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Private browser utility / Color & Design

Accessible Color Palette Generator

Runs entirely in your browser - no upload, no sign-up.

Live workspaceLocal processing

Start with your colors

Set the palette constraints

Live interface preview

Build with clearer color roles

See how text, surfaces, borders, accents, and a primary action work together before you export the palette.

Primary action
The generator preserves your hue where possible and changes lightness to reach the selected contrast target.

Role-based colors

Your generated palette

Text roles aim for at least 4.5:1 against their intended background.

Pair by pair

WCAG contrast report

Normal text: 4.5:1 AA, 7:1 AAA. Large text: 3:1 AA, 4.5:1 AAA.

Text on background

#000000 / #ffffff

21.00:1
AA normal PassAA large PassAAA normal PassAAA large Pass

Muted text on background

#595959 / #ffffff

7.00:1
AA normal PassAA large PassAAA normal PassAAA large Pass

Primary on background

#635bff / #ffffff

4.69:1
AA normal PassAA large PassAAA normal FailAAA large Pass

Text on primary

#ffffff / #635bff

4.69:1
AA normal PassAA large PassAAA normal FailAAA large Pass

Accent on background

#af34f6 / #ffffff

4.52:1
AA normal PassAA large PassAAA normal FailAAA large Pass

Border on background

#949494 / #ffffff

3.03:1
AA normal FailAA large PassAAA normal FailAAA large FailUI 3:1 Pass

These results evaluate opaque sRGB color contrast only. A passing palette does not by itself make a product accessible; also test focus, states, semantics, zoom, motion, and use of color in the finished interface.

Developer handoff

CSS custom properties

Share this tool
accessible palette generator / browser utility
01 / Overview

What is an accessible color palette generator?

An accessible color palette generator turns a brand color and page background into practical UI roles, then checks each intended foreground and background pair against WCAG contrast thresholds. It gives you text, surface, primary, accent, border, and on-primary colors with exact ratios and copy-ready CSS variables.

02

How to use

  1. 01
    Choose your starting colors

    Enter the brand hex color you want to preserve and the page background it must work against.

  2. 02
    Set the contrast target

    Choose AA for a 4.5:1 normal-text target or AAA for 7:1, then choose how the accent relates to the brand hue.

  3. 03
    Review roles and real pairs

    Check the interface preview and read the exact ratio plus AA and AAA result for every intended foreground-background pair.

  4. 04
    Adjust and export

    Try another accent, edit either starting color, copy a single value, or copy the complete CSS-variable block.

03

Who it's for

  • Product designers turning an approved brand color into background, surface, text, action, accent, and border roles.
  • Front-end developers who need named CSS tokens plus exact contrast evidence for a design-system review.
  • Accessibility reviewers checking the intended text and UI pairs before colors are embedded across many components.
  • Small teams exploring AA and AAA targets without moving brand inputs into a hosted design service.

This generator is built for the point where a brand color has to become a usable interface. It keeps the chosen hue where possible, adjusts lightness to meet your AA or AAA target, and assigns each result a clear role. The live preview shows the roles together, while the pair-by-pair report keeps the claim precise: it checks opaque sRGB contrast, not accessibility as a whole.

Everything is calculated locally in your browser. Your colors are not uploaded, and you can copy any individual hex value or export the full set as CSS custom properties.

FAQ

Is this accessible color palette generator free?

Yes. You can generate, adjust, preview, and export as many palettes as you need without an account or usage limit. The complete role set is available as individual hex values and a copyable CSS custom-property block.

Are my brand colors uploaded?

No. Color conversion, palette generation, contrast measurement, and CSS export all run locally in your browser. The tool does not need to send your brand or background colors to a server to calculate the result.

What are the WCAG contrast thresholds for text?

For WCAG 2.x, normal text needs at least 4.5:1 for AA and 7:1 for AAA. Large text needs at least 3:1 for AA and 4.5:1 for AAA. WCAG defines large text as at least 18 point regular or 14 point bold.

Does every generated color pass WCAG AAA?

Not always. The chosen background may make 7:1 impossible, especially around the middle of the luminance range. The generator searches the full lightness axis, keeps the nearest passing choice when one exists, and clearly reports any pair that still fails.

How does the generator preserve my brand color?

It keeps the brand hue and saturation, then searches lighter and darker versions for the nearest color that reaches the selected ratio against the page background. The accent begins from an analogous, complementary, or triadic hue and goes through the same check.

Does a passing palette make my website accessible?

No. This tool checks color contrast for the listed opaque sRGB pairs. A complete accessibility review must also cover semantics, keyboard use, focus visibility, zoom, motion, component states, images, and information conveyed by color alone.