Accessible Color Palette Generator
Generate WCAG-aware palettes and preview real UI states instantly.
Test buttons, cards, forms, alerts, links, charts, focus states, and dark mode.
Need a full design system? Try the new Accessible Palette Studio — OKLCH 11-stop scales, APCA grading, color-blindness simulation, and Tailwind/Figma/iOS/Android exports.
Color palette generation workspace
Generate Color Palette
WCAG Compliance
Preview generated colors against WCAG 2.2 contrast thresholds for text, UI components, focus indicators, and common interface states.
Design System Ready
Generate complete color palettes with primary, secondary, accent, and neutral colors. Use the live preview to decide which colors should become design tokens.
Multiple Export Formats
Export your palettes in CSS, SCSS, Figma, Adobe Swatches, and more. Seamlessly integrate with your existing design and development workflow.
About Accessible Color Palettes
Why Accessibility Matters
- 15% of the global population has some form of visual impairment
- Good contrast improves readability for everyone, not just those with disabilities
- Accessible design is often required by law (ADA, AODA, etc.)
- Better contrast can improve conversion rates and user engagement
Color Theory Basics
- Complementary: Colors opposite on the color wheel (high contrast)
- Analogous: Colors next to each other (harmonious)
- Triadic: Three colors evenly spaced on the wheel
- Monochromatic: Different shades of the same hue
- Split-Complementary: Base color plus two adjacent to its complement
Best Practices
- Test your colors with actual users, including those with visual impairments
- Use tools like this generator to ensure WCAG compliance from the start
- Consider how colors will appear in different lighting conditions
- Don't rely solely on color to convey important information
- Create a consistent color system across your entire product
Build WCAG color palettes for real UI states
A useful accessible color palette is more than a row of attractive swatches. Product teams need to know how colors behave in buttons, cards, form fields, links, alerts, charts, disabled controls, hover styles, focus rings, and dark mode. This generator turns color harmony into a practical UI preview so designers and developers can choose safer color pairings before shipping.
For designers
Explore accessible color combinations for brand palettes, product themes, dashboard UI, and component libraries without guessing how states will look.
For developers
Export CSS, SCSS, or JSON values and map them into tokens like background, foreground, primary, border, focus, success, warning, and destructive.
For accessibility reviews
Catch risky combinations early, then verify production-critical pairings with the contrast checker and manual testing across real content.
Accessible Color Palette FAQ
Short answers for teams using WCAG color palettes in websites, apps, and design systems.
What makes a color palette accessible?
An accessible color palette includes foreground and background combinations that meet WCAG contrast requirements, supports visible focus indicators, avoids color-only meaning, and works across light mode, dark mode, hover states, disabled states, and error states.
What contrast ratio does WCAG 2.2 require?
WCAG 2.2 Level AA requires a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text. Level AAA requires 7:1 for normal text and 4.5:1 for large text. UI components and graphical objects should have at least 3:1 contrast against adjacent colors.
Why should I preview colors on buttons, forms, cards, and charts?
A swatch can look good in isolation but fail when used as button text, card borders, form focus rings, alerts, links, or chart colors. Live previews reveal whether the palette works in real interface states before it becomes part of a design system.
Can one palette be fully WCAG compliant?
A palette itself is not automatically compliant. Compliance depends on specific color pairings, text size, component state, and context. The safest workflow is to generate colors, preview real UI pairings, then verify important combinations with a contrast checker.
Should accessible palettes include dark mode?
Yes. Dark mode often needs different surface, border, text, focus, and accent choices because colors that pass in light mode can become muddy or too low contrast on dark surfaces.
Essential Accessibility Resources
Comprehensive tools, checklists, and guides to help you create inclusive digital experiences