Interactive Color Wheel
Explore color relationships in real-time. Click anywhere on the wheel to select a color and see its complementary, analogous, triadic, and tetradic relationships.
Color Relationships
Complementary
Analogous
Triadic
Tetradic
Understanding the Color Wheel
The color wheel is a visual representation of colors arranged according to their chromatic relationship. It's the foundation of color theory and essential for creating harmonious color schemes.
There are two main color models: RGB (Red, Green, Blue) used in digital design, and RYB (Red, Yellow, Blue) traditionally used in art and painting. Each model arranges colors differently on the wheel.
Primary Colors
The foundation colors that cannot be created by mixing other colors. In RGB: Red, Green, Blue. In RYB: Red, Yellow, Blue.
Secondary Colors
Created by mixing two primary colors. RGB gives us Yellow, Magenta, and Cyan. These form the basis of the CMYK printing model.
Tertiary Colors
Created by mixing a primary and secondary color. These create more nuanced hues like red-orange, yellow-green, and blue-violet.
RGB vs RYB: Which Model Should You Use?
RGB (Red, Green, Blue) is the additive color model used in digital design. Screens emit light in these three colors, and combining them creates white. This is what you should use for web design, app development, and any digital work.
RYB (Red, Yellow, Blue) is the subtractive color model traditionally taught in art classes. It's based on how pigments mix in painting and printing. Combining all three creates a muddy brown or black.
For digital designers, RGB is the standard. However, understanding RYB helps you appreciate traditional color theory and can inform your palette choices.