct attention, set mood and stay readable.

    1. 3.1Colour for emphasis and hierarchyReading · 30 min
    2. 3.2Mood, meaning and cultural contextReading · 25 min
    3. 3.3Colour, contrast and legibilityExercise · 30 min

  4. Module 4: Colour across media

    Getting colour from your screen to other screens and to print with fewer surprises.

    1. 4.1Specifying colour: hex, RGB, CMYK and spot coloursReading · 30 min
    2. 4.2Why screens and prints differ: colour management basicsReading · 30 min
    3. 4.3Studio: a palette system for a projectStudio · 50 min

Author: Ricketts University curriculum team (draft for founder review) · Not yet reviewed

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