Notes · UI Design
UI Design
7 issues tagged with this topic.
Issue 0282026-05-28
Dark mode color systems: why most implementations get it wrong
Dark mode is not just a color inversion. Building a proper dark mode palette requires rethinking the entire color hierarchy — with different luminance relationships, contrast ratios, and chromatic intensity requirements than light mode.
Dark ModeColor SystemsUI DesignAccessibility
Issue 0252026-05-07
Color and typography: the interaction most designers underestimate
Type color isn't just a contrast problem. The hue and saturation of text affects reading speed, fatigue, and perceived professionalism. How the color of type interacts with its weight, size, and the background behind it.
TypographyColor TheoryReadabilityUI Design
Issue 0362026-07-23
How color functions as wayfinding in complex interfaces
Navigation is not only structural — it is also chromatic. When color is applied to navigation consistently, users develop a mental map of the product space without consciously registering that color is doing the work. When color is applied inconsistently, navigation becomes slower and more effortful.
NavigationUI DesignColor Systems
Issue 0372026-08-13
Yellow in UI: the most misused accent color, and how to use it correctly
Yellow is the most perceptually powerful color in the spectrum — at equal saturation, it appears brighter than any other hue to the human eye. That intensity makes it the most effective accent color for drawing attention, and the most likely to fail WCAG contrast tests when used carelessly.
Color TheoryUI DesignAccessibility
Issue 0392026-09-03
How color creates visual hierarchy without touching your typefaces
Typography is not the only tool for hierarchy — color value, saturation, and surface contrast can do just as much work. Understanding how these variables interact lets you build interfaces where the reading order is obvious without relying on font weight alone.
UI DesignVisual HierarchyColor Systems
Issue 0412026-09-17
Color and component states: building interactive color systems
A button has more than one color. Every interactive element in a UI has at least four states — default, hover, active, and disabled — and each requires its own color specification. Building state colors deliberately, rather than picking them on the fly, is one of the highest-leverage decisions in UI palette work.
UI DesignColor SystemsInteractive Design
Issue 0432026-10-01
Designing for color blindness: how to make palettes that work for everyone
About 8% of males have some form of color vision deficiency. For most design outputs — UI, data visualization, infographics — that is too large a portion of your audience to leave to chance. Accessible palettes are not a constraint on creativity. They are a higher-order design skill.
AccessibilityColor TheoryUI Design
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