Colour design consistency

How we untangled Neon’s colour chaos and made the app more scalable (without losing its charm).

Neon’s vibrant dashboard was visually striking but also a design headache. Six different colour variations influenced UI elements and workflows, challenging the app's scaling. I led an initiative to simplify the experience, making it more consistent, flexible, and future-proof without compromising Neon’s signature visual appeal.

ROLE

Design Lead

YEAR

2020

Neon Pagamentos, a leading Brazilian fintech, provides digital banking solutions to millions, particularly the unbanked population. By 2020, rapid growth brought new challenges—one hiding in plain sight: the app’s dashboard colour scheme.

Neon Pagamentos, a leading Brazilian fintech, provides digital banking solutions to millions, particularly the unbanked population. By 2020, rapid growth brought new challenges—one hiding in plain sight: the app’s dashboard colour scheme.

Challenge

Each menu tab had its own background colour, which seemed like a fun, user-friendly choice at first. But behind the scenes, this approach created friction at every turn:

Extra design work

Every UI component (like buttons and illustrations) needed multiple colour variations.

Scalability issues

Even a simple change, like reordering menu items, required design teams to rework multiple screens.

User perception uncertainty

We weren’t sure if people even noticed or cared about the colour-coding.

Our approach

This wasn’t just a UI tweak—it was about making Neon’s design more efficient, scalable, and user-friendly. Before making any drastic changes, we knew we needed real user insights. We conducted qualitative research to answer one key question:

Did users actually associate background colours with specific features?

Turns out… they didn’t. =)

Solution

Armed with this insight, our team worked to rethink our approach and defined the following:

Colour system simplification

We reduced the background colours of internal flows to just one.

Seamless transition

Instead of abrupt colour shifts, we used our brand gradient to create smooth, visually cohesive transitions.

Streamlined UI components

We eliminated redundant variations, making the interface cleaner and more manageable.

IMPACT & RESULTS

A more flexible system with fewer design headaches

A more flexible system with fewer design headaches

By unifying Neon’s colour system, we made the dashboard easier to update and scale without constant redesigns. Simplifying UI elements reduced primary button variations from six to one, streamlining the design process while keeping Neon’s signature look intact. The result? A more cohesive, efficient, and future-proof experience for both users and the design team.

Back to projects

I’m always open to new opportunities, collaborations, or just a good conversation about design and leadership.

Last update on February, 2025

CONTACT

hey@alexgambaro.com

I’m always open to new opportunities, collaborations, or just a good conversation about design and leadership.

Last update on February, 2025

CONTACT

hey@alexgambaro.com