Color theory in design
DESIGN
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Design is no longer just about what users see ... it’s about how systems think, when they pause, and who they ask for help!
@DesignWaves
6 min read
Mar 12, 2025
If you can’t measure impact, can you really prove value?
Designers, we are problem-solvers at heart.
But in a world obsessed with ROI and speed, good design alone isn’t enough. And problem-solving doesn't cut it, if we're solving the wrong problem. The harsh truth? If we can’t measure our impact, we can’t prove our value.
We’ve seen brilliant designers struggle to articulate their worth because often we're tracking the wrong metrics, whether because someone on top decided "they know better", an opportunity to influence failed through the cracks, or even maybe we were never taught how to play at the business level.
Often typical metrics set in the team tend to focus on outputs (“we shipped 10 features!”) or vanity metrics (“our app has 1M downloads!”) while the real value - outcomes - goes unmeasured.
Color theory, along with its associated terminology, carries significant weight in all design curricula, especially from the perspective of a design scholar. Prospective designers should exhibit a comprehension of color and its associated terminology. The task of selecting colors is more intricate than initially perceived and contributes to design. To craft superior designs and utilize colors with precision, understanding the formation of colors and their mutual relationships is essential.
Color theory, in its own right, is both a scientific and artistic field, fostering entire careers as color or brand consultants. Primary colors form the basic foundations of color, embodying their most fundamental state. They are not the result of hue combinations. The three primary colors (red, blue, and yellow) are the elements of the color wheel. Hypothetically, all other colors derive from them through blending. These colors can be mixed to generate others, but they themselves are incapable of being produced by mixing other colors.
Primary colors form the basic foundations of color, embodying their most fundamental state.
The concept of color harmony entails the strategic placement of colors, intended to optimize viewer perception. Arranged colors prompt a sense of pleasure in observers, whereas disarray in design can trigger feelings of chaos and repulsion. Secondary colors are shades produced by combining two primary colors.
In this write up we'll break down: