Palette Generator
Generate harmonious color palettes from a base color, including complementary, analogous, triadic and monochromatic schemes.
🔒 Runs entirely in your browser — nothing is uploadedGenerate palettes from one starting color
A useful palette generator turns a single color into a small set of related choices you can actually test in a design. Instead of picking random swatches, this tool uses classic color-wheel relationships and HSL lightness adjustments. Choose a base color, select a harmony, and the palette updates immediately with copyable HEX values. It is fast enough for exploration but predictable enough to document as design tokens once you refine the result.
The generator runs entirely in your browser, so it is safe for unreleased brand colors, client mood boards and internal product themes. There are no uploads, accounts or external palette services. The math is deterministic: the same base color and harmony produce the same swatches, making it easy to revisit a palette later or compare several directions during a design review.
Choosing the right harmony
Complementary palettes pair a color with the hue opposite it on the color wheel. They create strong contrast and are useful for calls to action, charts or accents that need to stand apart. Analogous palettes use neighboring hues, which usually feel calmer and more cohesive; they are a good fit for backgrounds, illustrations and softer product themes. Triadic palettes space hues evenly around the wheel, giving you variety without relying on one dominant opposite color. Monochromatic palettes keep the hue steady and vary lightness, which is ideal for UI states, cards, borders and subtle surfaces.
From generated colors to a working design system
Generated palettes are a starting point, not a substitute for testing. Copy the colors into your real interface and check how they behave with text, icons, shadows and neighboring surfaces. Some colors that look balanced as swatches may feel too loud in large areas or too weak on small controls. After choosing a direction, use the contrast checker for readable text and consider naming the final colors by purpose, such as primary, accent, surface or warning, rather than by hue alone. Purpose-based names make future redesigns easier because the code communicates intent.
How to use
- Choose a base colorPick the main brand, accent or inspiration color.
- Select harmonySwitch between complementary, analogous, triadic and monochromatic relationships.
- Copy swatchesCopy individual HEX codes or the entire palette for design tools and CSS variables.