Palette Generator
Generate harmonious color palettes.
Overview
The Palette Generator builds harmonious multi-colour palettes from a single seed hex. Choose the harmony type (complementary, analogous, triadic, tetradic, monochromatic, split-complementary or shades), and the tool emits a palette of five to eight colours with hex, RGB and HSL values for each.
It is the go-to starting point when blocking out a brand palette, picking accent colours for a marketing site, or assembling a chart-series palette from a single brand hue. Because every palette is anchored to one seed, swapping the seed re-rolls the entire family in one click.
How it works
The seed is converted to HSL and the harmony rule positions additional swatches around the hue circle: complementary at +180°, analogous at ±30°, triadic at ±120°, tetradic at +60° / +180° / +240°, split-complementary at +150° / +210°. Monochromatic and shade rules instead step through lightness while keeping the hue fixed.
For richer palettes, the generator can optionally re-derive each candidate in OKLCH, which produces more even perceptual spacing — particularly noticeable in the yellow and blue regions where HSL's lightness drift is most pronounced.
Examples
seed #3366cc, analogous → #3366cc #33a3cc #336fcc #33c0cc #336bcc
seed #3366cc, complementary → #3366cc #cc9933 #80a6e0 #a98038 #ffffff
seed #ff6600, monochromatic → #fff1e6 #ffc999 #ffa14d #ff6600 #b34700
seed #ff6600, triadic → #ff6600 #66ff00 #0066ff #ffaa00 #66ff66
FAQ
How many colours should a palette have?
Three to five is a comfortable size for marketing and branding. Charts can scale to seven or eight, but past that you should pair colour with shape or labels for legibility.
Do these palettes pass accessibility checks?
The generator focuses on harmony, not contrast. After generating, run every foreground/background pair you plan to use through the contrast checker.
Why does triadic look unbalanced?
Triadic palettes at equal HSL spacing place yellow next to blue and red, which look very different in lightness. Switch to OKLCH harmony for more balanced perceptual weight.
Can I lock one colour and re-roll the others?
Yes — the seed colour is preserved across harmony switches, so you can experiment without losing your starting hue.
Where should I save the result?
Export to the saved-palettes tool to keep palettes between sessions or share them as comma-separated hex strings.