unity-design team mailing list archive

[Jan-Christoph Borchardt <jan@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 1 April 2010 11:06, Luke Benstead <kazade@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> On 1 April 2010 10:52, Thorsten Wilms <t_w_@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > On Thu, 2010-04-01 at 10:02 +0100, Mark Shuttleworth wrote:
> >
> >> There should be a rationale and guidance for the use of the various
> >> colours. For example, red is clearly an alert colour, as is orange. When
> >> would one use red and when orange? Both indicate a caution or warning.
> >> Green indicates something that one should be aware of that is NOT a
> >> warning or caution, such as a message. So I would expect the document to
> >> include:
> >
> > Leaving color-deficient-vision issues aside (the usual advice is to not
> > rely on color alone, but to use other clues such as shape):
> >
> > Red is used to mean Stop on traffic signs and lights. It stands for
> > record armed or in progress in the audio realm.
> >
> > I'd use orange for warnings and red for state or use only one of the 2.
> >
> > Taking from traffic and audio again, green stands for go!, you-can-pass,
> > playing (playback, not toys). It shouldn't be used if something is not
> > in an all-OK state, I think.
>
> Also, someone mentioned (I can't remember where, a forum or something)
> that Blue is usually associated with conveying general information
> which is certainly the case for road signs in the UK at least, and
> searching Google images for "information icon" comes up with a load of
> Blue icons :)


> I'd suggest that Blue makes more sense for something like "new mail"
> rather than Green.
>
> e.g.
>
> Red = Error/Alert
> Orange/Amber = Warning (it could be argued that restart required
> belongs here really (e.g. security update))
> Blue = Information (e.g new mail)
> Green = It's OK for you to go ahead and do something (e.g. signing
> into something)
>
> Although +1 for the icons changing with the colour.



Indeed, Blue seems to be more of a passive color. It is informing, not
necessarily demanding to take action. (True for German road signs as well.)

Plus, the standard link color is Blue. Though this may be a counter-point to
the »not demanding to take action«.

It also is neither positive nor negative (e. g. new mails are not always
good).

Colors mixed with Blue have a similar effect on the base color, making it
less active: Green -> Turquoise; Red -> Purple (already used ;D).