Xerox DocuColor DocuColor 4, User Manual

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The color wheel simplifies color relationships for the purpose of clarity, show-
ing only saturated or pure colors. Adding the myriad variations of each hue
to the palette (more or less saturated, darker or lighter) creates a wealth of
possibilities. Taking a pair of complements from the color wheel and vary-
ing the saturation and brightness of one or both colors produces a very dif-
ferent result from the pure complements. Combining a light tint of a warm
color with a darker shade of its cooler complement often gives pleasing re-
sults. Combining a darker shade of a warm color with a light tint of its cooler
complement produces an unusual effect you may like.
Once you have mastered the concept of the color wheel, you have a good
framework for experimenting with color combinations. Many books targeted
at graphic designers show groups of preselected color combinations. Some
are organized by themes or moods, and some are based on a custom color
system such as PANTONE. The more you develop a critical facility for judg-
ing color combinations, the more you will be able to trust your own eye for
color.
6.3.3 Color and text
It is not a coincidence that the overwhelming majority of text you see is
printed in black Dry Ink on white paper. Text in black on white is highly
legible and is not fatiguing to read for extended periods. For many color
materials, using black text on a white background and confining color to
graphic elements and headings is a good choice.
Color text can add flair to documents printed on paper when used skillfully,
and is widely used in presentations. When using color text, avoid dazzling
text and background combinations created from primary complements, es-
pecially red and cyan or red and blue; they are visually fatiguing and hard to
read. Color text is more legible when distinguished from its background by a
difference in lightness-for example, dark blue text on a light beige back-
ground. In addition, using many different colors in a string of text makes for
a confused appearance and is hard to read. However, using a single highlight
color is an effective way to draw the reader’s eye to selected words.
6.3 Using color effectively