Color Palette
Generate WCAG-compliant color palettes for SaaS products, mobile apps, and brand design systems in under 60 seconds
Overview
Generate complete color palettes with WCAG contrast compliance, semantic color assignments, and usage guidelines for design systems, brand launches, and product redesigns.
Most designers spend 2-4 hours researching color psychology, testing contrast ratios, and defining semantic colors. This template handles the entire process in under a minute, giving you a production-ready palette with accessibility built in from the start.
Use Cases
- Launch a SaaS product brand identity in 48 hours with complete color documentation
- Build accessible design systems for mobile apps that pass App Store accessibility audits
- Generate rebrand color palettes for fintech products requiring WCAG AAA compliance
- Create color schemes for healthcare dashboards with high-contrast requirements
- Design e-commerce brand colors that work across web, iOS, and Android platforms
Benefits
Time savings: Generate complete color systems in 45-60 seconds instead of spending 3+ hours on color research and accessibility testing.
Accessibility by default: Every palette includes WCAG contrast ratios for text pairings, saving 1-2 hours of manual testing with contrast checkers.
Design system ready: Get semantic color assignments (success, warning, error, info) and usage guidelines that integrate directly into Figma, Sketch, or code.
Consistent brand execution: Documented color rules prevent team members from using off-brand colors across 20+ designers and developers.
Template
Create color palette:
Brand: {{brand}}
Industry: {{industry}}
Personality: {{personality}}
Color preferences: {{colorPreferences}}
Include:
- Primary color
- Secondary colors
- Accent colors
- Neutrals
- Semantic colors
- Usage guidelines
- WCAG compliance
Palette size: {{size}}
Accessibility requirements: {{accessibilityLevel}}
Properties
- brand: Single-line Text (default:
Brand name) - industry: Single Selection (default:
Technology)- Options: Technology, Finance, Healthcare, Education, Retail, and 5 more
- personality: Multiple Selection (default:
Trustworthy, Professional)- Options: Bold, Trustworthy, Innovative, Friendly, Professional, and 5 more
- colorPreferences (optional): Multiple Selection (default:
Blue tones)- Options: Blue tones, Green tones, Warm colors, Cool colors, Vibrant, and 5 more
- size: Single Selection (default:
Standard)- Options: Minimal (5-7 colors), Standard (8-12 colors), Comprehensive (15+ colors)
- accessibilityLevel: Single Selection (default:
WCAG AA)- Options: WCAG AA (4.5:1 contrast), WCAG AAA (7:1 contrast), Basic (3:1 contrast)
Example Output
Using the template with Brand: TechFlow Analytics, Industry: Technology, Personality: Trustworthy, Professional, Innovative, here’s the actual generated palette:
Primary Colors
- Primary Blue: #0066CC (7.08:1 contrast on white, passes AAA)
- Primary Dark: #003D7A (11.89:1, for navigation and footers)
- Primary Light: #3D8FE0 (4.53:1, for accents and highlights)
Secondary Colors
- Electric Cyan: #00A3E0 (4.59:1, for data visualization and interactive elements)
- Deep Navy: #1A2B3C (15.52:1, for text and dark backgrounds)
Neutrals
- Charcoal: #2D3748 (12.58:1, body text)
- Slate Gray: #64748B (5.02:1, secondary text)
- Light Gray: #E2E8F0 (borders and dividers)
- Off-White: #F8FAFC (page backgrounds)
Semantic Colors
- Success Green: #047857 (6.89:1, passes AAA)
- Warning Amber: #D97706 (4.68:1, passes AA)
- Error Red: #C53030 (5.94:1, passes AA)
Usage Guidelines Included
- Text combinations: Primary text (#2D3748) and secondary text (#64748B) on white backgrounds
- Button styles: Primary CTA uses #0066CC with white text, hover darkens to #003D7A
- Data visualization: Three-tier blue scale for charts (#0066CC, #00A3E0, #3D8FE0)
- Backgrounds: Main (#F8FAFC), cards (#FFFFFF), subtle sections (#E2E8F0), dark mode (#1A2B3C)
Each color includes specific use cases (buttons, data viz, text) and all WCAG contrast ratios are documented.
Common Mistakes
Picking colors without contrast testing: Many designers choose colors based purely on aesthetics and discover accessibility issues after the design is complete. This template builds contrast compliance into every color choice, preventing late-stage redesigns.
Creating too many accent colors: Design systems with 8+ accent colors create decision paralysis and inconsistent UIs. The template recommends 3-5 accents based on your brand personality, giving you enough variety without overwhelming your team.
Skipping semantic color definitions: When teams lack defined success/warning/error colors, every developer interprets them differently. You end up with three shades of green for success states across the product. This template assigns specific semantic colors with clear usage rules.
Ignoring color blindness: Standard color palettes often fail for users with deuteranopia or protanopia. The template suggests color combinations that work for common types of color blindness when you specify high accessibility requirements.
Not documenting when to use each color: A palette without usage guidelines leads to designers using primary colors for backgrounds or accent colors for text. The template provides specific guidance: primary for CTAs, secondary for links, accents for highlights.
Frequently Used With
- Design Brief - Define brand personality and visual direction before generating color palettes
- UI Copy - Apply your color palette to interface components with consistent microcopy