Color palette generator

Modern color theory has its roots in Isaac Newton (1666), who discovered that white light decomposes into a spectrum of colors through a prism. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe advanced this theory with his book "Theory of Colors" (1810), introducing psychological concepts about how colors affect human emotions. In the 20th century, Johannes Itten at the Bauhaus school developed the 12-color wheel and codified the color harmonies we still use today.

With the arrival of computer graphics in the 70s and 80s, RGB (Red, Green, Blue) and CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) color systems enabled digital and print reproduction of millions of colors. Apple and Microsoft introduced graphical interfaces with limited color palettes due to hardware constraints, but these limitations drove creativity in early digital design.

The modern web design era was born with CSS and the ability to define colors in hexadecimal (#RRGGBB). Frameworks like Google's Material Design (2014) and systems like Tailwind CSS have popularized predefined color palettes based on accessibility and color psychology. Companies like Pantone dictate global trends with their "Color of the Year", influencing fashion, interior design, and branding.

Today, AI-based tools can generate color palettes from images, analyze design trends in real-time, and even predict which colors will work best for specific audiences. Accessibility has gained importance, with tools automatically verifying contrast ratios to ensure people with visual disabilities can read digital content.

Creating effective color palettes requires balancing aesthetics, functionality, and accessibility. Here are the key principles:

60-30-10 rule for visual balance

This classic interior design rule applies perfectly to digital design: use the dominant color at 60% (backgrounds, large areas), a secondary color at 30% (highlighted elements, sections), and an accent color at 10% (buttons, calls to action). This balance creates visual hierarchy without overwhelming the user. Example: white background (60%), corporate blue in headers (30%), orange in buttons (10%).

Comply with WCAG for accessibility

WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) require a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text. This ensures readability for people with reduced vision or color blindness. Avoid problematic combinations like red-green (invisible to color blind), yellow text on white, or light gray on white. Use tools that automatically verify contrast before publishing.

Limit your palette to 3-5 main colors

Too many colors create visual confusion and dilute brand identity. Professional designs usually use one primary color (brand identity), one or two secondary colors (variety), and accent colors (important actions). Add shade and tint variations of these base colors to create depth without introducing new colors. Google Material Design recommends exactly this approach with its palette of 500 variations.

Use proven color harmonies

Chromatic harmonies (complementary, analogous, triadic, tetradic) ensure colors work well together. Complementary (opposite colors on the color wheel) create strong contrast for CTAs. Analogous (neighboring colors) generate harmonious and relaxing sensation. Triadic (3 equidistant colors) offer vibration and energy. Monochromatic (variations of a single color) convey elegance and simplicity.

Color palette generators have diverse applications across multiple creative industries. Web designers use them to extract colors from product photographs or landscapes and create coherent palettes for corporate sites. Front-end developers need to convert colors between formats (HEX for CSS, RGB for JavaScript, HSL for animations) quickly. UI/UX experts generate accessible palettes that comply with WCAG while maintaining brand aesthetics.

In branding and marketing, agencies extract palettes from client logos to create coherent communication materials (presentations, infographics, social media). Photographers and videomakers analyze dominant color palettes in images to plan photo sessions or video grading. Digital illustrators use color harmonies to create specific atmospheres: warm colors for sunset scenes, cool for night, pastel tones for kawaii aesthetics. Finally, theme and template developers generate automatic CSS/SCSS variables from palettes to accelerate development.