Luminosity in UI Design
Feb 17, 2025
·
2 min read
Understanding luminosity in UI design is essential for creating visually balanced and accessible interfaces. By mastering the relationship between hue, saturation, and brightness (H, S, B), designers can enhance color variations and improve usability.
Let’s explore how luminosity in UI design impacts perception and how you can use it to your advantage.
Fundamentals of color theory
Hue, saturation, and brightness are fundamentals of color theory.
Hue: The position of a color on the color wheel.
Saturation: The intensity of a color—how vivid or muted it appears.
Brightness: The measure of lightness versus darkness in a color.
Luminosity
Luminosity in UI design refers to the perceived brightness of a color.
For example, yellow appears brighter than blue even when both have the same saturation and brightness levels.
How perceived brightness relates to H, S, and B
In the visual example below, you can see how perceived brightness interacts with hue, saturation, and brightness, and helps designers make informed color choices.
Create better color variations with luminosity
When making color variations, you are not limited to adjusting brightness and saturation. Instead, shift the hue towards points of lower luminosity in UI design for better contrast and readability.
Lighter color variations
For lighter color variations, shift hue towards peaks. Yellow, cyan, and magenta are luminosity peaks. They are all secondary UI colors.
Darker color variations
For darker color variations, shift hue towards bottoms. Red, green, and blue are primary UI colors and they are luminosity bottoms.
Conclusion
Mastering luminosity in UI design allows designers to create visually appealing and accessible color schemes. By strategically adjusting hue, saturation, and brightness, you can improve readability, contrast, and overall user experience. Implement these principles to refine your UI color strategy and craft stunning, high-performing designs.
Fundamentals of color theory
Hue, saturation, and brightness are fundamentals of color theory.
Hue: The position of a color on the color wheel.
Saturation: The intensity of a color—how vivid or muted it appears.
Brightness: The measure of lightness versus darkness in a color.
Luminosity
Luminosity in UI design refers to the perceived brightness of a color.
For example, yellow appears brighter than blue even when both have the same saturation and brightness levels.
How perceived brightness relates to H, S, and B
In the visual example below, you can see how perceived brightness interacts with hue, saturation, and brightness, and helps designers make informed color choices.
Create better color variations with luminosity
When making color variations, you are not limited to adjusting brightness and saturation. Instead, shift the hue towards points of lower luminosity in UI design for better contrast and readability.
Lighter color variations
For lighter color variations, shift hue towards peaks. Yellow, cyan, and magenta are luminosity peaks. They are all secondary UI colors.
Darker color variations
For darker color variations, shift hue towards bottoms. Red, green, and blue are primary UI colors and they are luminosity bottoms.
Conclusion
Mastering luminosity in UI design allows designers to create visually appealing and accessible color schemes. By strategically adjusting hue, saturation, and brightness, you can improve readability, contrast, and overall user experience. Implement these principles to refine your UI color strategy and craft stunning, high-performing designs.
If you aren't following us on Instagram already, you're seriously missing out! Become a part of our ever-growing community and learn something new from the field of product design every. single. day.
Happy designing! 🥳
andrija & supercharge design team
If you aren't following us on Instagram already, you're seriously missing out! Become a part of our ever-growing community and learn something new from the field of product design every. single. day.
Happy designing! 🥳
andrija & supercharge design team
