Eight ways colour is allowed to appear. The list is closed. A surface that needs something else gets the device added to the library first, never improvised on the page.
The eight
| Device | What it is | Where it belongs |
|---|---|---|
| BAND | A whole range, run end to end. | A document cover or an index. Once per document. |
| STRIP | One family, its three steps, as a run. | A section mark. Inset to the text margin, never full bleed. |
| MARKER | A single short bar at one tone. | Flagging a block. The smallest legible mark. |
| CHIP INDEX | A row of chips standing for a set. | A legend, a key, a range selector. |
| CHIP BAND | Chips in a continuous run, no gaps. | Showing a whole wheel compactly. |
| CHIP SINGLE | One filled node. | Nav rows, table cells, tiles. The workhorse. |
| SPINE | A vertical run down an edge. | Framing a card or a column without cutting it. |
| MIDI | Clip and piano-roll language. Data becomes notes. | Social, in the Ableton view. Not the storefront. |
Rules that apply to all eight
- Flat. No gradient, no sheen, no texture. The one sanctioned exception is a continuous chip rendering a whole wheel, because it is showing a range rather than a tone.
- Full core saturation. Inactive chips included. Size marks the active one.
- Square. Radius is zero across the whole system.
- Inset, not bled. A mark sits inside the text margin. Full-bleed cuts a sheet instead of holding it.
- One opener and one pop per page. A budget, not a suggestion.
BAND, and why it is rationed
A BAND is the loudest thing in the system, so it appears once per document and only where the document is genuinely about the whole range. A legend printed below it is a legend, not a second band.
On a social card there are no full-width bands at all. A band cuts a 1080 square instead of holding it. Framing there is done with a key block, a chip rail, a spine, corner ticks or a panel. The only survivor is a panel header, which runs across a component and never across the card. See Social cards.
MIDI must breathe
A MIDI clip runs about a fifth full, with tall lanes and real gaps. Compacting it turns a clip into a pattern swatch, which is a different thing that says nothing. If it has to be smaller, use fewer lanes. Never less air.
Picking one
- Is this about a whole range? BAND, once.
- Is this about one section? STRIP, inset.
- Does a row need to say which family it is? CHIP SINGLE.
- Does a set need explaining? CHIP INDEX.
- Does a block need holding without a line? SPINE.
- None of the above? It is probably not a colour problem. Add space.