From the course: Graphic Design Foundations: Color
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What is contrast?
- So what is contrast? Contrast is the state of being strikingly different from something else, typically something in juxtaposition or close association. If you consider two-dimensional design in any medium or discipline, be it painting, photography, digital imagery or another format, contrast allows us to see what we see. Let's take a look at contrast as it relates to some of the elements from the periodic table of colors. Value, vibrancy, temperature, texture, shape and I'll add complementary color to this discussion. Without contrast we can't discern one thing from another. Let's start with value. Value is the relative lightness or darkness of a color. If you see this image, and then look at in value only you are seeing the contrast of white against black or a shade of gray. The contrast is visible in this image as a result of light and shadow. What if we change the settings to see color vibrancy. Vibrancy is the relative saturation or intensity of a color. You can see now that…
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