Signal yellow leads the system.
Yellow is the primary orientation plane. Black rules, off-white surfaces, red command cues and proof imagery keep it technical, legible and commercially serious.
Primary visual route
Yellow lab
System first
Proof-led
Useful blocks
Warm control
Black
White
Canvas
Signal Yellow
Control Red
Umber
Soft Sage
Deep Sage
Roasted Umber
Warm Taupe
Soft Oat
Cream Tint
Tints create surface hierarchy.
Use warm and technical tints to separate sections, panels and diagrams without turning colour into decoration. White should mostly stay reserved for cards and proof surfaces that need to lift from the page.
#FAF8F2
Canvas
Warm supporting background
Use for secondary editorial sections and quieter long-form pages. It supports yellow lab rather than replacing it as the lead surface.
#EFE8DA
Parchment
Dividers and quiet fills
Use for technical table rows, separators, low-emphasis metadata bands and inactive surfaces.
#F7F1E8
Cream Tint
Subtle warm tint
Use for very quiet section shifts, diagram grounds and hover states. It should read as warmth in the paper, not as a coloured block.
#E8DDCE
Soft Oat
Soft depth tint
Use sparingly for secondary panels and technical annotations that need a little more separation than Cream Tint.
Semantic colour is a signal system.
Use semantic colours when they clarify state, route, severity or meaning. Avoid using them as interchangeable accents, especially across serious technical or conversion surfaces.
#FCE155
Signal
Primary orientation layer
Use for page leads, navigation, selected markers, route emphasis and the clearest next action. Pair it with black rules, off-white surfaces and real proof so it feels like a system, not decoration.
#EF3F36
Command
Urgency and active emphasis
Use for destructive actions, critical notices, active technical states and controlled moments of brand energy.
#A9CFA5
Success
Confirmed or complete
Use when something has passed, completed, connected or been approved. Keep it factual, not celebratory.
#3F7049
Grounded
Acoustics and physical environment
Use for acoustic, environmental, sustainability or room-condition signals where a grounded green meaning is helpful.
#6E4E32
Umber
Technical support state
Use for diagrams, system roles, AV infrastructure and calm information states that need more weight than taupe.