coastdigitalgroup/coastai-skills

Accessible Color System

Purpose

The Accessible Color System skill provides a methodology for creating color palettes that are visually cohesive and functionally accessible. It moves beyond aesthetic color choice to a structured system of scales, contrast-safe pairings, and semantic application, ensuring that content is perceivable by all users, including those with visual impairments.

Use Cases

• Establishing a new brand's digital color presence.
• Auditing and fixing an existing website's accessibility issues related to color.
• Designing Dark/Light mode themes.
• Defining semantic colors for feedback (success, error, warning).

When NOT to Use

• Art-Driven Experiences: Where color is used purely for expression and does not carry functional information (though accessibility is still encouraged).
• Hard-Coded Legacy Apps: Where the technical debt makes implementing a system of variables impossible (focus on point-fixes instead).
• Purely Decorative Elements: Elements like background patterns that do not contain text or interactive components (WCAG 1.4.3 doesn't apply here).

Inputs

To generate an accessible color system, you need:

1. Primary Brand Color: The core color that identifies the brand (e.g., #0055FF).
2. Neutral Base: A starting point for grays/blacks (e.g., #1A1A1A or a tinted neutral).
3. Accessibility Target: WCAG Level AA (standard) or AAA (enhanced).
4. Context of Use: Is this for a high-density dashboard, a marketing landing page, or a utility-first application?

Outputs

1. Color Scales: Tonal palettes for Primary, Secondary, Neutral, and Semantic colors (usually 10-step scales).
2. Contrast Matrix: A map of which foreground colors are safe to use on which background colors.
3. Semantic Mapping: Defined roles for colors (e.g., --color-action-primary, --color-surface-muted).
4. CSS Custom Properties: A production-ready block of CSS variables, optionally using color-mix() to derive hover/active tints from a single base token instead of hand-picking every state color.

Workflow

1. Generate Tonal Scales

Expand the base colors into scales (e.g., 50 to 900). Use a tool or formula that maintains consistent lightness steps. Working in the OKLCH color space (rather than HSL) produces more perceptually even lightness steps across hues, which makes contrast easier to predict before testing. Tip: Ensure your Primary 500 or 600 is the "brand" version.

2. Define Neutrals

Create a neutral scale. Consider "tinting" the neutrals with a small amount of the primary color (e.g., 2-5%) to create a more cohesive look.

3. Establish Semantic Roles

Assign colors to functional roles:

• Action: Primary color for buttons, links, and active states.
• Surface: Backgrounds, cards, and dividers (Neutrals).
• Content: Text and icons (High-contrast Neutrals).
• Status: Success (Green), Warning (Yellow/Orange), Error (Red), Info (Blue).

4. Perform Contrast Validation

Test pairings using WCAG formulas (1.4.3, 1.4.11):

• Normal Text: 4.5:1 for AA, 7:1 for AAA.
• Large Text (>18pt): 3:1 for AA, 4.5:1 for AAA.
• UI Components/Icons: 3:1 for AA (non-text contrast, 1.4.11).
• Focus Indicators: 3:1 against adjacent colors, and the indicator must not be hidden by sticky headers or other content (WCAG 2.2 SC 2.4.11, Focus Not Obscured).

5. Create Pairing Rules

Document which text colors can go on which backgrounds. Example: White text (#FFFFFF) is only safe on Primary 600 or higher.

Decision Rules

• Legibility First: Function (readability) always overrides aesthetics. If a brand color is too light for text, use a darker variant for the text while keeping the brand color for decorative elements.
• Avoid Color Alone: Never rely on color as the only way to convey information (e.g., include an icon or text label with an error message).
• Consistent Lightness: Keep lightness values similar across different hues at the same scale level (e.g., Red 500 and Blue 500 should have similar perceived brightness).

Constraints

• Responsiveness: Colors must maintain contrast on mobile screens where glare or low-quality displays might reduce visibility.
• Accessibility: Must meet at least WCAG 2.2 AA standards for all functional elements, including the 2.4.11 requirement that focus indicators remain visible and unobscured.
• Hierarchy: Use color saturation and contrast to guide the eye; more important elements (CTAs) should have higher visual weight.

Common Failure Patterns

• Insufficient Contrast: Using light gray text on a white background or white text on a light brand color.
• Vibrating Colors: Pairing high-saturation colors (like red and green) that cause visual strain.
• Too Many Colors: Creating a "rainbow" effect that dilutes brand identity and confuses hierarchy.
• Semantic Misuse: Using "Error Red" for a decorative element, leading to user anxiety.

Validation Criteria

• Every functional text element has a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 against its background.
• UI components (borders, icons) have at least 3:1 contrast.
• The system includes a clear scale for primary and neutral colors.
• Information is never conveyed through color alone.
• The system is documented using CSS custom properties for portability.