Complementary colour palettes

Two hues from opposite sides of the wheel, one leading, with neutrals to hold them apart. Explore 598 palettes.

Browse all 78 palette collections

Colour pairings & usage tips

Try this.

Give one side of the colour wheel the larger area and use the opposite hue for a smaller accent. Neutral colours can separate the two without adding another competing hue.

Check the pairing.

Opposite hues may still have similar lightness. Use the measured contrast pair for text and reserve equal-strength complements for decoration when their contrast is weak.

A pairing to start with.

In Raspberry & Spruce, #24524D against #E498B4 has a contrast ratio of 3.96:1. Use this pair for large text (24px, or about 19px bold); it falls below the normal-text threshold. This checks opaque colours only; other pairings, transparency and gradients need their own checks.

The five swatches span 40–76% OKLCH lightness. Try different colour roles in the palette generator.