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Color Glossary
Definitions, formulas, and examples for every color-science term you'll encounter in design and development — from the fundamentals (hex, RGB, HSL, CMYK) to color theory (complementary, analogous, triadic) to accessibility (WCAG, contrast ratio, luminance).
Analogous Colors
Three or more colors adjacent on the wheel, sharing a common hue. Used for harmonious, low-contrast palettes.
CMYK
A subtractive color model used in print: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key (black), each 0-100%.
Color Gamut
The range of colors a device or color space can reproduce. Wider gamut = more saturated colors possible.
Color Temperature
Whether a color reads as warm (red/orange/yellow side) or cool (blue/cyan/green side) of the spectrum.
Color Wheel
A circular arrangement of hues used to identify color relationships like complementary, analogous, and triadic.
Complementary Colors
Two colors directly opposite on the color wheel. They produce maximum contrast when paired.
Contrast Ratio
A numeric measure (1:1 to 21:1) of the brightness difference between two colors, used to assess text legibility.
Hex Color Code
A 6-character hexadecimal representation of a color (e.g. #FF5733). Each pair of characters encodes the red, green, and blue components from 00 to FF (0-255).
HSL
A color model based on Hue (0-360°), Saturation (0-100%), and Lightness (0-100%) — designed to match how humans perceive color.
HSV
Hue, Saturation, Value — similar to HSL but uses 'value' (max brightness) instead of lightness.
Pantone Matching System
A standardized library of ~2,000+ pre-mixed spot ink colors used in print, fashion, and product design for color consistency across vendors.
Relative Luminance
A weighted measure of perceived brightness on a 0-1 scale, used in the WCAG contrast formula.
RGB
An additive color model defining colors as combinations of Red, Green, and Blue light, each from 0-255.
sRGB
The standard RGB color space for the web, monitors, and most consumer cameras — covers about 35% of visible colors.
Triadic Colors
Three colors evenly spaced 120° apart on the wheel. Bold, balanced, and high-energy when used in branding.
WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines)
The W3C standard for digital accessibility, including the contrast ratios required for legible text on the web.