How to Create Your Own Color Palette (Free Palette Generator)

Once you understand color, the next step is to create your own color palette — and share it with the world. With the free PaletteCSS palette generator, you can build, tag and publish a palette in minutes, no design software required.

Why create your own color palette?

• Brand consistency — lock in the exact hues your product uses everywhere.
• Reusability — save a palette once and copy its hex codes on any project.
• Visibility — published palettes are discoverable by the whole community and search engines.

How to create a color palette in 4 steps

1. Start from a base color

Pick a color that captures your brand's mood. Need ideas? Browse existing color palettes for inspiration first.

2. Build a balanced scheme

Add 3–5 colors using a harmony rule (complementary, analogous or triadic). Our guide on how to choose a color palette walks through this, and color theory basics explains the why.

3. Add descriptive tags

Tag your palette with words like pastel, warm or minimal so people (and search) can find it.

4. Publish it

Hit publish on the create-a-palette page and your palette goes live with copy-ready hex codes.

Tip: Pair two colors from your new palette to make a matching CSS gradient for hero sections and buttons.

Make your palette accessible

Before you ship, confirm text/background pairs meet the WCAG AA contrast ratio of 4.5:1.

Frequently asked questions

Is the palette generator free?

Yes — creating and publishing a color palette on PaletteCSS is completely free.

How many colors can a palette have?

Most palettes use 3–5 colors. That's enough to define a brand without overwhelming your UI.

Can I edit my palette later?

Yes, you'll receive an edit link when you publish so you can update colors or tags anytime.

Ready to build yours? Open the free palette generator, or first explore 50 beautiful color palettes for web design.