All other colors are derived from the three primary colors.

These colors are unique and cannot result from combining other colors. The primary colors were first shown in a color wheel developed by Sir Isaac Newton in 1666. Over the years, the basic design of the color wheel has varied widely, but the most common version is a wheel of 12 colors based on the red-yellow-blue color model.Īs anyone who dabbles in color knows, the visible light spectrum can be broken into three dominant bands of color, called primary colors: red, yellow and blue. Here's a brief refresher on basic color principles. Knowing how and why colors blend or clash, and which color combinations work and which don't, can mean the difference between creating a décor that pleases the eye and enhances the spirit and one that jars the senses.Īrtists, as well as interior, commercial and landscape designers, have long known the importance of choosing harmonious color combinations, and one of the most important tools they've used in selecting colors is the Color Wheel theory.

Just as one can never learn how to paint. Why do two colors, put one next to the other, sing? Can one really explain this? No. An important tool used by artists and designers for choosing harmonious color combinations is the color wheel.