colorize

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• SKILL.md

SKILL.md (first lines)

> Adapted from [impeccable](https://github.com/pbakaus/impeccable) by Paul Bakaus, used under the Apache License 2.0. Modified for this collection; see [NOTICE.md](../../../NOTICE.md) for what changed.

Strategically introduce color to designs that are too monochromatic, gray, or lacking in visual warmth and personality.

## MANDATORY PREPARATION

### Context Gathering (Do This First)

You cannot do a great job without having necessary context, such as target audience (critical), desired use-cases (critical), brand personality/tone, and especially existing brand colors.

Attempt to gather these from the current thread or codebase.

1. If you don't find *exact* information and have to infer from existing design and functionality, you MUST STOP and STOP and call the AskUserQuestionTool to clarify. whether you got it right.
2. Otherwise, if you can't fully infer or your level of confidence is medium or lower, you MUST STOP and call the AskUserQuestionTool to clarify. clarifying questions first to complete your context.

Do NOT proceed until you have answers. Guessing leads to generic AI slop colors.

### Use frontend-design skill

Use the frontend-design skill for design principles and anti-patterns. Do NOT proceed until it has executed and you know all DO's and DON'Ts.

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## Assess Color Opportunity

Analyze the current state and identify opportunities:

1. **Understand current state**:
   - **Color absence**: Pure grayscale? Limited neutrals? One timid accent?
   - **Missed opportunities**: Where could color add meaning, hierarchy, or delight?
   - **Context**: What's appropriate for this domain and audience?
   - **Brand**: Are there existing brand colors we should use?

2. **Identify where color adds value**:
   - **Semantic meaning**: Success (green), error (red), warning (yellow/orange), info (blue)
   - **Hierarchy**: Drawing attention to important elements
   - **Categorization**: Different sections, types, or states
   - **Emotional tone**: Warmth, energy, trust, creativity
   - **Wayfinding**: Helping users navigate and understand structure
   - **Delight**: Moments of visual interest and personality

If any of these are unclear from the codebase, STOP and call the AskUserQuestionTool to clarify.

**CRITICAL**: More color ≠ better. Strategic color beats rainbow vomit every time. Every color should have a purpose.

## Plan Color Strategy

Create a purposeful color introduction plan:

- **Color palette**: What colors match the brand/context? (Choose 2-4 colors max beyond neutrals)
- **Dominant color**: Which color owns 60% of colored elements?
- **Accent colors**: Which colors provide contrast and highlights? (30% and 10%)
- **Application strategy**: Where does each color appear and why?

**IMPORTANT**: Color should enhance hierarchy and meaning, not create chaos. Less is more when it matters more.

## Introduce Color Strategically

Add color systematically across these dimensions:

### Semantic Color
- **State indicators**:
  - Success: Green tones (emerald, forest, mint)
  - Error: Red/pink tones (rose, crimson, coral)
  - Warning: Orange/amber tones
  - Info: Blue tones (sky, ocean, indigo)
  - Neutral: Gray/slate for inactive states

- **Status badges**: Colored backgrounds or borders for states (active, pending, completed, etc.)
- **Progress indicators**: Colored bars, rings, or charts showing completion or health

### Accent Color Application
- **Primary actions**: Color the most important buttons/CTAs
- **Links**: Add color to clickable text (maintain accessibility)
- **Icons**: Colorize key icons for recognition and personality
- **Headers/titles**: Add color to section headers or key labels
- **Hover states**: Introduce color on interaction

### Background & Surfaces
- **Tinted backgrounds**: Replace pure gray (`#f5f5f5`) with warm neutrals (`oklch(97% 0.01 60)`) or cool tints (`oklch(97% 0.01 250)`)
- **Colored sections**: Use subtle background colors to separate areas
- **Gradient backgrounds**: Add depth with subtle, intentional gradients (not generic purple-blue)
- **Cards & surfaces**: Tint cards or surfaces slightly for warmth

**Use OKLCH for color**: It's perceptually uniform, meaning equal steps in lightness *look* equal. Great for generating harmonious scales.

### Data Visualization
- **Charts & graphs**: Use color to encode categories or values
- **Heatmaps**: Color intensity shows density or importance
- **Comparison**: Color coding for different datasets or timeframes

### Borders & Accents
- **Accent borders**: Add colored left/top borders to cards or sections
- **Underlines**: Color underlines for emphasis or active states
- **Dividers**: Subtle colored dividers instead of gray lines
- **Focus rings**: Colored focus indicators matching brand

### Typography Color
- **Colored headings**: Use brand colors for section headings (maintain contrast)
- **Highlight text**: Color for emphasis or categories
- **Labels & tags**: Small colored labels for metadata or categories

### Decorative Elements
- **Illustrations**: Add colored illustrations or icons
- **Shapes**: Geometric shapes in brand colors as background elements
- **Gradients**: Colorful gradient overlays or mesh backgrounds
- **Blobs/organic shapes**: Soft colored shapes for visual interest

## Balance & Refinement

Ensure color addition improves rather than overwhelms:

### Maintain Hierarchy
- **Dominant color** (60%): Primary brand color or most used accent
- **Secondary color** (30%): Supporting color for variety
- **Accent color** (10%): High contrast for key moments
- **Neutrals** (remaining): Gray/black/white for structure

### Accessibility
- **Contrast ratios**: Ensure WCAG compliance (4.5:1 for text, 3:1 for UI components)

From wpgaurav/WordPress-skills, Apache-2.0.

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