Nowadays, any color can be used on a computer, but it’s important to know about web-safe colors because they still remain relevant, especially for accessibility and compatibility reasons. I’ll also address why you need to have a visually pleasing color palette for a website.

Web-Safe Colors

Web-safe colors are 216 colors that display consistently on any computer monitor or web browser, capable of displaying 8-bit color. This concept dates back to the early days of the web when many computers could only support a limited color palette.

By sticking to these colors, you can ensure that your website’s design looks the same across different devices and browsers. The web-safe colors are an even distribution of 6 intensity levels for red, green, and blue, which gives us 6x6x6=216 colors.

Each of these colors can be defined using hexadecimal notation, which uses the numbers 0-9 and the letters A-F to represent the intensity of red, green, and blue in the color. In web-safe colors, these values are always repeated; for example, #FF0000 would be a web-safe red, #00FF00 would be green, and #0000FF would be blue.

However, most devices can display millions of colors with modern technology, making web-safe colors less relevant today. But they can still be useful for designers who want to ensure their work is accessible to as many people as possible.

Here’s a cool online color chart that has 216 web-safe colors.  Each color also has the associated hex color code number.

Website Color Palette

A color palette for a website is a selection of colors used consistently throughout a website to create a harmonious and visually appealing design. It’s an essential part of the website’s overall branding and contributes significantly to the user’s experience and perception of the brand.

Typically, a website color palette includes:

1. Primary Colors: These are the main colors representing the brand and are usually the most dominant on the site.
2. Secondary Colors: These colors support and complement the primary colors. They may be used for backgrounds, buttons, or hover states.
3. Background Colors: These colors are used for the site’s background and can help determine the overall mood of the site.
4. Text Colors: These colors are used for the main body text and headings. They must provide enough contrast against the background color to be easily readable.
5. Accent Colors: These are colors used sparingly to highlight important elements, such as call-to-action buttons or links.

When choosing a color palette, the colors should align with the brand’s identity and the feeling it wants to evoke in its users.

Here are a few online color palette generators:

• Coolors – is a popular color palette generator with various features and a user-friendly interface. It also offers the ability to create custom palettes based on an uploaded image or website.
• ColorSpace –  has a free online Color Pallete generator. They also have a Gradient generator and 3 Color Gradient generator.
• Paletton – this tool allows users to generate color palettes based on different color theory concepts such as monochromatic, complementary, triad, and more.

Other factors to consider when choosing a color palette include the target audience and the use context. For example, bright and playful colors may be more appropriate if the brand targets children. More muted and sophisticated colors may be preferred if the brand targets professionals in a corporate setting.

Another important aspect to consider is accessibility. It’s crucial to ensure that the color palette has enough contrast between the background and text colors so that people with visual impairments can easily read the content. Online tools are available to check the contrast ratio of different color combinations, such as WebAIM’s Color Contrast Checker.

Additionally, cultural connotations of certain colors should also be taken into account. For example, red may symbolize passion and energy in Western cultures, but in some Eastern cultures, it may represent luck or prosperity. Understanding the cultural significance of colors can help create a more meaningful and impactful color palette.

Overall, choosing a color palette requires careful consideration of various factors such as brand identity, target audience, accessibility, and cultural connotations. It’s important to explore different options and iterate until the perfect color palette is achieved, as it plays a significant role in creating a strong visual identity for any brand. So, be creative and have fun experimenting with different colors to find the best fit for your brand!