With more and more web applications popping up around the Internet in favor of Web 2.0 interactivity, finding a site that utilizes those standards also is gradually increasing. However, finding a unique site that keeps it simple and clean without overwhelming the user is where the real challenge lies. Kuler is another one of those cutting edge web apps that has fine-tuned the idea of interactivity and the subtle practice of community involvement centered on the concept of providing a service that everyone is naturally conscientious about at one point or another: Color schemes.
Kuler is a useful and powerful web application that allows users to sign in using their Adobe ID, giving them the options of saving, submitting their own created color palettes, downloading other user’s palettes, and having their own Mykuler space. For those who aren’t interested in the communal aspect or saving their creativity, anyone can come in and play around with the fully robust Flash-to-browser integrated UI, mixing and matching colors using preset Color Rules (Analogous, Monochromatic, Triad, Complementary, Compound, Shades) or go solo with their own Custom palette. Every section, excluding the Create section, allows the user to click on whatever color palette they made and expand it down the height of the screen. Being able to take a screenshot of the page makes for a great alternative to saving your palettes if you don’t wish to create an account.
For non-designers, interacting with the UI of the “Create” section might appear overwhelming at first glance, especially if you are a stranger to Photoshop, but the fun lies in the freedom of being able to push, pull, and click through without ever having to worry about pressing Ctrl/Cmd+Z. Small pop-up aids appear when hovering over various texts. Adjusting one to five large swatches of color can be as complex or simple as you want with Kuler’s color interface options (5-Marker Color Wheel interface, RGB/CMYK/HSV/LAB adjustments, HEX values, Brightness control). With the ability to set any color at any time as the Base Color that then adapts all other swatches to whatever Color Rule you have set, Kuler has the broad appeal that caters to everyone from the young website designer wanting to harmonize link colors with their background, to the interior designer who has spent years studying Color Theory.
Looking for a quick burst of outside inspiration? The Popular, Highest Rated, and Newest sections of the site easily gives users a chance to see what others have been doing. Tuning into these sections via RSS feeds is another available solution. User submissions have tag clouds that simplify the searching process and gives a visual idea of how popular that tag name is. Registered users can also comment and rate other palettes and download themes, creating incentive for users to submit and get involved more deeply with the site, rather than being just your every day passive Web user. A Search option is available throughout the site for those who already have a word, theme, or hexadecimal value in mind, while frequent users may also search by a person’s Kuler username.
The Community section of the site focuses solely on spotlighting various members of the site to give perspective to their inspirations behind their daily interactions with color. Thumbnail samples of their work are viewable and integrate well into the content area, bringing the user back to the text with a simple click.
With a very intelligent site design of color extremes – sporting white and gray fonts on deeper grays and black – that makes any color combination stand out, Kuler is an asset to anyone seeking to improve their affinity with the color spectrum or obtaining some outside ideas for a variety of endeavors. Most importantly, the site is extremely user-friendly in responding to clicks or roll-overs, and keeps the user fully engaged without having to worry about bothersome scrolling. Oh yeah, and it’s fun and insightful place to check out that is well equipped with valuable links to various sites, including Apple’s World of Color.
Go have a ball with Kuler, and find out how many shades of gray really exist in our world.
