Color Theory for Engineers

Color is one of those things that engineers often defer to designers — but having a mental model of how color works makes you a significantly better product builder. You don't need to be an artist; you need to understand the system.

We'll cover the key concepts: hue, saturation, lightness, contrast ratios for accessibility, and how modern color spaces like OKLCH give us more intuitive and perceptually uniform tools. All from the perspective of someone who thinks in code.

By the end, you'll be able to construct a meaningful color palette for your next project without guesswork — and understand why your current palette might be making things harder than they need to be.