Colour theory is something that all artists and designers should have a good understanding of. Colour often becomes an intuitive choice for many, but understanding how colour is formed and the relationships that exist between different hues can help you pick the right palette for your projects and use colour more effectively in your designs Understanding colour spaces is also vital for anyone doing digital work.

You probably learned some of the very basics of colour theory at school. There are three primary colours – red, yellow, and blue – and any colour can be created by mixing these three colours in varying quantities. But, while this is true enough to be workable for teaching five-year-olds, it isn’t quite the whole story. In this guide, we’ll walk through what you need to know about colour theory, explaining colour jargon and design terms along the way.