Creating Color Schemes for the UI Style Guide Kit
Originally posted at https://www.nektic.co/post/creating-color-schemes-for-the-ui-style-guide-kit
Any product’s success depends on having a visually appealing and consistent user interface (UI). And UI style guides have developed into a crucial tool for designers in order to accomplish this. They make it simpler for designers to construct an interface with a consistent visual style by establishing principles and upholding uniformity in design.
The color scheme is one of a UI style guide’s most important components. Choosing the proper colors is crucial to creating an aesthetically pleasing user interface (UI) since colors have a substantial impact on the overall look and feel of a product.
The process of selecting colors may seem intimidating to a young designer trying to build a UI style guide. But don’t worry, I will walk you through the process of developing color schemes for your UI style guide kit in this beginner’s tutorial, assisting you in establishing a consistent and eye-catching design.
What is 60–30–10 rule?
Each design must incorporate color, and picking the appropriate color combination may make or break a product’s visual attractiveness. A common color scheme rule used in the design business to produce visually appealing compositions is the 60–30–10 rule. According to the rule, you should use 60% of the dominant color, 30% of a secondary color, and 10% of an accent color. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced designer, the 60–30–10 color guide is a useful tool to enhance the visual appeal of your designs.
How to apply the 60–30–10 rule into your UI design
If you’re designing an app, and your brand colors are blue, white, and black. You can use the 60–30–10 rule to create a color scheme that reflects your brand and makes your app visually appealing. In this case, white can be your dominant color, taking up 60% of the color scheme, and used for the background and primary interface elements. black can be your secondary color, taking up 30% of the color scheme, and used for text, and other important interface elements. Finally, blue can be your accent color, taking up only 10% of the color scheme, and used for buttons, icons, and other important interface elements that need to stand out. By using this color scheme consistently throughout your app, you can create a cohesive and visually pleasing design that reflects your brand identity and makes your app easy to use.
Four Key Color Elements of the Style Guide UI Kit
1. Primary Color
In a color scheme or branding, the primary color is often the one that stands out. The tone and general look and feel of the design are established by the color. The primary color is frequently the first color that comes to mind when thinking about a brand or product. It is typically used for the most important design components, such as backgrounds, headers, and buttons. The foundation color, main color, or brand color are further terms for the primary color.
2. Accent Color
In UI design, an accent color is a color that is used to emphasize and provide visual appeal to certain elements. It is frequently utilized to enhance the primary color and produce a sense of harmony and balance in the design. The accent color is often used frequently throughout the design to bring emphasis to particular features, such as buttons or links, and contrasts with the primary color. The accent color can also be utilized to support brand identity and produce a distinctive visual identity for the product.
3. Neutral Color
Neutral colors are frequently used as a base or backdrop color and are considered flexible since they go well with a variety of different colors. White, black, grey, beige, taupe, and ivory are typical neutral colors. Neutral colors are frequently used to offer contrast and clarity to design elements as well as to balance and soften bright or aggressive hues. Neutral colors could be utilized for the background, text, or border components in a UI kit.
The Three Main Neutral Colors
A. Base Color
The base color is a crucial component that establishes the foundation for a design project. It can refer to a variety of things, including the color of a website or app’s background or the base color for a color scheme.
B. Neutral Colors on a Light Background
A dark neutral shade is a color that’s low in lightness and has a subdued or muted appearance in design. Dark neutral colors like black, dark grey, and dark brown are a few examples. These hues are adaptable and work well in a range of design situations, including branding, web design, and interior design.
If you want to create a dark neutral color for your design, you can start with the color black as a base and adjust its shade to your liking. A common method is to use different percentages of black to create different shades. For example, 100% black is the darkest shade, 50% black is a lighter shade, 25% black is an even lighter shade, and 10% black is the second lightest shade. You can also use 5% black as the lightest shade, but this is optional. It’s important to note that these percentages are not set in stone, and you can adjust them to your liking. However, this is a standard approach that many designers use to create shades for dark neutral colors. By adjusting the percentage of black, you can create a range of dark neutral colors that can add depth and contrast to your design.
C. Neutral Colors on a Dark Background
Light neutral colors are hues with a neutral undertone and a very light shade. These hues are frequently used in design as backgrounds or to set accent darker colors. Off-white, beige, light grey, and light tan are a few typical light neutral colors. These colors are frequently utilized in modern design styles and can help give a design a simple, minimalist impression.
To create a light neutral color for your design, you can start with the color white as a base and adjust its shade by using different percentages of white. A common approach is to use 100% white as the default color, 70% white for a lighter shade, 50% white for an even lighter shade, 35% white for the second lightest shade, and 25% white as the lightest shade (although this is optional). Just like in getting the dark neutral color, this is not the necessary percentage. You can adjust it to your liking, but this is the standard percentage used in creating the shades for the light neutral color. By adjusting the percentage of white, you can create a range of light neutral colors that can give your design a clean and modern look.
4. Feedback Color
A color used in UI design to highlight interactive features, such as buttons or links, is known as feedback color, as well known as interactive color or call-to-action color. It serves as a visual indicator for the user when they interact with the UI element and is typically a contrasting color to the design’s important color. The feedback color can help in highlighting the interactive components and enhancing the design’s overall usability and user experience.
The Three Feedback Colors
A. Success Color
Success color is a color used in user interface design to show that a user has successfully completed a task or action, like submitting a form or finishing a transaction. It usually has an uplifting or calming color, like green, and is frequently used as a success message or confirmation message. The success color can reinforce favorable user feedback, provide users with a sense of accomplishment, and enhance their entire user experience while enticing them to keep using the design or product.
B. Warning Color
In UI design, a warning color is used to signal that a potential issue or problem requires the user’s attention. It is frequently used to alert users to potential mistakes or to emphasize crucial information, such as a deadline or a warning. The warning color can serve to draw attention to the significant information or potential problem because it is often a contrasting color to the rest of the design, such as yellow or orange. By giving the user clear and effective communication, the warning color can also serve to enhance the design’s overall usability and user experience.
C. Error Color
Error color is a color that is used in UI design to show that an error has occurred or that there is a problem that needs the user’s attention. It is frequently used to draw attention to form fields or sections that need to be filled out correctly or to signal that a specific action cannot be carried out. The mistake color is often a color that contrasts with the rest of the design, like red, and it can serve to attract attention to the particular problem or error. By clearly and effectively communicating with the user, the error color can also serve to improve the design’s overall usability and user experience.
How to Create the Color Variants
This is how you can create a color variant: To make a range of different color shades, you can use the following formulas: To create a darker shade, add 50% black to the original color, or add 25% black for a slightly darker shade. For a lighter shade, add 50% white to the original color, or 75% white for an even lighter shade. To create the two lightest shades, add 90% white to the original color. Finally, for the lightest shade, add an optional 95% white to the original color.
By adjusting the amount of black or white added to the original color, you can create a wide range of color shades that will help make your designs more visually appealing and interesting. Adding black to a color makes it darker, while adding white makes it lighter. This simple yet effective technique is a great way to experiment with different colors and create the perfect look for your project, whether you’re designing a website, creating graphics, or working on any other design project.
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