Streamline Your Color and CSS Workflows

Pick a starting point in one decision step

Read each card as a branch. If the first condition in a row is not met, follow the next route.

Route map: when to move to each destination

This is the fastest triage flow for color work:

1. If your output starts from an existing art asset, open Extract a Palette first, then review whether candidate colors look coherent with brand usage.
2. If your output is already a list of hex codes, skip extraction and start at Check Contrast for text and icon pair validation.
3. If you are auditing a whole family of states, run Audit a Palette after contrast so issues are prioritized by risk.
4. If implementation is next, route to Convert Tokens and keep names semantic before export.

Decision rules, limits, and stop conditions

Use these rules as hard stops so issues are fixed before handoff.

• Never use a color purely because it is visually pleasing. Confirm that every foreground/background pair has an acceptable contrast check before marking it final.
• Stop and rework when contrast fails for any primary text, status text, or CTA pair that users will see on typical displays.
• Stop and rework when you need the same color family to represent multiple semantic meanings, such as error, warning, and disabled states. Merge or rename to avoid ambiguity.
• Do not expand gradients or glassy effects until contrast and token naming are stable. Decorative layers are optional and should not drive semantic decisions.
• Stop and hand off to implementation when color names are still descriptive only, such as "blue1" or "red_soft_v2". Replace with intent-based names like "primary", "danger" and "text-muted".

Concrete workflow sequence by output type

Follow this sequence to keep each pass testable.

Brand refresh branch

Start with palette extraction, then audit for risk, then convert approved tokens to CSS variables with semantic naming. If contrast confidence drops below your internal threshold, return to extraction and re-balance before conversion. Final handoff target is a code-ready token list.

Accessibility remediation branch

Start with contrast check, then run a full palette audit. Fix failed combinations first, then re-check only changed pairs. If two or more rounds fail on the same pair, stop design iteration and choose a different base hue family.

Handoff branch

Open token conversion only after naming and contrast decisions are complete. Export or mirror values in your normal delivery path and keep a short note with what changed and why.

Where to go next

After this hub, use explicit next steps instead of ad hoc jumps.

• Color Accessibility Audit Checklist for structured signoff criteria before release.
• Design Tokens to CSS Variables for clean production handoff language and variable strategy.
• Photoshop hub when source visuals still need cleanup, recoloring batches, or asset-level consistency checks.
• Downloads for any approved gradients, references, or token bundles you want to keep in local workflow folders.
• Archive entry for reference patterns and previous project decisions you may reuse.

Fallback map if no clear decision is possible

If you are unsure whether to remain in color tools or switch context, use this rule order:

1. Stay in this route if your question is about color meaning, contrast, or token naming.
2. Move to a guide if you need a documented process or team checklist.
3. Move to Photoshops hub if the issue is file level editing rather than palette logic.
4. Move to Downloads only after outputs are finalized and reviewed.
5. Use the archive for precedent and edge-case references when standards differ across older projects.

This order keeps your path short and auditable.