
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”.
- Saturated
- 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.
- Soft
- 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.
- Shade
- A color with black added to make it dark. Navy blue is a SHADE of blue.
- Clean
- Refers to a color that has no grey or opposite colors in it. It usually has some white added.
- Beige
- Ubiquitous in Western culture, this universal warm neutral comes in a thousand variations, but it is essentially a light, warm brown.
- Bright
- 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.
- Neutral
- Grey is the only true neutral. But colors with a lot of grey in them can also serve as neutrals.
- Tint
- A color with quite a bit of white added. Aka: pastel. Pink is a tint of red.
- Clear
- The same as CLEAN.
- Muted
- A color with grey or it’s opposite added. Usually a medium color rather than a very light TINT or dark SHADE.
- Cool
- A color from the “cool” side of the color wheel: the blues, greens, and some of the violets.
- Hot
- A BOLD, SATURATED or BRIGHT color that is also WARM.
- Rich
- A BOLD color that has been slightly muted and darkened.
- Warm
- A color from the “warm” side of the color wheel: some reds, yellows, and oranges.
- Greyed
- A color with grey added. Essentially a MUTED color.
- Bold
- 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
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