Explore the Flexibility of HSL Colors for Creative Expression in Your Design Projects

Dec 05, 22

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2 min read

A pallet of colors on a wall

HSL colors, or hue-saturation-lightness colors, are an alternative to the basic RGB color system. They allow designers to create a wide range of colors without having to use color values like hex codes. HSL colors provide more flexibility and control over the colors used in a design project, allowing for more creative expression.

HSL colors are based on the three components of hue, saturation, and lightness. Hue is the actual color of the chosen shade, such as red, blue, or yellow. Saturation is how intense the hue is, ranging from grayish tones to very vivid colors. Lightness is how bright or dark the hue appears. By adjusting these three components, users can create millions of different colors.

To illustrate how HSL colors work, let’s look at a few examples. If we wanted to create a vivid green color, we could set the hue to 120 degrees (the angle on the color wheel where green would be located), the saturation to 100%, and the lightness to 50%. This will create a vibrant green color.

If we wanted to create a muted green color, we could set the hue to 120 degrees, the saturation to 50%, and the lightness to 50%. This will create a much lighter and less intense green color.

Finally, if we wanted to create a dark green color, we could set the hue to 120 degrees, the saturation to 100%, and the lightness to 25%. This will create a dark green color with a lot of depth.

As you can see, HSL colors provide a lot of flexibility when it comes to creating colors. By manipulating hue, saturation, and lightness, designers can create any color they need for their projects.