If you’ve ever gone down the rabbit hole of building a “perfect” design system, you already know how this usually ends.
Too many options.
Too many rules.
And a system that looks great on paper but is painful to maintain in real life.
That’s exactly why I want to talk about color management, and more importantly, how to think about it when you’re building systems that need to scale across clients, teams, and snapshots.
The Real Question Behind Color Choices
Most people frame this as a tooling debate.
Should you use:
- Custom values?
- A brand board?
- Tags?
- Custom fields?
That’s not the real question.
The real question is: Which approach makes it easiest for the next person to not break the system?
Because a system that only works when you’re the one touching it is not a system. It’s a liability.
Custom Values vs Brand Board
Both approaches can work. I’ve used both.
The trade-offs show up later, not on day one.
Custom values
- Extremely flexible
- Powerful for advanced setups
- Easy to overcomplicate
- Harder for clients to understand without guidance
Brand board
- More opinionated
- Easier for clients to grasp
- Faster onboarding
- Less room for accidental chaos
Neither is “right” in a vacuum.
What matters is who is using the system after you.
Why Consistency Wins Every Time
Here’s the hard truth.
A consistently applied average system beats a perfect system that no one follows.
I’ve seen incredibly elegant setups fail because:
- Clients didn’t understand them
- Teams didn’t know where to update things
- Small changes required too much explanation
And I’ve seen simpler systems thrive because:
- Everyone knew where colors lived
- Updates were predictable
- Mistakes were easier to catch
When consistency is clear, adoption goes up. When adoption goes up, maintenance goes down.
Design Systems Are Communication Tools
This is the part most people miss.
A design system is not just a technical asset.
It’s a communication tool.
Every choice you make answers questions like:
- Where do I change this?
- What happens if I update it?
- Will this affect other pages or snapshots?
If your system answers those questions without a meeting, you’re doing it right.
Don’t Optimize for Yourself, Optimize for the User
One of the biggest mistakes I see is building systems optimized for the builder, not the user.
That includes:
- Clients
- Future hires
- Freelancers
- Even future you
When choosing between two approaches, ask: Which one requires less explanation six months from now?
That’s usually the right answer.
Where Tags and Custom Fields Fit In
Tags and custom fields can absolutely help, but they also add cognitive load.
They’re best used when:
- The benefit is obvious
- The naming is crystal clear
- The payoff outweighs the setup
If they exist just because they can, they usually become noise.
Functionality matters, but user experience matters more.
The Takeaway
If you’re building design systems inside HighLevel, especially across snapshots or multiple clients, remember this:
- Consistency beats cleverness
- Clarity beats flexibility
- Adoption beats perfection
A system that people actually use will outperform a technically superior system that confuses everyone.
Every single time.
Want Cleaner Systems Without Overengineering?
If you’re building snapshots, design systems, or scalable client setups and want them to hold up over time, that’s exactly what we focus on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Want Cleaner Systems Without Overengineering?
If you’re building snapshots, design systems, or scalable client setups and want them to hold up over time, that’s exactly what we focus on.
What should I know about the Real Question Behind Color Choices?
Most people frame this as a tooling debate. Should you use: Custom values? A brand board? Tags? Custom fields? That’s not the real question. The real question is: Which approach makes it easiest for the next person to not break the system? Because a system that only works when you’re the one touching it is not a system. It’s a liability.
What should I know about custom Values vs Brand Board?
Both approaches can work. I’ve used both. The trade-offs show up later, not on day one. Custom values Extremely flexible Powerful for advanced setups Easy to overcomplicate Harder for clients to understand without guidance Brand board More opinionated Easier for clients to grasp Faster onboarding Less room for accidental chaos Neither is “right” in a vacuum. What matters is who is using the system after you.
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