Color hierarchy

In Apple's interface design, colors establish visual hierarchy through primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. Clear hierarchy helps guide users through content and shows relationships between interface elements.

The primary level includes:

• The main background for the overall view
• Essential content and primary labels
• Key interactive elements (buttons and links)
• Most prominent information

The secondary level includes:

• Content grouping within the main view
• Supporting information and subtitles
• Less prominent controls (secondary buttons)
• Contained interface sections

The tertiary level includes:

• Elements within secondary groups
• Additional details and hints
• Subtle visual boundaries
• Background variations for depth

When establishing color hierarchy in your interface, start with primary colors for essential elements, then work your way down using progressively subtle variations for secondary and tertiary levels. This ensures a natural visual flow from most to least important information.