UI Design Tips: Applying the 60-30-10 Color Rule

Balancing colors in UI design often feels like finding harmony in a song — each tone plays a specific role. The 60-30-10 color rule offers a simple yet effective way to bring that balance to digital interfaces. It helps designers create layouts that are visually appealing, easy to navigate, and naturally consistent. By using 60% of a dominant color, 30% of a secondary color, and 10% of an accent color, you can shape a visual rhythm that guides users effortlessly through your design. In this guide, we’ll explore how the 60 30 10 rule works, look at real-world examples, and show how a design tool can help you apply it smoothly to any UI project.

• Part 1. What Is the 60-30-10 Rule?
• Part 2. Why the 60-30-10 Color Rule Works So Well in UI Design
• Part 3. Using the 60-30-10 Rule in Actual UI Projects
• Part 4. Avoid Common Mistakes When Implementing the 60-30-10 Color Rule
• Part 5. 60-30-10 Color Rule Examples That Inspire
• Part 6. How Mockitt Helps You Master the 60-30-10 Color Rule

60-30-10 rule is a design principle to create well-balanced color schemes. Born out of interior designing, today this principle has crept into digital designing as well. The idea is very simple:

• 60% of background color
• 30% of secondary color
• 10% of accent color

This ratio gives your color scheme a balanced and harmonic look to the eyes of the viewer. This rule of 60 30 10 prevents one color from overwhelming the others yet adds enough contrast to draw users' attention.

This approach is really effective in UI design. The main color guides the mood, the secondary color supports the design structure, and the accent color highlights significant items like buttons, icons, or call-to-action markers.

For instance, a designer can employ a soothing blue (60%) as the background, gray (30%) for menus or panels, and a high-energy orange (10%) for call-to-action buttons in a productivity app. What happens? A clean, well-balanced interface that's easy to navigate.

Why 60-30-10 color ratio is a favorite among designers is that it takes full advantage of how human eyes work to process information visually. Our brains automatically expect balance and structure. With a predominance of a single color or with no dominated hierarchy, users are confused.

And this is why this ratio works so well:

• It creates visual harmony.
  60 30 10 color rule ensures your primary color is the anchor, and secondary color delivers structure and depth. Accent color captures attention where attention is necessary.
• It simplifies decision-making.
  All designers struggle with too many colors—not too many colors trip them up. Applying the 60-30-10 rule prevents decision fatigue and enables you to focus on how colors complement each other rather than how many.
• It maximizes user attention.
  That 10% accent color is not coincidental—its intention is to attract users' attention in for CTAs, icons, or notifications. Put to digital interfaces, that is enhanced usability and more conversions.
• It's adaptable enough for hybrid aesthetics.
  In case clean white space or film noir modernity is your cup of coffee, the 60 30 10 rule gives you permission to experiment with a proportional layout.

And now that we've learned what the 60-30-10 rule is, let's talk about using it in practice. The secret is to start with intent—determine the mood or message your design will be communicating, and then pick your colors from there.

Step 1: Choose Your Dominant Color (60%)

This is the foundation of your UI. It's usually used on the background, main surfaces, or big areas in the composition. Neutral or pale colors typically perform best here as they serve as a clean slate for secondary and accent colors.

For example, in a fintech dashboard, light gray or navy blue may be the 60% base to convey professionalism and trust.

Step 2: Add a Secondary Color (30%)

The secondary color supports the dominant tone, adding visual contrast and structural value. Utilize it on sidebars, headers, or secondary buttons. It is used to separate without destroying harmony.

For instance, a blue-dominated UI can be enriched with a cool gray or calming teal.

Step 3: Highlight With an Accent Color (10%)

Your accent color is your "eye magnet." Apply it cautiously—just enough to attract the eyes of the user to actions or crucial information. The 60 30 10 rule describes that this last 10% is bold just because it's in limited amounts.

Orange, lime green, or coral red, for instance, can get buttons, icons, or notifications to stand out right away.

Step 4: Test and Refine Using Mockitt

Color theory is all well and good, but observing the same in operation is quite different. And that's where tools like Mockitt step in. You can design, visualize, and edit your prototypes rapidly and apply the 60-30-10 rule of color with ease.

Mockitt's color palette features and collaboration features allow you to try lots of different combinations with colleagues. You can show your team how adjustments to accent ratios affect user focus and general balance before making a decision.

The 60-30-10 rule is simple, but it's also simple to misuse. Here are some common mistakes to avoid:

• Using too many accent colors
  The strength of an accent color is restraint. Using it excessively ruins the balance and makes less of an impact.
• Omitting contrast ratios
  Make your colors readable and accessible. Adhering to the 60 30 10 rule does not substitute for good contrast checks, particularly for text and buttons.
• Not matching colors with branding
  The 60-30-10 color rule offers framework, but it needs to still align with your brand personality. Select colors that match your brand personality.
• Applying the rule too rigidly
  Design is not static. While the 60 30 10 color rule offers a guideline, feel free to adjust percentages slightly based on context—especially in dark mode or minimal design.

Let's explore some real-world examples of the 60-30-10 color rule used in UI design:

Example 1: UI for a Health App

• 60% white background to give a light and airy feel.
• 30% pale green used for sidebars and navigation.
• 10% orange used for active buttons and progress indicators.

The solution is a calming but lively interface that motivates users without tiring them out.

Example 2: E-commerce Dashboard

• 60% dark gray used for background and main surfaces.
• 30% lighter gray used for content containers.
• 10% yellow used for sale offers and CTAs.

The ratio is breathtaking and dynamic and in line with modern UX conventions.

Example 3: Travel Booking Website

• 60% sky blue for headings and backgrounds.
• 30% white for cards and forms.
• 10% coral red for "Book Now" buttons.

This combination of colors provides emotional resonance—blue is trusty, and red is a call to action.

With a design tool like Mockitt, you can just paste and experiment with such storyboard templates to figure out the optimal color proportion for your own business.

Although color theory knowledge is wonderful, execution is where the majority of the designers err. Mockitt makes color selection and prototyping easier to enable you implement the 60-30-10 rule visually and practically.

Here is how Mockitt help you:

• Live color adjustment: Instantly modify the ratio of each color and view the 60-30-10 rule in real-time.
• Reusable color tokens: Enforce your brand colors on screens and projects.
• Collaboration features: Share feedback with colleagues about whether the 60 30 10 rule is achieving the intended harmony.
• Preview and iterate: Speed prototype multiple versions without having to rebuild layouts from scratch.

For developers who are working on multiple UI projects, Mockitt makes it convenient to enjoy well-balanced designs and solid color schemes.

60-30-10 is no rule—more like an timeless design principle that promises visual balance, attention, and harmony. Through intelligent use of the 60 30 10 color rule, designers are able to maximize usability while maximizing beauty in the process.

Redesigning the layout of an app, creating a brand new web design, or experimenting with color psychology, be aware: less is more.

And with Mockitt, you can move your ideas from your head into the world faster—testing, iterating, and perfecting color combinations until your design is just so. Because when your color palette is just right, all the other pieces fall into place.