The Web Wheel
Computer monitors display color by combining percentages of red,
green and blue light to create the appearance of millions of colors.
In the RGB system, the red, green and blue components of each
pixel (picture element) are assigned a number between 0 and 255.
Choosing colors for display on a computer, projector or video
is then a simple matter of selecting a particular combination
of red, green and blue.
Using color on the web becomes a little more complex. HTML (hypertext
markup language) is the basic programming language for web graphics.
Colors must be recognized as HTML code, and HTML code describes
colors using base 16 mathematics (this goes way back to 1st generation
programming, or machine language). Base 16 math is also called
Hexadecimal. All colors used in HTML programming are based on
hexadecimal codes.
To further complicate matters, not all colors display similarly
on all computers, or across platforms or browsers. The web designer
must also keep in mind that a large percentage of Internet users
have systems that are not capable of viewing all 16 million colors.
Most users are capable of viewing at least 256 colors. So why
are there only 216 web-safe colors?
This has much to do with viewing colors across platforms. Each
platform (PC, Mac, SGI, etc.) uses specific colors (about 40)
for its own system colors. This now leaves us with 256-40=216
colors that can be viewed similarly on any platform.
Web-safe palettes delineate these 216 colors in a linear fashion,
showing specific color swatches. These palettes can be difficult
to use, as colors are not arranged in a visual manner.
The Web Wheel was constructed to aid the user
in selecting web-safe colors based on a visual display. Each color
has the hexadecimal code and RGB values printed on it. The
Web Wheel makes it easy to locate a color of your choice,
without having to search through numbered charts. To use the
Web Wheel, all you need to do is choose a color on the
wheel, and use the printed HEX code, or RGB values, in your HTML
coding.
The Web Wheel serves a secondary function, that
of finding analogous colors (colors lying side by side), opposite
or complementary colors, and color triads. This allows the user
to easily find a color scheme that appears blended (analogous
colors), has high impact (complementary), or has a harmonious
appearance (triads).
One side of the wheel contains a strip of "hue" names,
indicating the natural sequence of colors around the spectrum,
going from yellow through red, magenta, blue, cyan, green, etc.
This allows you to locate "safe" colors that most closely
resemble the natural colors of the spectrum.
The Web Wheel is a valuable aid to web graphics,
allowing the user to see, at a glance, colors and codes necessary
for the web design process. With a physical wheel at hand, or
propped on a desk, there is no longer a need to flip between programs,
or to use a digital hex calculator, to find the appropriate colors
for your web design.
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