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Color

Before you ship

A practical checklist for colour decisions. Work through it before handing off or publishing a design.

0

of 16 checked

Palette

A primary, secondary, and neutral palette is defined with no more than 8 colours
Each colour has a defined role — no colour is used without purpose
The palette has been tested in greyscale and value contrast is maintained

Contrast

All text on coloured backgrounds meets WCAG AA contrast (4.5:1 for body, 3:1 for large text)
Interactive elements (links, buttons) are distinguishable from non-interactive ones
Disabled states are visually distinct but still meet minimum contrast (3:1)

Accessibility

Colour is never the only way to convey information — a secondary cue is always present
The palette has been tested with a colour-blindness simulator
Error, warning, success, and info states use icons or labels in addition to colour

Semantic Use

Functional colours (error red, success green) are used consistently throughout
The accent colour draws attention only to the most important interactive element
No colour is used in multiple semantic roles (e.g. both primary action and warning)

Dark Mode

Dark mode colours have been set manually — not just inverted from light mode
Shadows and elevation are adjusted for dark backgrounds
Saturated colours are toned down in dark mode to avoid glowing
All contrast ratios have been re-checked in dark mode

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