Christmas Complement

If someone at the office today says they like your Christmas tie, that’s a compliment. If you ask yourself why in the world your red and green tie could be worthy of a compliment…now that’s about complement.

A complement refers to making something whole or complete.  It applies in geometry, music and art: a complementary angle completes another to make a 90 degree or right angle; a complementary interval in music completes an octave; a complementary color, when added to another,  completes black on a color wheel (or white on a light spectrum).  A complement of employees would be all those necessary to do a job; a compliment of employees would be… great job!

Complementary colors attract.  They’re  in maximum contrast , but also are in what is called “color harmony” in painting.  Red and green (and other complements) are directly opposite on the color wheel. Side-by-side,  they maximize contrast. (Traffic light engineers are no fools.)  Red and green also harmonize.  Things that make a whole when combined tend to attract visually. 

So the tie might get a compliment if it’s a complement.  (That won’t fix the giant Santa tie problem.)