Analogous colors

Nearby hues run together so color transitions appear smooth.

Visual traits

• Neighboring hues
• Smooth hue transition
• Cohesive color grouping

Expected changes

• Clashes between distant hues are less likely
• Color cohesion is more likely to read

Definition

Analogous colors combine neighboring or nearby hues to make transitions between hues appear gradual. They do not specify value contrast, complementary opposition, or a particular medium.

In more detail

Placing nearby hues such as blue and blue-green or yellow and yellow-green gives an image cohesion and continuity. Saturation and value may vary, but strong opposition between distant hues is not the focus.

Includes

• Color combinations centered on neighboring hues
• Unity created by a run of nearby hues

Excludes

• Opposition of complementary hues
• High contrast created only by light and dark
• An image using only achromatic values

What this does not imply

• Low contrast
• A particular emotion or season
• A particular medium

Variability

Number of hues and value separation can be adjusted separately.

Usage

• Choose nearby hues as the palette center

Distinguish similar expressions

• Specify value contrast separately

Typical uses

• Unify an image with nearby hues
• Make color transitions feel gentle

Possible failure modes

• Complementaries become dominant
• Hues become scattered
• Only achromatic values remain