05 Color Studies

Color studies define process, not arbitrary color choice. Final color tokens must come from the Palette & Color Library.

Palette Creation Workflow

1. Start from gameplay role and faction.

2. Select candidate tokens from approved palette files.

3. Build primary, secondary, accent, glow, shadow, highlight, and outline roles.

4. Test contrast against common backgrounds.

5. Test 100%, 75%, 50%, and 25% readability.

6. Test accessibility alternatives.

7. Record accepted token IDs in machine-readable definitions.

Contrast Tests

| Test | Pass Criteria |

| --- | --- |

| Grayscale | role remains readable |

| Background swap | silhouette stays clear |

| FX overlap | attack intent remains visible |

| UI proximity | no confusion with HUD warnings |

| Accessibility | alternate palette preserves gameplay information |

Rejection Rules

• Reject colors introduced outside the palette library.
• Reject palettes where accent color carries all readability.
• Reject hero palettes that merge into common enemy or background palettes.