Considered the negation of color, black is conservative, goes well with almost any color except the very dark. It also has conflicting connotations. It can be serious and conventional. Black can also be mysterious, sexy, and sophisticated. In most Western countries black is the color of mourning. Among young people, black is often seen as a color of rebellion. Black is both positive and negative.

Black is the ultimate dark color and makes lighter colors such as yellow really pop out. Photographs often look brighter against a black background.

White is purity, cleanliness, and innocence. Like black, white goes well with almost any color. It especially contrasts well with dark colors such as red, blue, or purple. In most Western countries white is the color for brides. In the East, it's the color for funerals. White is often associated with hospitals, especially doctors, nurses, and dentists.

In most cases white is seen as a neutral background color and other colors, even when used in smaller proportion, are the colors that convey the most meaning in a design.

To the human eye, white is a brilliant color that can cause headaches for some. Too much white can be 'blinding.' Some neutral light beiges and creams carry the same attributes as white but are more subdued, less brilliant than plain white.

The other neutrals: Gray, Silver, Brown, Tan, Beige.

• B&W Color Combinations
These color palettes feature black and white and almost-black and almost-white shades. Although I've made a few suggestions here and there about the 'amount' of each color to use, experiment. For best results don't use even amounts of each color in the palette. Choose one or two dominant colors and use the rest for accents. Keep in mind that due to the differences between color in print and on the Web that these colors may not appear the same on paper as they appear here on the screen.

These aren't just random color combinations. Each of these are based on actual historic and modern formulas used in posters, packaging, ads, and other design work over the past century. For a much more comprehensive selection of color combinations refer to The Designer's Guide to Color Combinations by Leslie Cabarga.

Y70 | C5M20Y100 | C40K100
It's no mellow yellow when you add black. Put it between the two yellows to make them each stand out.

M45Y100 | C40K100 | M3Y15
A charcoal black and a pale yellow, almost ivory shade team up with orange.

C65Y100 | White | C40K100
Team black and white with just about any color, such as this grassy green. And don't just relegate black to accent - try a black background with several doses of green then touches of white as highlights.

C12M95Y60 | C75M6Y20 | C4M5Y2 | C40K100
The palest pink stands in for white in this palette with a 50s flavor.

M40Y10 | C50Y10 | C40K100
Another red/blue/black look uses light red (pink) and light blue as highlights and accents with lots of black.

M75Y100 | C22M30Y55K5 | C15M70Y75K20 | White | C40K100
Black with brown and earthy orange? Sure! And don't just relegate black to small doses either.

M65Y25 | M30Y10 | C65M10 | M50Y45 | White | C40K100
Your pastels won't be washed out with a judicial dose of black to make those pinks pop.

M30Y30K90 | M20Y20K75 | M10Y10K40 | M5Y5K20 | White
You could call this monochromatic palette shades of gray or tints of black. All with a dash of white to brighten.

Black and white with pink and red in a Sixties-inspired color palette.