Editing Color theory (section)

== Color harmony and color schemes ==
[[File:Georg Christoph Lichtenberg. Göttingen, 1775, plate III.jpg|thumb|Georg Christoph Lichtenberg. Göttingen, 1775, plate III.]]
[[File:020 schiffermueller1.jpg|thumb|Ignaz Schiffermüller, Versuch eines Farbensystems (Vienna, 1772), plate I.]]

It has been suggested that "Colors seen together to produce a pleasing affective response are said to be in harmony".<ref>Burchett, K. E. (2002). "Color Harmony". ''Color Research and Application'', 27 (1), pp. 28–31.</ref> However, color harmony is a complex notion because human responses to color are both affective and cognitive, involving emotional response and judgment. Hence, our responses to color and the notion of color harmony is open to the influence of a range of different factors. These factors include individual differences (such as age, gender, personal preference, affective state, etc.) as well as cultural, sub-cultural, and socially-based differences which gives rise to conditioning and learned responses about color. In addition, context always has an influence on responses about color and the notion of color harmony, and this concept is also influenced by temporal factors (such as changing trends) and perceptual factors (such as simultaneous contrast) which may impinge on human response to color. The following conceptual model illustrates this 21st-century approach to color harmony:

: <math>\text{Color harmony} = f(\operatorname{Col} 1, 2, 3, \dots, n) \cdot (ID + CE + CX + P + T)</math>

wherein color harmony is a function (''f'') of the interaction between color/s (Col 1, 2, 3, …, ''n'') and the factors that influence positive aesthetic response to color: individual differences (''ID'') such as age, gender, personality and affective state; cultural experiences (''CE''), the prevailing context (''CX'') which includes setting and ambient lighting; intervening perceptual effects (''P'') and the effects of time (''T'') in terms of prevailing social trends.<ref>O'Connor, Z. (2010). "Color harmony revisited". ''Color Research and Application'', 35 (4), pp. 267–273.</ref>

In addition, given that humans can perceive around 2.3 million different colors,<ref>Pointer, M. R. & Attridge, G.G. (1998). "The number of discernible colors". ''Color Research and Application'', 23 (1), pp. 52–54.</ref> it has been suggested that the number of possible color combinations is virtually infinite thereby implying that predictive color harmony formulae are fundamentally unsound.<ref>Hard, A. & Sivik, L. (2001). "A theory of colors in combination – A descriptive model related to the NCS color-order system". ''Color Research and Application'', 26 (1), pp. 4–28.</ref> Despite this, many color theorists have devised formulae, principles or guidelines for color combination with the aim being to predict or specify positive aesthetic response or "color harmony".

Color wheel models have often been used as a basis for [[color scheme|color combination guidelines]] and for defining relationships between colors. Some theorists and artists believe juxtapositions of complementary color will produce strong contrast, a sense of visual tension as well as "color harmony"; while others believe juxtapositions of analogous colors will elicit a positive aesthetic response. Color combination guidelines (or formulas) suggest that colors next to each other on the color wheel model ([[analogous colors]]) tend to produce a single-hued or [[monochromatic color]] experience and some theorists also refer to these as "simple harmonies".<ref>{{Cite book|title=Color Harmonies|last=Garau|first=Augusto|publisher=University of Chicago press|year=1993|isbn=0226281965|page=[https://archive.org/details/colorharmonies00gara/page/7 7]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/colorharmonies00gara/page/7}}</ref>

In addition, split complementary color schemes usually depict a modified complementary pair, with instead of the "true" second color being chosen, a range of analogous hues around it are chosen, i.e. the split complements of red are blue-green and yellow-green. A triadic [[color scheme]] adopts any three colors approximately equidistant around a color wheel model. Feisner and Mahnke are among a number of authors who provide color combination guidelines in greater detail.<ref>Feisner, E. A. (2000). ''Colour: How to use colour in art and design''. London: Laurence King.</ref><ref>Mahnke, F. (1996). ''Color, environment and human response''. New York: John Wiley & Sons.</ref>
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Color combination formulae and principles may provide some guidance but have limited practical application. This is due to the influence of contextual, perceptual, and temporal factors which will influence how color/s are perceived in any given situation, setting, or context. Such formulae and principles may be useful in fashion, interior and graphic design, but much depends on the tastes, lifestyle, and cultural norms of the viewer or consumer.

Black and white have long been known to combine "well" with almost any other colors; black decreases the apparent ''saturation'' or ''[[brightness]]'' of colors paired with it and white shows off all hues to equal effect.{{Citation needed|date=September 2007}}