Design System Color Validator

A design system is only as strong as its weakest color token. The Design System Color Validator helps you systematically test your color palette for consistency, accessibility, and semantic coherence. This tool validates contrast ratios, checks color relationships, and ensures your tokens follow established naming conventions and design principles.

Whether you're building a new design system or maintaining an existing one, this validator provides automated testing and actionable recommendations to keep your colors accessible, consistent, and maintainable. The comprehensive validation covers WCAG compliance, color harmony, token naming, and cross-theme compatibility.

What gets validated

The validator performs comprehensive checks across multiple dimensions:

  • Accessibility: Contrast ratios for text and UI elements against WCAG AA/AAA standards
  • Semantic Consistency: Color token naming conventions and logical grouping
  • Color Harmony: Relationships between primary, secondary, and accent colors
  • Theme Compatibility: Light/dark mode consistency and proper color mapping
  • Token Structure: Proper organization and naming of color variables
  • Usage Patterns: Consistent application across different UI components

Validation categories

Accessibility Testing

Every color combination is tested against WCAG 2.1 guidelines:

  • Normal Text: Minimum 4.5:1 contrast ratio for AA, 7:1 for AAA
  • Large Text: Minimum 3:1 contrast ratio for AA, 4.5:1 for AAA
  • UI Components: Minimum 3:1 contrast ratio for interactive elements
  • Graphical Objects: Minimum 3:1 contrast ratio for icons and graphics

Semantic Validation

Ensures your color tokens follow logical naming conventions:

  • Functional Names: Colors named by purpose (primary, secondary, accent) rather than appearance
  • Consistent Structure: Uniform naming patterns across your token system
  • Logical Grouping: Related colors organized into meaningful families
  • State Variations: Proper naming for hover, active, focus, and disabled states

Color Harmony Analysis

Evaluates the visual relationships between your colors:

  • Color Wheel Relationships: Complementary, analogous, and triadic color schemes
  • Value Distribution: Proper balance of light, medium, and dark colors
  • Saturation Consistency: Appropriate saturation levels for different color families
  • Brand Coherence: Colors that work together to reinforce brand identity

How to use the validator

Start by inputting your color tokens in one of the supported formats:

  • CSS Variables: Paste your :root or component CSS with color variables
  • Tailwind Config: Upload or paste your tailwind.config.js/ts file
  • Design Token JSON: Import tokens from design tools like Figma or Sketch
  • Manual Input: Enter colors individually with names and values

The validator will analyze your colors and provide a comprehensive report with:

  • Pass/Fail Status: Clear indicators for each validation category
  • Detailed Feedback: Specific recommendations for improvement
  • Priority Levels: Critical, high, medium, and low priority issues
  • Actionable Steps: Concrete suggestions for fixing identified problems

Common validation issues and solutions

Accessibility Failures

Problem: Text colors don't meet contrast requirements
Solution: Adjust lightness values while maintaining hue and saturation. Use the Contrast Checker to fine-tune specific combinations.

Problem: Interactive elements lack sufficient contrast
Solution: Ensure all interactive states (hover, focus, active) meet minimum contrast ratios. Test with the UI Element Color Auditor.

Semantic Inconsistencies

Problem: Inconsistent naming conventions across color families
Solution: Establish clear naming patterns and apply them consistently. Use tools like the Color Tokens Generator to create structured token systems.

Problem: Missing or incomplete state variations
Solution: Ensure every interactive color has corresponding hover, active, focus, and disabled states. Use the UI States Color Visualizer to preview all states.

Color Harmony Issues

Problem: Colors clash or create visual noise
Solution: Use the Color Harmony Visualizer to test color combinations and ensure they work together harmoniously.

Problem: Insufficient color variety for different use cases
Solution: Generate additional colors using the Color Palette Generator and Tints and Shades Generator.

Integration with other tools

The validator works seamlessly with other color tools in this collection:

  • Color Palette Importer: Import colors from external sources before validation
  • UI Element Color Auditor: Deep-dive into specific color combinations
  • Contrast Checker: Fine-tune contrast ratios for failing combinations
  • Palette Exporter: Export validated colors to various formats
  • Real-Time Theme Preview: Test validated colors in realistic UI contexts

Try it: validate your design system

Use the validator below to test your color tokens. Input your colors in any supported format and get comprehensive validation results with actionable recommendations for improvement.

Design System Color Validator

Validate your color tokens for accessibility, consistency, and semantic coherence

Best practices for ongoing validation

Automate validation in your design and development workflows. Run the validator whenever you add new colors or modify existing ones.

Document your standards and share them with your team. Clear guidelines help maintain consistency as your design system grows.

Regular audits help catch issues before they become problems. Schedule monthly or quarterly validation reviews.

Test in context using the Real-Time Theme Preview Sandbox to see how your colors work in actual UI components.

Related tools

Continue building your design system with these complementary tools: