Methods to produce colored surfaces using physical mechanisms are proposed, with aluminum used as a demonstration vehicle. Our approach aims to achieve tunable, vibrant colors through the interaction of three well-established physical mechanisms of color formation, namely (1) resonant scattering and interference effects in a nano-structured surface (e.g. via anodization of aluminum), (2) plasmonic resonances in metal nanoparticles, and (3) spectrally selective absorption enhancement in ultrathin films, such as amorphous germanium and carbon. We provide proof-of-concept by fabricating and characterizing representative aluminum-based samples showing vivid colors throughout the visible spectral range. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.