Highlighter
Educational, clear, optimistic · Aesthetary’s guidance, not research
A clean page and one highlighter pen: what to learn next is marked in yellow.
#FCFCFA, canvas, 58%. #F2F4F7, surface, 18%. #1A1D24, text and primary action, 17%. #4D5361, muted text, 4%. #FFE14D, accent, 3%.
Suggested proportions
- 58% Canvas
- 18% Surface
- 12% Text
- 5% Primary action
- 4% Muted text
- 3% Accent
In use
New
Spreadsheets, from blank to budget.
Six Tuesday evenings. No experience needed.
EnrollCourse outline
Next: lesson 3, formulas
Two of six done.
Start date
Choose a start date.
Lesson 2 complete.
Using it well
22 color pairs are approved for use. 6 pairs are not for text; the ones that matter most for this palette:
- Accent on Canvas Not for text. Yellow is 1.27:1: a highlight behind dark text, never text or an icon.
Roles
14 colors, their HEX values, what each is for and where it comes from
| Role | Color | Use | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canvas | #FCFCFA | The page ground. | Aesthetary’s guidance |
| Surface | #F2F4F7 | Cards, panels and fields. | Aesthetary’s guidance |
| Text | #1A1D24 | All reading text and headings. | Aesthetary’s guidance |
| Muted text | #4D5361 | Secondary text and captions. | Aesthetary’s guidance |
| Primary action | #1A1D24 | The primary action, and links where it passes as text. | Aesthetary’s guidance |
| Text on primary | #FFFFFF | Label on the primary action. | Aesthetary’s guidance |
| Secondary action | #1A1D24 | Secondary action: label and outline. | Aesthetary’s guidance |
| Border | #DDE1E8 | Hairlines and dividers. Decorative only; never a field’s only edge. | Aesthetary’s guidance |
| Input border | #7C8494 | The edge of an input, where it is the only boundary. | Aesthetary’s guidance |
| Accent | #FFE14D | Highlighter yellow behind the next thing to learn, with dark text over it. | Aesthetary’s guidance |
| Focus | #1A1D24 | Focus ring, 2px, offset from the control. | Aesthetary’s guidance |
| Success | #1E7A46 | Confirmation, always with a word or icon. | Aesthetary’s guidance |
| Warning | #8A5A00 | Warnings, always with a word or icon. | Aesthetary’s guidance |
| Error | #B3261E | Errors, always with a word or icon. | Aesthetary’s guidance |
Contrast, by use
22 approved pairs, all passing · 6 not for text
WCAG 2 ratios, computed from the colors. Text needs 4.5:1; large text (24px, or 18.66px bold) and non-text (a focus ring, a field’s only edge, an icon) need 3:1. Only the pairs listed as approved are recommended.
Approved pairs
| Pair | Contrast | Needs | For | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Text on Canvas | 16.42:1 | 4.5:1 | TextReading text | Passes |
| Text on Surface | 15.31:1 | 4.5:1 | TextReading text | Passes |
| Muted text on Canvas | 7.50:1 | 4.5:1 | TextSecondary text, captions | Passes |
| Muted text on Surface | 6.99:1 | 4.5:1 | TextSecondary text, captions | Passes |
| Text on primary on Primary action | 16.87:1 | 4.5:1 | TextLabel on the primary action | Passes |
| Secondary action on Canvas | 16.42:1 | 4.5:1 | TextSecondary action: label and outline | Passes |
| Secondary action on Surface | 15.31:1 | 4.5:1 | TextSecondary action: label and outline | Passes |
| Primary action on Canvas | 16.42:1 | 4.5:1 | TextLinks and small text in the action color | Passes |
| Primary action on Surface | 15.31:1 | 4.5:1 | TextLinks and small text in the action color | Passes |
| Focus on Canvas | 16.42:1 | 3:1 | Non-text (3:1)Focus ring | Passes |
| Focus on Surface | 15.31:1 | 3:1 | Non-text (3:1)Focus ring | Passes |
| Input border on Canvas | 3.66:1 | 3:1 | Non-text (3:1)Input edge, the only boundary of a field | Passes |
| Input border on Surface | 3.41:1 | 3:1 | Non-text (3:1)Input edge, the only boundary of a field | Passes |
| Success on Canvas | 5.21:1 | 4.5:1 | TextStatus message, always with a word or icon | Passes |
| Success on Surface | 4.85:1 | 4.5:1 | TextStatus message, always with a word or icon | Passes |
| Warning on Canvas | 5.77:1 | 4.5:1 | TextStatus message, always with a word or icon | Passes |
| Warning on Surface | 5.38:1 | 4.5:1 | TextStatus message, always with a word or icon | Passes |
| Error on Canvas | 6.36:1 | 4.5:1 | TextStatus message, always with a word or icon | Passes |
| Error on Surface | 5.93:1 | 4.5:1 | TextStatus message, always with a word or icon | Passes |
| Accent on Canvas | 1.27:1 | — | DecorativeAccent as a fill; meaning carried by a word too | Passes |
| Accent on Surface | 1.18:1 | — | DecorativeAccent as a fill; meaning carried by a word too | Passes |
| Text on Accent | 12.95:1 | 4.5:1 | TextText set on the accent fill | Passes |
Not for text
- Accent on Canvas 1.27:1. Not for text. Fill or decoration only. Yellow is 1.27:1: a highlight behind dark text, never text or an icon.
- Accent on Surface 1.18:1. Not for text. Fill or decoration only. Under 3:1: a fill or decoration only. Never text, an icon or a field’s only edge.
- Border on Canvas 1.28:1. Not for text. Fill or decoration only. Under 3:1: a fill or decoration only. Never text, an icon or a field’s only edge.
- Border on Surface 1.19:1. Not for text. Fill or decoration only. Under 3:1: a fill or decoration only. Never text, an icon or a field’s only edge.
- Input border on Canvas 3.66:1. Not for text. Non-text only. An edge or ring, not a text color.
- Input border on Surface 3.41:1. Not for text. Non-text only. An edge or ring, not a text color.
What makes it characteristic
Clarity first: a bright white page, ink-blue-black type and buttons, generous status colors for progress. The optimism is one yellow, used the way a student uses a highlighter, behind the words that matter.
Avoids: Primary-color rainbow; school-bus yellow and blue.
Limits of this palette
- Course and subject colors are never the only label; progress reads without color.
Related
Shares a principle with (Aesthetary’s guidance)Swiss Style, Neo-Brutalism
Related palettesFlat Signal, Outline and Fill, Cold Press, Field Day