Color fundamentals

The neutral palette consists of black, white, and grays. The neutral palette is dominant in our UI, using subtle shifts in value to create hierarchy and organize content.

Stacks uses 5 colors with 6 stops per color. Colors are used sparingly and intentionally to convey meaning, draw attention to UI, or create associations.

Stacks has 3 award colors with 4 stops per color. Colors are used to represent gold, silver, and bronze within gamification aspects of our products.

Color roles describe the intention behind the color.

Stops 50 through 200 are used for background layers

Stops 200 and 225 are used for decorative borders and dividers throughout our UI. The 250 stop is used for input borders such as text field or secondary button.

Stops 500 and 600 can be used for text. Neutrals, blue, red, and green can also be used at 400 and will meet APCA contrast minimums within these shades. Orange and yellow should not be used at 400 because it does not meet our contrast standards.

Stops 400 and 500 are for icons, while 350 should be used for more detailed illustrations.

Colors in the neutral palette are layered on top of each other to foster a sense of hierarchy and create associations.

Emphasis determines the amount of contrast a color has against the default surface. Emphasis has a range from subtle to bold. Bold emphasis has more contrast against the background, which adds more attention than using UI with the subtle or default emphasis level.

In Stacks, a component will get darker (or lighter in dark mode) as they interact with it. These progresses happen by adding 100 to the color before the interaction happens. Example: Blue-400 on hover becomes Blue-500. For a disabled button state, subtract 100 from the default color.

Stacks supports light, dark, and high contrast modes. By using Stacks, you will get each of these modes for free. By using a Stacks component, an atomic color class, or CSS variable directly, your theme will switch appropriately based on the following methods:

1. You can apply .theme-system to the body element. This will change colors based on the prefers-color-scheme media query, which is ultimately powered by the user’s system or browser settings. This can be preferable for folks who have their system turn to dark mode based on ambient light or time of day.
2. Alternatively, you can set a dark mode that is not system dependent by attaching .theme-dark to the body element.
3. Adding .theme-highcontrast to the body element will boost colors to WCAG Level AAA contrast ratios in as many places as possible. This mode stacks on top of both light and dark modes. The only exception is branded themed colors remain untouched by high contrast mode.

There are also conditional classes that can be applied to override assumed dark mode colors, force light mode, or to force dark mode. Forcing modes can be good for previews in admin-only situations.

Stacks aims to equip you with an accessible color palette. The standard light and dark modes have been tested against APCA color standards, while high contrast modes have been tested against WCAG AAA. Most of our color combinations meet the APCA levels defined below. We also offer high contrast mode which offers a greater level of contrast.