Complementary colors lie directly across from each other on the color wheel and tend to be lively, vibrant hues. Harmonious colors, also called analogous colors, are separated by one segment on the color wheel. Contrasting colors are separated by three segments on the color wheel.
When choosing the appropriate colors for your own palette, the trick is to let one color dominate and reserve its "partner" color for accents only. Using color combinations at full-saturation levels can have an overwhelming effect, so it's best to choose a tint or percentage of the true color, or tone down both colors.
Monochromatic colors, which are varying tints of a single hue (such as light green, true green, and dark green) allow you to broaden your choices within a single color selection.
Primary colors refer to red, blue and yellow and form a triangle with each other.
Secondary colors are located midway between the primary colors.
Once you've decided on your basic color scheme, zero in on specific colors from the industry's most recent color forecasts, from resources such as The Color Association of the United Status (CAUS), The Color Marketing Group, or PANTONE to ensure your choices are in line with upcoming color trends.