What Is a Color Palette? A Beginner-Friendly Guide

A color palette is a curated set of colors chosen to work well together and used consistently across a design — a website, logo, illustration or brand. Instead of picking colors at random, a palette gives you a small, intentional group of hues (usually 3–5) that share a mood and look balanced side by side.

You can browse thousands of ready-made examples in the PaletteCSS color palettes library.

What a color palette includes

• A dominant color — the main brand or background color.
• One or two accent colors — for buttons, links and highlights.
• Neutrals — a near-white, a near-black and a gray or two for text and surfaces.

Each color is usually written as a hex code (like #7C3AED) so it can be reused exactly across tools and code.

The main types of color palette

Monochromatic

Different shades and tints of a single hue — calm and cohesive. Example: #1E3A8A, #3B82F6, #93C5FD, #DBEAFE.

Analogous

Colors next to each other on the wheel (e.g. blue, teal, green). Harmonious and easy on the eye.

Complementary

Two opposite colors (e.g. purple and yellow) for maximum contrast and energy. See what colors go with purple for an example.

Triadic

Three evenly-spaced colors — vibrant and balanced when one dominates.

Where color palettes are used

• Websites & apps — consistent buttons, links, backgrounds and states.
• Branding — logos, packaging and marketing that feel unified.
• Illustration & UI design — a limited palette keeps artwork coherent.

How to build your own

Pick a base color, choose a harmony rule, add neutrals, and check contrast for readability against the WCAG AA standard. Our step-by-step guide on how to choose a color palette walks through the whole process, and you can create and publish your own palette for free.

Define a palette in CSS

:root {
  --brand:  #6366F1;
  --accent: #EC4899;
  --ink:    #111827;
  --paper:  #F9FAFB;
}

Frequently asked questions

How many colors should a palette have?

Most effective palettes use 3–5 core colors plus a couple of neutrals. Too many colors dilute the design.

What is a hex code?

A hex code is a six-character code (like #FF5FA2) that represents an exact color in web design. Click any swatch on PaletteCSS to copy one.

What's the difference between a color palette and a color scheme?

They're often used interchangeably. "Color scheme" usually refers to the harmony rule (complementary, analogous), while "palette" refers to the specific set of colors you end up with.

Ready to see real examples? Browse 50 beautiful color palettes for web design.