Colour must be organized according to three interlocking variables, namely the hue, value, and chroma. Each of the 12 Seasons differentiates itself from the others by its specific combination of these three variables:
HUE refers to the colour family, such as red or blue. Our associations with a colour are largely based in this quality, as we find red to be passionate and yellow to be friendly. In combinations, we make deeper connections with colours. For example, Autumn palettes contain both red and gold and we feel the simultaneous presence of gold and rust as rich and dark, as well as warm. Hue is also related to the temperature of a colour, such that warmer colours generally contain more yellow and cooler colours are bluer.
VALUE refers to the position of a colour on a light to dark scale, or how it might appear on a black and white television. Humans are very skilled at seeing value, and even more so when offered more than one value to compare. As a result, value may be overemphasized in our assessment of a colour or an individual’s colouring. This tendency is neutralized or brought into balance with the other two dimensions by an accurate testing system.
CHROMA or saturation speaks of the grayness or clarity of a colour. Low chroma (softness/muting) might be described as dusty; essentially, it means how much gray is visible along with the pigment. High chroma colours contain very little or no visible gray, making them brighter/clearer. They appear lively and energetic, and seem able to step forward in our awareness, and in front of the person wearing the colour if the individual is more muted in their colouring. Fortunately, when we wear colours in harmony with our own, our attire looks beautifully energized and so do we.