Adding white or grey softens the combinations while retaining a certain intensity.
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Think of stimulation as the effect or mood a color combination can create, ranging from sleep coma to hyper excitement. You can click on the button below to dive straight into it now, or keep reading to learn more.
We calculate Stimulation by taking into account the overall intensity, value difference, hue difference as well as the possible vibration between the two colors. It is calculated by looking at both colors together, each color relative to the other.
The more intense the two colors are as a whole, the more stimulating the combination. The further away they are from their purest, most intense state, the less stimulating the pair becomes.
Adding white or grey softens the combinations while retaining a certain intensity.
Desaturating or adding grey to a color combination (whether to one or both colors) is the most effective at dulling stimulation.
Imagine converting a color combination to greyscale. The stronger the light-dark contrast, the more stimulating the combination. The lower the contrast, the less stimulating it becomes.
The further apart the two hues are on the color wheel, the higher the stimulation. The closer they are, the lower the stimulation. Complementaries and close complementaries tend to further emphasize each other.
Vibration happens in various degrees between colors of similar value. The higher the intensity and hue distance, the higher the vibration. Vibration creates an unpleasant kind of stimulation, partially or completely overriding the light-dark stimulation logic.
We define Stimulation as a value on a scale of 0 to 100 from the least stimulating pair of colors to the most stimulating.
Click on the button below to start generating color moods—you can start with your own color(s) or generate a randomized selection of color pairs based on the stimulation value.
Want to keep one of the colors? Click the lock button and then generate options for the second color within the selected level of stimulation.
Color Moods was created by researcher and experimenter Ruxandra Duru and designer and code tinkerer Brian Li, following Ruxandra’s article Two-Color Combinations: a Toolkit.
Anyone looking for a mood-based approach to color combinations can benefit from this tool. Whether your practice is in graphics, industrial design, architecture, interiors or fashion design, or you are simply struggling to pick a wall color for your home after purchasing a bright velvet green sofa, Color Moods can come in handy!
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hellofromtheotherside @ colormoods.co