The painted colors of Qing Dynasty ancient architecture in central Yunnan are a visual carrier integrating local ethnic cultures and traditional color aesthetics. Adhering to the orderliness of China’s traditional color system and incorporating multi-ethnic aesthetic tastes, their application features distinct contrast and harmonious unity. As a core element of visual communication, contemporary design colors prioritize diversified innovation and practicality, emphasizing integration with modern life scenarios and advanced technologies. Based on these ancient painted colors, this paper comparatively analyzes them against contemporary design colors from three aspects: color composition, carrier relevance, and cultural connotation. It explores their similarities and differences, reveals the contemporary application value of ancient architectural painted colors, and provides theoretical support for the inheritance and innovative application of traditional colors in contemporary design.