Color Theory for Designers (Udemy.com)
Get Inspired by Color for Graphic Design
Created by: Sarah Parkinson-Howe
Last updated September 2020
What you will learn
- Color Theory - Color Wheel, Color Rules/ Harmonies
- The Language of Color - Value, Tints, Tones, Shades
- The Psychology of Color in Branding
- Color Systems, RGB, HEX, CMYK and Pantone
- Color tips in Illustrator - Getting Inspired
- Color Guide, Swatches, Global Color
- Adobe Color, My Themes, ASE Files
Course Description
Hey!
My name is Sarah and in this course I want to share with you some of the knowledge I have gained in the almost 20 years I have been a Graphic Designer, from the basics of the colour wheel and the color harmonies to the psychology of colour in branding.
We take a look at the color systems used in design and technology, (RGB, CMYK and Pantone color). With some class projects filled with useful tips on where to find great color resources in Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Color.
By the end of this course you should feel more confident when picking color schemes for your projects, you will know the basic theory of colour and how to create killer color combinations that work.
Thanks so much for enrolling in my class - I’m so excited to have you here :)
Some Reviews...
Really well organized & engaging class! Plenty of examples, time for exercises, description of technical steps & downloadable resources. Would highly recommend!
"I love the class. This is an easy to follow guide to the fundamentals of color for illustrators and designers. I definitely recommend it. Thank you, Sarah!"
“I recommend this class if someone is interested in starting Graphic Design. You learn the basics of color and how to use color in Adobe Illustrator.”
“Great course. Great for beginners and anyone that needs to revisit the color picking process. The process is broken down into simple, easy to follow, steps. I really needed to see the steps others walk through to create great color combinations. Every artist will do it differently but we all learn so much by understanding the processes that others use. I am glad I took this course. The project is an organized little task that articulates important parts of this process.”
Instructor Details
- 4.4 Rating
623 Reviews
Sarah Parkinson-Howe
I am a graphic designer creating unique brands and communication solutions for a variety of clients across the world. My career spans almost 20 years with a mix of agency life, freelancing and teaching in London to building my own business in New Zealand.
I LOVE the discipline of branding - it is the ultimate challenge.
I LOVE Adobe Illustrator - it is my second home.
I always come back to teaching, the process of passing on knowledge and learning is so inspiring, bringing refreshed energy, skills and knowledge back into my own practice. I love connecting with like-minded people and watching them develop into amazing creatives.
A few reviews :)
Amazing class. I think my work will improve so much with this, this is a gem! Highly recommended :)
Loved this class so much. It was super helpful and totally demystified ( in the best way :) color theory for me. Thank you Sarah.
A DRUM ROLL FOR THIS ONE...
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Reviews
By Marc Hommen on 3/24/2025
Great course so far! Thank you very much. I gave just 4 Stars because of the annoying mouse clicking throughout the whole course. Also missed Daniel Walter Scott. Was he just doing some work in the background? Got some really nice new knowledge about color theory and that's because I am here. Have a great day
By tarik IRAGUI on 7/25/2024
While the course covered important topics, it could have delved deeper into some areas for a more comprehensive understanding. The pacing felt uneven at times, with too much time spent on simple tasks like changing HEX values. A more engaging approach and better time allocation could have improved the overall learning experience. Despite these shortcomings, the course provided a foundation in the subject matter
By Jegan Kannan on 1/10/2023
I have worked on illustrator a bit and I have also added colours to my artwork but it was just randomly chosen or default swatch. But the details about colours panel like tint and shades, complementary colours, Global swatches just great to learn and fun to play with the colours. This class is great for anyone in Designing whether is web Graphic or even Print Design.
By Jo Brehm on 1/10/2023
I enjoyed this course and learned a lot about selecting color and working with the color swatches, guides, and libraries in Illustrator. I would recommend the course content be updated to reflect the changes that have occurred in Adobe since the course was created - like Adobe Color panel, which is no longer available. Most important, the Pantone Library has been greatly reduced.
By Ekaterina Aksarina on 7/9/2021
With this course I wanted to fresh up my colour knowledge (as an architect I've studied colour theory) and to learn its practical implementation in Ai. I am very happy with having completed this course. The tutor's explanations are clear, the pace is perfect for simultaneous following in an exercise file. And on top, the voice and the manner of teaching is very pleasant! Thank you very much! Highly recommended.
By Jenny Bachmann on 5/3/2021
I really enjoyed the course but I would have loved so understand your process of choosing a palette better. I understood the theory and method of choosing colors, but what makes a decent palette? Do I need a mixture of light and dark, bright and dull? Are there guides you go by? This would be valuable info for me and I would love to see this in an additional course. Thanks for the informative course!
By Morgan Murray on 3/15/2021
I really loved this course. It was the perfect length with the right amount of focused content; which I far prefer over the 20 hour courses that try be everything, then at the end you're left being unsure of what you achieved! I'm a UI/UX designer that wanted to develop my visual design skills and this colour theory course will be extremely helpful. It's refreshing to hear a New Zealand accent too, very relaxing voice.
By Leonardo Manganelli on 12/19/2020
I actually am a self taught designer, but I wanted to have some proof at hand so I already knew what was told. That said I thought it was very good! I actually enjoyed going through the basics of Colour Theory with this course and going through the various steps. The only reason why this is not 5/5 is the pace which I felt could be quicker, this got solved by the x1.25 speed sometimes the x1.5. Overall again great course, even for people who are already active or some who need to refresh their color theory :)
By Natalija Tanaskovic on 8/11/2020
The main reason I liked this course so much is that there are shown excellent tips for using Illustrator for wide range of projects. After taking lessons you can get a basic knowledge about combining different colors. You will learn in which way you can find a color combination you need, or make your own. It also explains why some industries use specific colors, which can be quite useful when you create logos. Explanations are clear and easy to follow. I highly recommend this course!
By Shane Hinkley on 8/1/2020
Found this short course very informative and intriguing for a free short course. I have alway had a good understanding of colour but this did fill in a load of gaps for me. Also the techniques and processes are very useful to learn. I also like the added bonus of seeing how to present your colour chooses to the client, I have worked with many designer and never seen it given in this simple an easy to understand way. Well done!
Quality Score
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Overall Score : 88 / 100






