Why Developers Should Care About Color
Color is the fastest way to communicate hierarchy, state, and emotion in a UI. Poor color choices lead to inaccessible interfaces, confused users, and unprofessional-looking apps.
Think in HSL, Not Hex
HSL (Hue, Saturation, Lightness) is the most intuitive color model for UI work:
- Hue (0-360): The color itself — 0=red, 120=green, 240=blue
- Saturation (0-100%): Color intensity — 0% is gray, 100% is vivid
- Lightness (0-100%): Brightness — 0% is black, 50% is pure color, 100% is white
The power of HSL: need a darker variant? Just lower Lightness. Need a muted tone? Lower Saturation. The hue stays consistent.
Building a Color Palette
- 60-30-10 Rule: 60% primary color, 30% secondary, 10% accent
- Neutral base: Start with grays (saturation near 0) for backgrounds and text
- One accent color: Pick one hue for interactive elements (buttons, links, focus rings)
- Semantic colors: Green for success, red for errors, yellow for warnings, blue for info
Contrast and Accessibility
- WCAG AA requires 4.5:1 contrast for normal text, 3:1 for large text
- WCAG AAA requires 7:1 for normal text, 4.5:1 for large text
- Always test light AND dark modes — colors that pass in light mode may fail in dark
- Never convey information through color alone — add icons or text labels
Dark Mode Tips
- Don't just invert colors — reduce saturation and use darker shades
- Use slightly desaturated backgrounds (not pure #000000 black)
- Increase font weight slightly — lighter text on dark backgrounds appears thinner
Tools to Help
Our Color Converter translates between HEX, RGB, HSL, and CMYK. The Color Palette Generator creates harmonious palettes from any base color using color theory algorithms.