Color and Identity

Resolve brand evidence

Inspect sources in this order: approved guidelines, master logos, established product and campaign usage, direct project direction, then contextual inference. Use the Smart Hive fallback palette only when no identity exists.

Assign color roles

Separate primary identity, interaction accent, secondary support, illustration color, semantic state, and incidental color. One color can serve more than one role, but each use must remain deliberate.

Control the distribution

Keep most of the composition neutral. A useful starting relationship is 80 percent neutral structure, 15 percent restrained tonal color, and 5 percent strong action or emphasis.

Design themes independently

Light mode normally begins with pure white. Cards remain white and use quiet borders, spacing, or localized shadow for separation. Dark mode begins with controlled graphite or black and creates hierarchy with visible surface steps.

Never invert a theme mechanically. Verify text, cards, inputs, overlays, borders, states, images, and logos after switching in the running product.

Accessibility

Target at least 4.5:1 contrast for normal text and 3:1 for large text and meaningful interface boundaries. When white text fails on a bright brand color, use dark ink or deepen the action tone.