Colorlinking

Colorlinking refers to using color to indicate links or connections in digital content. It is most common in web design to distinguish hyperlinks from regular text by color, but the concept also appears in data visualization and interface design, where color encodes related items or relationships.

In the early web, unvisited links were blue and visited links purple, a convention established to signal navigational state. Over time, some sites moved away from underlining or color-only cues, relying on other indicators; however, color remains a primary visual marker for many interfaces.

Accessibility considerations are central. Color alone should not convey a link's identity or state; sufficient contrast and a text-based cue or icon should accompany color changes. Provide visible focus indicators for keyboard users, ensure color choices are distinguishable by color vision deficiencies, and maintain consistent color semantics.

Implementation and applications. In webpages, links use CSS selectors (a:link, a:visited, a:hover) to set color, hover behavior, and decorations. In visualizations, color linking can highlight connected nodes or categories. Designers should test palettes for contrast, maintain brand consistency, and document color semantics to avoid ambiguity.