status-from-accent

Status Colors from Accent

Generate a complete set of status/​feedback colors (success, warning, danger, info) that are mathematically related to your brand color using square harmony.

When to Use

• "Create status colors that match my brand"
• "I need success, warning, error colors"
• "Generate feedback colors from my accent"
• "Make danger/​success colors that feel on-brand"

Installation

npx @basiclines/​rampa

The Square Harmony Approach

Square harmony generates 4 colors at 90° intervals on the color wheel. This gives you maximum distinction while maintaining mathematical relationships.

rampa -C "<brand-color>" --add=square -L 95:15 --size=10 -O css

This outputs 4 ramps:

• base - your brand color (use as info/​primary)
• square-1 - +90° rotation
• square-2 - +180° rotation (opposite)
• square-3 - +270° rotation

Mapping Hues to Status

The actual colors depend on your input. After generation, map based on hue:

Example: If your brand is blue (#3b82f6, ~220°):

• base (220°) → Info
• square-1 (310°) → Danger (magenta/​red zone)
• square-2 (40°) → Warning (orange zone)
• square-3 (130°) → Success (green zone)

Complete Example

# Generate all 4 status ramps from blue brand
rampa -C "#3b82f6" --add=square -L 95:15 --size=10 -O css

Output includes 4 full ramps - assign semantic meaning based on hue:

:root {
  /​* Info (base - blue) */
  --base-0: #eff6ff;
  --base-5: #3b82f6;
  --base-9: #1e3a8a;

  /​* Danger (square-1 - magenta/​red) */
  --square-1-0: #fdf2f8;
  --square-1-5: #ec4899;
  --square-1-9: #831843;

  /​* Warning (square-2 - orange) */
  --square-2-0: #fff7ed;
  --square-2-5: #f97316;
  --square-2-9: #7c2d12;

  /​* Success (square-3 - green) */
  --square-3-0: #f0fdf4;
  --square-3-5: #22c55e;
  --square-3-9: #14532d;
}

Renaming for Semantics

After identifying which ramp is which, you can re-run with explicit names:

# If you know square-3 is your green/​success
rampa -C "#22c55e" -L 95:15 --size=10 -O css --name=success

Or map in your CSS:

:root {
  --success: var(--square-3-5);
  --warning: var(--square-2-5);
  --danger: var(--square-1-5);
  --info: var(--base-5);
}

Alternative: Custom Status Base

If the generated hues don't land exactly where you want, adjust the input:

# Start from green to ensure success is the base
rampa -C "#22c55e" --add=square -L 95:15 --size=10 -O css
# Now: base=green, square-1=blue, square-2=red, square-3=yellow

Tips

1. Square harmony guarantees maximum visual distinction
2. All 4 colors share the same "mathematical DNA"
3. The -L 95:15 range works well for status colors (light bg, dark text)
4. Use --size=10 for full ramp, --size=5 for minimal
5. Mid-ramp values (4-6) work best for badges, buttons, alerts