Color appearance phenomena

Bezold effect

A color's hue, chroma, and lightness may appear different when surrounded by different colors.

This effect is similar to simultaneous contrast and affected by spatial color mixing.

How it affects UI design

Color appearance will change based on adjacent colors.

Colors will appear different in dark mode. In some cases, unique color values may be recommended in dark mode.

Sources:

  1. Mary Stewart (2006). Launching the imagination: a comprehensive guide to basic design. 2nd edition. McGraw-Hill. Pages 55-56
  2. Linda Holtzschue (2017). Understanding color: an introduction for designers. 5th edition. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Pages 122-123
  3. Bezold effect. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bezold_effect