These are color terms I use all the time in e-mails, on the AllExperts website, and with clients. Sometimes I have to explain what they mean….so here is a primer in “designer color speak”.

1. Saturated
1. A pure color with no white or black in it. Not used as much as BRIGHT colors are in interior design. Primary yellow is a fully saturated color.
2. Soft
1. A color with added white and black so it’s essentially a GREYED TINT. It can also have a bit of the opposite color added.
3. Shade
1. A color with black added to make it dark. Navy blue is a SHADE of blue.
4. Clean
1. Refers to a color that has no grey or opposite colors in it. It usually has some white added.
5. Beige
1. Ubiquitous in Western culture, this universal warm neutral comes in a thousand variations, but it is essentially a light, warm brown.
6. Bright
1. A color that is close to being a saturated color but it has some white, black or other color in it. People often mistake BRIGHTS for SATURATED colors.
7. Neutral
1. Grey is the only true neutral. But colors with a lot of grey in them can also serve as neutrals.
8. Tint
1. A color with quite a bit of white added. Aka: pastel. Pink is a tint of red.
9. Clear
1. The same as CLEAN.
10. Muted
1. A color with grey or it’s opposite added. Usually a medium color rather than a very light TINT or dark SHADE.
11. Cool
1. A color from the “cool” side of the color wheel: the blues, greens, and some of the violets.
12. Hot
1. A BOLD, SATURATED or BRIGHT color that is also WARM.
13. Rich
1. A BOLD color that has been slightly muted and darkened.
14. Warm
1. A color from the “warm” side of the color wheel: some reds, yellows, and oranges.
15. Greyed
1. A color with grey added. Essentially a MUTED color.
16. Bold
1. Synonymous with BRIGHT.

Especially for you ultra-color geeks: the two colored boxes “Shade” and “Tint” and the SAME COLOR. The blue-violet has black added, and the pale tint has white added.
Ciao!
Reb