Palette families and roles
Families available: red, lapis, ochre, teal, green, violet. Each has
four tones:
- A900: links and focus in light mode; strongest contrast
- A700: highlights (one series per plot); nav active marker
- A500: borders, dash anchors, code ribbons, structural rules
- A300: tints for callouts and table stripe; links/focus in dark
mode
Image-derived palettes
The original Homage families favor a single hue family per plot or
page. When you want a different aesthetic (pulled from the grid image),
use the image-derived palettes and scales. They mirror the API and are
fully opt-in.
Sequential (image-based)
mtcars |>
ggplot(aes(wt, mpg, colour = hp)) +
geom_point(size = 2.2) +
labs(title = "Image-derived sequential (lapis)") +
albersdown::scale_color_albers_img(
"lapis",
discrete = FALSE,
breaks = c(100, 150, 200, 250, 300)
) +
ggplot2::guides(
colour = ggplot2::guide_colorbar(
title.position = "top",
barheight = grid::unit(70, "pt"),
barwidth = grid::unit(10, "pt")
)
) +
ggplot2::theme(legend.position = "right")
Diverging (image-based)
df <- transform(datasets::faithful, centered = waiting - mean(waiting))
ggplot(df, aes(eruptions, centered, colour = centered)) +
geom_point(alpha = 0.9) +
labs(title = "Image-derived diverging (red <-> teal)") +
albersdown::scale_color_albers_img_red_teal(neutral = "#e5e7eb")
Notes - The *_img scales are opt-in and don’t change
existing defaults. - neutral can be set to
"#e5e7eb" (site border token) for visual coherence with
pages. - Prefer the original single-family scales for a quieter, unified
look; reach for the image-derived or diverging scales to emphasize
contrasts.
Links, anchors, and rhythm
Links and focus rings always meet AA. Move the cursor over H2/H3 to
reveal the structural dash anchor.
Style modes - style: minimal (default): lighter rules
and quieter dash language. - style: balanced: the
calibrated middle ground. - style: assertive: stronger
edges and more emphatic structural marks.
Callouts and code blocks
TIP: Callouts use an A500 border and a subtle A300 tint (≈8–10%).
Keep them short and purposeful.
# a small, readable function
foo <- function(x) if (length(x) == 0) NA_real_ else mean(x)
foo(c(1, 2, 3))
The code fence stays flat: no drop shadow, with an A500 left ribbon
and a compact copy control.
Plots: one highlight, others neutral
mtcars$grp <- ifelse(mtcars$cyl == 6, "highlight", "other")
mtcars$grp <- factor(mtcars$grp, levels = c("other", "highlight"))
ggplot(mtcars, aes(wt, mpg, color = grp)) +
geom_point(size = 2.2) +
albersdown::scale_color_albers_highlight(
family = params$family,
tone = "A700",
highlight = "highlight",
other_name = "other"
) +
labs(title = "One highlighted series; others neutral",
subtitle = "A700 draws the eye; gray recedes",
x = "Weight (1000 lbs)", y = "MPG")
