unsplash.com
Robert Katzki
·
unsplash.com
 
Material You & Color Schemes - Jetpack Compose
User avatar
Curated by
jeel_desai
2 min read
4,620
6
Material You, Google's dynamic color system introduced with Android 12, is evolving in Android 14 to offer bolder and more vibrant color options, including a new "Fidelity" style that allows for more personalized and diverse color schemes beyond the traditional pastel shades.

Dynamic Color Generation

xda-developers.com
xda-developers.com
Material You's Dynamic Color system analyzes the user's wallpaper to generate a custom color palette for the device's user interface
1
3
.
It uses artificial intelligence algorithms to extract key colors from the chosen image and create a personalized color scheme
1
.
This palette is then applied throughout the UI, including to apps that support dynamic coloring. The system generates five main key colors with specific hue, saturation, and brightness relationships to meet accessibility standards
1
.
Instead of focusing on exact color values, designers should pay attention to color roles and relationships between components and surfaces to ensure the design looks cohesive regardless of the generated palette
1
.
This approach allows for a more personalized and adaptive user experience while maintaining brand consistency and accessibility across different color schemes
2
.
fivedottwelve.com favicon
youtube.com favicon
m3.material.io favicon
5 sources

Color Properties Explained

giggster.com
giggster.com
Hue, saturation, and luminance (also called lightness or brightness) are the three fundamental characteristics used to describe color
1
2
.
Hue refers to the specific spectral color or dominant wavelength, such as red, green, or blue
1
.
Saturation indicates the purity or intensity of a color, ranging from fully saturated (no white) to desaturated (diluted with white)
1
4
.
Luminance measures the perceived brightness of a color, from dark to light
1
2
.
These three attributes allow for precise color representation and manipulation in digital systems. For example, in the HSL color model, hue is often represented as an angle on a color wheel (0-360 degrees), while saturation and luminance are typically expressed as percentages (0-100%)
2
4
.
Understanding these components is crucial for designers and developers working with color in digital interfaces, as they provide a more intuitive way to describe and adjust colors compared to RGB values
3
5
.
brainkart.com favicon
changingminds.org favicon
vanseodesign.com favicon
5 sources

Balancing Dynamic and Brand

m2.material.io
m2.material.io
While Dynamic Color offers exciting personalization opportunities, it can present challenges for developers trying to balance brand identity with user customization
2
4
.
The conflict arises when apps have established brand colors that may clash with the dynamically generated color schemes
4
.
To address this, developers can implement a hybrid approach, selectively applying dynamic colors alongside custom brand colors
4
5
.
The Material Theme Builder tool helps create custom color experiences that work harmoniously with dynamic color systems
5
.
For instance, Chrome maintained its recognizable Incognito mode colors while adopting dynamic colors elsewhere in the app
4
.
Developers can also extend color schemes by adding custom colors that harmonize with user-generated palettes, ensuring visual balance and accessibility
4
.
This approach allows apps to preserve their brand identity while still offering the personalization benefits of Material You's Dynamic Color system.
youtube.com favicon
fivedottwelve.com favicon
stackoverflow.com favicon
5 sources

Material Theme Builder Plugin

figma.com
figma.com
The Material Theme Builder is a Figma plugin that allows designers to create custom Material Design 3 themes directly within Figma
1
4
.
This tool helps visualize and generate color schemes, design tokens, and styles based on Material Design principles
4
5
.
Key features of the plugin include:
  • Generating Material Design tokens as Figma styles
    1
  • Creating custom color schemes based on brand colors or images
    4
    5
  • Visualizing themes in both light and dark modes
    4
  • Generating tonal palettes from 0 to 100
    4
  • Exporting themes as code for easy implementation
    4
Designers can use the plugin to create themes by selecting inspiration colors, uploading images, or customizing individual color components
4
.
The plugin automatically generates corresponding Figma styles for text and colors, which represent the design tokens
4
.
This streamlines the process of creating consistent, Material Design-compliant themes and facilitates smoother collaboration between designers and developers working on Material Design projects
1
4
5
.
figma.com favicon
figma.com favicon
figma.com favicon
5 sources
Related
How do I customize the Material Theme Builder for my brand
Can I use the Material Theme Builder to create dark mode themes
What are the advantages of using the Material Theme Builder in Figma
How does the Material Theme Builder handle color harmonization
Can I import existing themes into the Material Theme Builder