Iris Laravel Package

Product Decisions This Supports

• Dynamic Theming & Branding Systems:

  • Enable real-time color manipulation for adaptive UI themes (e.g., dark/light mode toggles, accessibility compliance).
  • Support gradient generation for dynamic backgrounds, progress bars, or data visualizations (e.g., charts, maps).
  • Example: A dashboard where users can customize color schemes via sliders, with Iris handling conversions between HSL/HSV/RGB/CMYK for print/export consistency.

• Design System Integration:

  • Build vs. Buy: Replace manual CSS/JS color utilities (e.g., color-mix(), hsl()) with a server-side PHP library for consistency across frontend/backend (e.g., generating color palettes for API responses or CMS content).
  • Example: A headless CMS where color values are stored in HSL but rendered as OKLCH for perceptual uniformity in UI components.

• Accessibility & Compliance:

  • Automate color contrast validation (e.g., isLight()/isDark()) to enforce WCAG standards in generated content (e.g., error messages, data tables).
  • Example: A form builder where Iris validates text/background color pairs dynamically.

• Print & Multi-Channel Output:

  • CMYK support for print-ready assets (e.g., generating PDFs or invoices with color-accurate branding).
  • Example: An e-commerce platform converting product images from RGB (web) to CMYK (print catalogs).

• Roadmap Priorities:

  • Phase 1: Integrate Iris into a color picker utility for non-technical users (e.g., marketing teams).
  • Phase 2: Extend to automated palette generation (e.g., extracting dominant colors from images via Iris + a PHP image library like Intervention).
  • Phase 3: Add color space validation (e.g., blocking invalid HSL values like saturation > 100%).

When to Consider This Package

Adopt Iris When:

• Your stack is PHP/Laravel and you need server-side color manipulation (e.g., generating dynamic assets, processing user-uploaded color schemes).
• You require multi-format support (Hex, HSL, OKLCH, CMYK) for cross-platform consistency (e.g., web + print + API responses).
• Performance matters: Iris is lightweight (~10KB) and avoids client-side JS dependencies for color ops.
• You need programmatic color adjustments (e.g., darkening a background for UI states, creating gradients for visualizations).
• Your team lacks design system expertise but needs to enforce color standards (e.g., via Iris’s isLight()/isDark() methods).

Look Elsewhere If:

• You’re frontend-only: Use CSS color-mix() or JS libraries like chromajs for client-side interactivity.
• You need real-time UI previews: Iris is server-side; pair with a JS library for live color pickers.
• OKLCH support is critical: While Iris includes OKLCH, browser support for CSS OKLCH is still evolving (target 2024+).
• You’re working with legacy PHP (<8.1): Iris dropped PHP 7 support in 2022.
• Image-based color extraction is needed: Combine Iris with a library like Imagick for advanced use cases.

How to Pitch It (Stakeholders)

For Executives:

"Iris is a low-code solution to eliminate manual color management across our digital products. By integrating this PHP library, we can:

• Automate compliance: Ensure all UI elements meet WCAG contrast standards without designer intervention.
• Unify branding: Generate consistent color palettes for web, print, and APIs—reducing errors in marketing assets.
• Accelerate development: Replace ad-hoc CSS/JS color hacks with a single source of truth for color logic. For example, our dashboard’s dynamic theming feature could use Iris to convert user-selected HSL values to OKLCH for perceptual accuracy, while our print exports leverage CMYK support. The MIT license and active maintenance make it a zero-risk, high-reward investment."

For Engineers:

"Iris is a batteries-included PHP library for color manipulation that solves:

• Format conversions: Hex ↔ HSL ↔ OKLCH ↔ CMYK in one line (e.g., $hex->toOklch()).
• Programmatic adjustments: Darken/lighten, spin hues, or generate gradients without math libraries.
• Accessibility checks: $color->isLight() to validate text/background pairs.
• Performance: Zero dependencies beyond PHP 8.1; ~10KB footprint.

Use cases:

• Backend APIs: Return OKLCH colors for UI components.
• CMS/plugins: Store colors in HSL but render as Hex for legacy systems.
• Data viz: Generate gradients for charts via $colorA->gradient($colorB, 10). Migration path: Start with a proof-of-concept (e.g., replace hardcoded CSS variables with Iris-generated values in a Laravel Blade template)."*

For Designers:

"Iris lets you enforce your color system without manual CSS tweaks. Key wins:

• Dynamic theming: Adjust saturation/lightness programmatically (e.g., dark mode with $color->darken(20)).
• Print-ready exports: Convert web colors to CMYK for invoices or catalogs.
• Consistency: Avoid ‘off-brand’ colors by validating hues/saturation via Iris’s methods. Example: Instead of manually editing CSS for a ‘highlight’ state, use $primaryColor->saturate(15)->toHex() in your Laravel backend to generate it on demand."*