The Munsell Color Tree is an attractive, three-dimensional model that makes seeing how colors relate to one another fun, easy, and informative. The model represents Munsell’s three attributes of color: Hue, Value, and Chroma, to show how colors vary and change based on their different properties. Featuring 309 color swatches, mounted on ten clear plastic panels, individual swatches reveal what colors are complimentary to one another and what colors are in the nearest color family.

The ten panels are arranged in a circle by Hue – what we traditionally think of as colors, ranging from Red to Purple to Blue to Green to Yellow and back to Red. The tree then features ten levels up and down, representing Value – how light or dark a color appears. The model’s base represents pure black and the top represents pure white. Finally, the tree branches radiating out represent Chroma, how bright or saturated a color is. The Chroma closest to the trunk is less saturated with colors getting more saturated as the samples move out.

The Munsell Color Tree is a great way to visualize how colors work together and how Munsell’s Color Notation System, representing Hue, Value, and Chroma, work together to define all visible possibilities. No color lover should be without one on their desk!