Give each color a clear job.

Name the main color groups and explain what each color does in a design.

Watch the lesson.

Color and the color wheel

Words to know.

Hue

A color family, such as blue or red.

A color wheel arranges hues—color families such as red, yellow, and blue—in a circle. It helps you compare neighboring and opposite colors.

Slide 3.

Palette

The set of colors you choose for a design.

A swatch is one small sample of a color. A palette is the group of colors you choose for a design. Here navy is used for words, blue for the action, cream for the background, and white for words on the button.

Primary brand color

The main color used to help people recognize a product or company.

Status color

A color used to help show what happened, such as an error or success. Use a clear message with it.

What to look for.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

See it.
Say it.
Check it.

Use these prompts as you work through this lesson.

Point to one color and explain its job: for example, “This blue button shows where to book.”

For exampleA cream background keeps the blue booking button easy to spot.

Separate what you can see from what you are guessing about the audience.

For exampleYou can see that the button is blue; you cannot know who prefers blue from a screenshot.

Check readability after you apply colors, not only while you look at the swatches.

For exampleAfter applying color, check that the button label is still easy to read.