key term - Complementary Colors

Definition

Complementary colors are pairs of colors which, when combined or mixed, cancel each other out by producing a grayscale color like white or black. When placed next to each other, they create the strongest contrast and reinforce each other's brightness.

Related terms

Primary Colors: These are basic colors that can be mixed together to produce most all other colors. In traditional color theory, these are red, blue and yellow.

Secondary Colors: These are colors created by mixing two primary colors together equally. For example, green is made from blue and yellow.

Color Wheel: A circular diagram showing relationships between different colors; primary, secondary and tertiary ones included.