Six tips for choosing the right UI colours
Choose UI colours by starting from the brand, assigning clear roles such as primary, neutral and semantic colours, limiting the palette, checking contrast against accessibility standards, planning shades for states and dark mode, and testing colours in real screens with real users. A well-structured colour system keeps interfaces clear, consistent and accessible.
Why colour choices matter
Colour is one of the most powerful tools in interface design. It draws attention to important actions, groups related elements, communicates status and expresses brand personality. Used well, colour makes interfaces easier to scan and understand. Used poorly, it creates confusion, makes text hard to read and excludes people with visual impairments.
Good UI colour is less about picking attractive shades and more about building a system. Each colour should have a clear role, appear consistently and work in every context where it is used, including different states, backgrounds and themes. The six tips below describe how to build that system. Our modern UI design guide covers how colour fits with layout and typography.
The six tips at a glance
| Tip | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| 1. Start from the brand | Keeps the interface recognisable and on brand |
| 2. Define colour roles | Makes meaning consistent across the product |
| 3. Limit the palette | Reduces noise and keeps focus on what matters |
| 4. Check contrast | Ensures text and controls are readable for everyone |
| 5. Plan states and themes | Covers hover, focus, error and dark mode |
| 6. Test in context | Confirms colours work on real screens with real users |
1. Start from the brand
Most products begin with brand colours from a logo or identity guidelines. These colours are a starting point, but they often need adapting for screens. A bright brand colour may be too intense for large areas or too light for text. Create a range of lighter and darker shades of each brand colour so you can use it in buttons, backgrounds, borders and text while keeping contrast and comfort.
2. Define colour roles
Assign each colour a job rather than picking colours screen by screen. Common roles include a primary colour for main actions and key brand moments, neutral greys for text, backgrounds and borders, and semantic colours for success, warning, error and information. Some systems add a secondary or accent colour for occasional highlights.
- Primary: Main buttons, links and active states.
- Neutrals: Text, backgrounds, dividers and inactive elements.
- Semantic: Green for success, amber for warning, red for errors, blue for information.
- Accent: Occasional highlights, badges or illustrations, used sparingly.
3. Limit the palette
Interfaces with too many colours feel chaotic and make it hard to know what matters. A common approach is to use neutrals for most of the interface, the primary colour for key actions and semantic colours only where they carry meaning. This keeps attention on the elements that need it and makes the interface feel calm and professional.
4. Check contrast
Accessible contrast is essential. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines require a contrast ratio of at least 4.5 to 1 for normal text and 3 to 1 for large text and important interface elements such as input borders and icons. Light brand colours often fail these tests when used for text, so you may need darker shades for text and buttons. Contrast checker tools make it easy to test combinations. Our guide to accessibility in UI/UX design covers the full standards.
- Check every text and background combination
- Use darker shades of brand colours for text
- Ensure buttons and inputs meet non-text contrast
- Never rely on colour alone; add icons or text
- Test with colour-blindness simulators
5. Plan states and themes
Interactive elements need colours for several states: default, hover, focus, pressed, disabled and error. Define these as shades in your palette so they are consistent everywhere. If your product supports dark mode, create a separate set of colour values for dark surfaces, usually with lighter, less saturated versions of brand colours. Our guide to dark UI design explains how.
6. Test colours in context
Colours can look very different on a palette swatch than in a real interface surrounded by text, images and other colours. Apply the palette to real screens, view them on different devices and in different lighting, and ask users whether actions, statuses and messages are clear. Adjust shades where needed before finalising the system.
Colour meaning and culture
Colours carry associations that vary between cultures and contexts. Red often signals errors or danger in interfaces, but it can also be associated with celebration or luck in some cultures. Green commonly indicates success and is also widely used in Gulf brands. For international and regional products, test colour choices with your audiences and always pair colour with clear text or icons so meaning is not lost.
Building colour into your design system
- Define tokens: Name colours by role, such as color-primary or color-text-secondary.
- Create shades: Generate a range of lighter and darker values for each colour.
- Document usage: Explain where each colour should and should not be used.
- Support themes: Provide light and dark values for every token.
- Review regularly: Check that new screens follow the system.
Defining colours as tokens makes updates easy and keeps every team consistent. Our guide to building a design system from zero shows how tokens fit into a wider system.
Frequently asked questions
How many colours should a UI use?
Usually a primary colour, a set of neutrals and four semantic colours, plus an optional accent, each with a range of shades.
What contrast ratio does text need?
WCAG AA requires at least 4.5 to 1 for normal text and 3 to 1 for large text.
Should buttons always use the brand colour?
Primary buttons usually do, but the shade may need adjusting to meet contrast requirements.
How do we design colours for colour-blind users?
Ensure strong contrast, avoid relying on colour alone and test with colour-blindness simulators.