A color palette is a curated set of colors that work harmoniously together. Designers use palettes to maintain visual consistency across interfaces, brands, and creative projects.
Color harmony is based on the color wheel. Colors that are mathematically related on the wheel (complementary, analogous, triadic, etc.) tend to look pleasing together. Each scheme creates a different mood — complementary for contrast, analogous for cohesion.
There is no single best scheme. Analogous palettes feel calm and professional. Complementary palettes create strong contrast for CTAs. Triadic palettes are vibrant and balanced. Choose based on your brand personality and the emotion you want to evoke.
Most effective design systems use 3-5 core colors: a primary, a secondary or accent, a neutral, and surface colors. You can extend these with tints and shades for depth without visual clutter.
A tint is a color mixed with white (higher lightness), while a shade is mixed with black (lower lightness). Together, they create a scale from the lightest to darkest version of a base color.