How to create color palettes around black and white
Hint: bold colors, shades and tints make good companions
Creating harmonious palettes has a lot to do with grouping colors that share similar qualities. In spite of being “colorless”, black and white are crisp and powerful, and in combination generate an abrupt and stimulating contrast. What will match that strength? Intense, saturated colors.
The epitome of pure color is often appointed to the so-called primary colors — yellow, blue and red— and these will make great extroverted companions to a black and white duo.
Such combinations can, understandably, be overly exciting. To reduce the degree of stimulation and at the same time broaden the possibilities, one can lighten or darken one or more accompanying colors. As opposed to adding grey, adding black or white to a color will allow it to retain some of its purity and intensity, still echoing the one found in black and white.
Additionally, lightened colors — also called tints — and naturally light colors like yellow will relate to white. Darkened colors — also called shades — and naturally darker colors such as purple will easily identify with black.
In general, black and white will relate less to muted, desaturated colors that speak in a much softer language. However, it is still worth giving it a try, as these mixes can bear unusual, dissonant yet interesting results. Plus, they happen to be a little more quiet on the eye.
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Note: When working digitally, supersaturated RGB screen colors can be softly desaturated and still appear pure and bright.
