Sets of 3 colors that go great together.

This article outlines how three color combinations can be seamlessly used for beautiful design strategies.

Believe it or not, colors all have their own specific meanings. Color psychology, a facet of color theory, explains that people naturally interpret colors and tend to ascribe meaning to them, which ultimately allows color to influence how we feel about products, how we make decisions, and how we interpret specific messages.

With this in mind, it just makes sense that color combinations — two, three, or more — can have even greater impact on the way a message is perceived, based on the hues a designer or artist chooses to combine.

Color is cumulative.

If colors have unique meanings, clearly certain color combinations will have their own unique meanings as well — with a resulting positive or negative impact on the way people will perceive your art or designs.

The right or wrong three color combination can boost your message, detract from it, or even twist it to mean something else entirely.

Sets of 3 colors that go great together

If you’re looking for a few basic but perennially popular 3 color combinations to kickstart your color palette, think about combinations like:

Of course, your own perceptions and preferences about color combinations should come into play.

You can have fun creating sets of 3 color combinations with a palette generator like the Adobe Color Wheel. Select the Triad or Split Complementary modes to create a virtually infinite number of harmonious color combinations, or experiment with Monochromatic schemes and Shades to generate even more three-way possibilities.

Create stunning 3 color combinations.

Unlock the beauty of color theory and the science of color psychology by exploring your very own color schemes and palettes. Lots of practice, plus pairing unlikely combinations, can take your design to new levels. So can these helpful tools and tips.

Find out what you can make — from logos and icons to illustrations and poster art — with Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign.