A layered image-forming composite can include a substrate having a background color layer and a color-forming layer applied thereon. The color-forming layer includes a leuco dye that can be developed upon exposure to energy to produce a developed color. The background layer and the color-forming layer can each contribute to the overall appearance of the composite either before and/or after development of the leuco dye. In one aspect, the color-forming layer can have a thickness sufficiently thin to allow a portion of the fixed background color to be visible through a developed portion of the color-forming layer. Optionally, the color-forming layer can be applied in a filter pattern, e.g., halftone, moire, stochastic, etc. in order to provide unique visual effects to the layered composite.