Color Sense

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name: color-sense description: Generate usable color systems for creative and design work. Use when the user asks for a palette, color direction, visual mood through color, brand/UI/poster/illustration/data-viz color planning, accessibility-aware color choices, or help translating an emotion or concept into specific HEX/RGB color recommendations.

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Color Sense

Generate a practical color system, not just a list of pretty colors.

Ask for the minimum useful input

Accept a short request, but when needed clarify:

use case: UI, brand, poster, illustration, photography grade, data visualization

target mood: calm, premium, playful, energetic, trustworthy, nostalgic

constraints: existing brand color, must-use or avoid colors, light/dark mode

accessibility needs: WCAG contrast, color-blind friendliness, print concerns

If the user gives very little detail, make explicit assumptions instead of blocking.

Output

1. Palette overview

palette name

intended use case

emotional summary in 1-2 lines

2. Core palette

Provide 5-7 colors with a clear role for each:

primary

secondary

accent

neutral dark

neutral light

background

optional status or data colors

For each color, provide:

HEX

RGB

approximate CMYK when relevant

role explanation

3. Usage system

Explain:

suggested ratio such as 60/30/10

where each color should appear

hierarchy rules

what should be rare vs dominant

4. Color logic

Explain the palette strategy in plain language:

monochromatic, analogous, complementary, split complementary, triadic, etc.

why it fits the requested mood and medium

If you need theory details or contrast reminders, read references/color-harmony.md.

5. Variants

When helpful, include:

light version

dark version

muted version

high-contrast version

6. Accessibility check

Include:

estimated contrast notes for key pairs

likely WCAG level when reasonably inferable

color-blind friendliness risks

safer alternatives if needed

Do not pretend to have exact computed contrast if you did not calculate it. Say “estimated” when needed.

7. Avoid list

Call out:

combinations likely to fail in the requested context

overused clichés

readability or print risks

8. Implementation hints

Adapt to the medium:

UI: buttons, surfaces, states, charts

brand: hero color, support palette, usage boundaries

illustration/poster: focal accents, shadow bias, atmosphere support

photography: grading direction and highlight/shadow color bias

Quality bar

Deliver palettes that are:

specific

explainable

easy to apply

not overly generic

Prefer one strong palette plus 1-2 alternates over many weak options.

Boundaries

Do:

translate mood into usable color systems

provide concrete color values and roles

discuss accessibility and practical tradeoffs

Do not:

claim print-perfect accuracy

pretend subjective taste is objective truth

replace a full brand identity process