The lesson probably started where most elementary school art lessons do: the primary colors. Red, blue, and yellow. The three fundamental colors that serve as building blocks to the sweeping spectrum of visible color. Mixing red and blue yields hues of purple, red and yellow shades of orange, and blue and yellow a multitude of greens. Red, blue, and yellow represent the elemental tools that allow your young self to paint your imagination onto a blank canvas.

The playfulness of these primary colors doesn’t fade with age. Even as adults, we still feel the whimsy inspired by a scheme consisting of fire-engine red, cobalt blue, and lemon yellow. That’s why the palette is often relied upon by designers and visual artists alike, within projects meant to conjure child-like joy.  This month’s Edge post highlights two design projects that showcase the vitality of primary colors.