Skip to content

Color Challenge

Color isn't just about making a site look nice—it communicates mood, brand, and accessibility. In this challenge, you'll research how effective color schemes are created, then design and document a new custom color palette for the Crown Coffee website. You’ll also learn how to check your palette for accessibility using the WCAG AA color contrast standard.

Instructions

1. Research Color Theory & Branding

Answer the following in your own words:

  1. What makes a successful color scheme for a website? Consider contrast, harmony, mood, readability, and branding.

  2. What are some common types of color schemes? Define and give examples of at least two (e.g., monochromatic, complementary, triadic, etc.).

  3. Find one real website with a color scheme you admire. What colors do they use, and what mood or message does it create?

2. Create Your Own Crown Coffee Color Palette

Design a new color scheme for Crown Coffee. You can:

Use tools like Coolors, Adobe Color, or sample real-life branding

Select at least 4 colors:

  • Background color
  • Primary text color
  • Heading or accent color
  • Link or button color

Document your color palette in a simple table or swatches (you can screenshot your palette or create Google Doc, Word Doc, Powerpoint, etc.).

3. Test for Accessibility

Visit the WebAIM Contrast Checker.

  1. Test your main background and text color combination.

  2. Does it meet WCAG AA contrast standards for:

    • Normal text (4.5:1)
    • Large text (3:1)

Take a screenshot of your result or note whether the contrast passed or failed.

4. Reflection

In a short reflection, answer:

  • Why did you choose this particular color scheme?
  • What was fun, surprising, or challenging about building a palette?
  • Did you have to make any adjustments to meet accessibility standards?
  • How do you think color affects user experience on websites?

How to Submit

Submit your document (google, Word, Powerpoint) to Brightspace under Challenges > Color Challenge. Make sure your document includes all four parts above. Please name the document YourName_ColorChallenge.

Academic Integrity Reminder

All writing for this assignment must be your own original work. You may use reputable sources for research, but copying directly from websites, AI tools (like ChatGPT), or any other generated content is not allowed.

If your submission appears to be copied, AI-generated, or not written in your own voice, you will not receive credit for the assignment.

This assignment is designed to help you reflect on what you’ve learned, please make sure your words represent your own thinking.