An Albers Inspiration.
Colors evoke emotions, and as a designer, I carefully consider the colors I use in my projects. I created Hue Muse to spark inspiration by offering endless harmonious color combinations. The colors are arranged in nested squares, a format inspired by Josef Albers, whose work explored the interplay of color. His minimalist approach to art highlights the emotional and aesthetic power of color, which aligns perfectly with Hue Muse's purpose.
Better Web Frameworks
Before Hue Muse, my only web development experience was building this portfolio site. I knew there were better frameworks out there to create a smoother and more professional experience. For Hue Muse, I chose React and JavaScript to take advantage of React's component-based architecture and efficient rendering. This made it easier to focus on the interactive and infinite nature of the site while keeping it lightweight. Looking ahead, I plan to learn TypeScript to improve type safety and catch errors earlier in development. It's a step toward building even more robust projects—but that's a journey for another day.
Which Hues to Choose?
Randomly selecting color combinations wasn't going to cut it—there are far more bad combinations than good ones. Hue Muse generates color pairs in three ways:
- Monochromatic Pairing A random base color is selected, and a darker or lighter version of the same hue becomes its counterpart.
- Analogous Pairing A base color is chosen, then slightly shifted along the hue spectrum within a defined range. Lightness and saturation are adjusted randomly to keep the pairs visually interesting but cohesive.
- Complementary Pairing A base color is paired with its complementary (opposite) hue on the color wheel. I then tweak the saturation and lightness to create balance and avoid harsh contrasts.
Finding the right balance for randomness and range took trial and error. While it's not perfect, I'm proud of how well Hue Muse generates pleasing and varied color pairings.