Picking colours at random rarely looks good; colours that share a mathematical relationship on the colour wheel almost always do. A palette generator applies that colour theory for you, turning one base colour into a set that belongs together.
The common harmonies
- Complementary — opposite colours; high contrast, bold.
- Analogous — neighbours on the wheel; calm and cohesive.
- Triadic — three evenly spaced colours; balanced and vivid.
- Monochromatic — one hue in several shades; clean and safe.
How to build one
- Open the palette generator.
- Choose a base colour and a harmony type.
- Copy the hex codes into your design or stylesheet.
The 60-30-10 rule
A palette is only half the job; how you use it decides whether a design looks calm or chaotic. A reliable rule is 60% a dominant neutral, 30% a secondary colour, and 10% an accent for buttons and highlights. Most amateur designs go wrong by using every colour in equal amounts.
Always keep a near-black and a near-white in your palette for text and backgrounds. A palette of only mid-tones is beautiful in the swatch and unreadable on a real page.