Deconstructing Color: Hue, Saturation, and Brightness (HSB)

To manipulate color programmatically, designers dissect light into three independent coordinate dimensions:

1. Hue: The pure chromatic identity of the color, measured as an angle from 0° to 360° on the color circle (e.g., 0° Red, 120° Green, 240° Blue).
2. Saturation: The purity or chromatic intensity of the hue (0% represents completely desaturated grayscale; 100% represents electric, pure pigment).
3. Brightness / Lightness: The perceived luminance (0% is absolute pitch black; 100% is maximum light reflection).

Mastering HSB/HSL allows designers to adjust brightness without distorting underlying chromatic identity.