Color temperature and UI mood (warm vs cool in practice)
Warm screens feel cozy until they feel dated. Cool screens feel precise until they feel clinical. Temperature is a dial, not a personality test.
Temperature is about whether light feels sun-like or skylight-like. In UI, it shows up in gray neutrals and accent families — not just photography filters.
Neutrals set the room
Blue-gray surfaces read “tech.” Brown-gray reads “paper.” Pick one family for backgrounds and stick to it. Our warm vs cool colors guide walks through the idea; the color temperature tool lets you nudge a swatch warmer or cooler and copy HEX.
Brand hue can stay, temperature shifts around it
Purple brand on warm gray vs cool gray feels like two different products. Document neutral temperature in the same place you document accent hex.