Design with daylight in mind

Color choices are seen under light, and that light changes through the day. Planning when and where you review a sample can be as useful as choosing the sample itself.

Start with the place and date

Use Time Atlas's daylight finder to examine the location and date that matter to your project. Sunrise, sunset, and twilight describe different transitions. Check which event the tool is reporting before treating it as the start or end of your working light.

Separate a calculation from the room

A daylight calculation provides a time reference under a stated model. Clouds, terrain, nearby buildings, glazing, and the orientation of a room can change the light that actually reaches a surface. If you use a geometry view, enter the relevant dimensions and inspect its assumptions.

For a sample review, choose more than one time of day where practical. Record the room, the position of the sample, and whether artificial lights were on. Those observations help you explain differences between reviews.

Build a palette that survives context

Use Color Atlas to compare candidate palettes and inspect text contrast. Check the design on both a light and a dark surrounding surface if both will occur in use. A digital contrast calculation describes the encoded colors; it does not measure the physical illumination of a printed object.

Keep a short review log

The aim is a repeatable comparison. Use the tools to plan, then make the final judgment with the actual surface and lighting conditions.