Ship faster with an offline-first mindset
Treating the network as an enhancement — not a requirement — changed how I architect every mobile app. Here is the exact pattern I use.
Read · 1 min →The color theory I use to make interfaces memorable
Most developer portfolios are blue. Memorability starts where convention ends — a practical system for picking a palette people can recall a week later.
Ask someone to describe five developer portfolios they saw last month. They will describe one — the one that broke the blue-and-purple gradient mold.
The 60-30-10 rule, weaponized
- 60% — a base with temperature. Pure #000 is dead; pure #FFF is clinical. I use warm near-blacks (
#0C0B09) or warm ivories. Temperature is felt before it is seen. - 30% — a neutral that agrees with the base. Muted warm greys, never cool greys on a warm base.
- 10% — one accent with a name. If a user can name your accent ("that amber site"), you have won memorability. Two accents max, and the second only for state.
Contrast is non-negotiable
Every text/background pair must clear WCAG AA (4.5:1). Memorable never gets to mean unreadable.
Test for recall, not beauty
Show someone the site for 10 seconds. A day later ask what color it was. If they answer instantly, ship it.
