Learn color
Plain-English guides written for designers, developers, marketers and founders.
Hex color codes explained: how #000098 and every other code works
A plain-English guide to hexadecimal color codes: what the six digits mean, how to read them, shorthand, alpha and how to convert to RGB.
7 min read
Color theory basics for designers and marketers
The color wheel, harmonies, value and saturation, and the 60-30-10 rule, explained with practical examples you can apply today.
8 min read
WCAG color contrast: a practical guide to accessible colors
What contrast ratios mean, the AA and AAA thresholds in WCAG 2.2, how they are calculated and how to fix colors that fail.
8 min read
Color psychology in marketing: what the evidence actually says
How color influences recognition, attention and perception in branding and conversion, which claims are myths, and how to test colors properly.
7 min read
How to choose brand colors: a step-by-step system
A repeatable process to pick primary, secondary and neutral brand colors, test them for accessibility and document them in a style guide.
9 min read
RGB vs CMYK: getting screen colors to print correctly
Why colors shift between screen and paper, how RGB and CMYK differ, and a checklist for converting brand colors like #000098 for print.
7 min read
Designing dark mode palettes that are easy on the eyes
Practical rules for dark mode: surface colors, elevation, desaturated accents, contrast pitfalls and how to adapt a navy brand palette.
6 min read
Deep navy blues like #000098 in branding and design
Why dark saturated blues dominate finance, tech and public institutions, how #000098 compares to navy and dark blue, and palettes that pair with it.
7 min read
Using exact colors in AI image and design prompts
How to get AI image generators and AI design tools to respect brand colors: prompt wording, hex codes, palettes and post-processing.
6 min read
A short history of blue pigments, from Egyptian blue to YInMn
How humans made blue: Egyptian blue, ultramarine from lapis lazuli, indigo, Prussian blue, cobalt and the 2009 discovery of YInMn blue.
7 min read
Modern CSS color: hex, rgb(), hsl(), lab(), oklch() and color-mix()
A developer guide to every CSS color format, when to use OKLCH, how color-mix() works and how to build accessible themes with them.
8 min read
Designing for color blindness: practical rules
Types of color vision deficiency, which color pairs cause problems, and design patterns that keep charts, forms and maps readable for everyone.
6 min read