From the course: Graphic Design Tips & Tricks

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Elementals: How black, white, and gray make depth

Elementals: How black, white, and gray make depth

From the course: Graphic Design Tips & Tricks

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Elementals: How black, white, and gray make depth

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- Hi, everyone. John McWade. I've run across some confusion about whether black or white is the more dominant color in a visual field. Which one comes forward toward the viewer more? Some people say black, some people say white. This is important to know when we want to create depth in a design. So, let's have a look. Which of these circles would you say is closer to you? The black one or the white one? Just look for a moment. Pretty ambiguous, I'd say. They're both 100% contrast, pure black, pure white. My eye says they're the same. So, how about this? Which of these circles is closer? The black one or the gray one? Not ambiguous. It's the black one. How about these? The white one or the gray one? Same thing. Not ambiguous. It's the white one. So what are we seeing? We're seeing that the dominant color is neither black nor white. The dominant color is the one that's the most different from its background. Easy to see here. White circle's dominant and forward, recedes as it gets…

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