What is color harmony?

Color harmony describes combinations of colors that look balanced and pleasing because of their positions on the color wheel. Each scheme — complementary, analogous, triadic and so on — uses a fixed set of hue angles relative to a base color.

Which harmony should I use for a brand?

Analogous and monochromatic schemes feel calm and cohesive, ideal for backgrounds and large areas. Complementary and triadic schemes create stronger contrast, useful for calls to action and accents.

What is the difference between complementary and split-complementary?

Complementary uses the base hue plus the one directly opposite (180°), giving the strongest possible contrast. Split-complementary keeps the base but replaces the single opposite with the two hues either side of it (150° and 210°), so you keep high contrast while softening the visual tension.

How many colors should I actually use from a scheme?

A practical rule is the 60-30-10 split: one dominant color for roughly 60% of the surface, a secondary for 30%, and an accent for the remaining 10%. Even when a scheme offers four or five hues, restraint usually reads as more professional than using every swatch equally.

Do these harmonies guarantee accessible text contrast?

No. Harmony is about hue relationships, not contrast ratios. Two harmonious colors can still fail WCAG contrast when used as text and background. Always verify text pairings with a contrast checker and adjust lightness as needed.

Why are triadic and square schemes harder to balance?

Triadic and square schemes spread saturated hues evenly around the wheel, so each color competes for attention. They look best when you let one hue dominate and desaturate or lighten the others rather than using all of them at full strength.

Can I start from a brand color I already have?

Yes — paste your brand hex as the base color and every scheme is recalculated around it. This is the fastest way to find supporting accent and background colors that are guaranteed to relate to your existing brand hue.

Color Harmony Generator — Schemes from One Color

How to use Color Harmony Generator

Enter a single base color and instantly see all seven classic color-harmony schemes built around it — complementary, analogous, triadic, split-complementary, tetradic, square, and monochromatic. Every scheme is derived from fixed hue angles on the color wheel, so the results are mathematically consistent rather than guesswork. Compare them side by side, then copy any hex code for use in CSS, design tools, or brand systems. Everything runs in your browser with nothing uploaded.

Pick a base color with the color picker or type a hex value.
Scan the seven harmony sections generated from that base color.
Compare schemes — complementary for contrast, analogous for cohesion.
Click any swatch to copy its hex code.
Apply the 60-30-10 rule when assigning the colors to your design.

Your data never leaves your device — 100% private processing.

How each harmony scheme is built

Every scheme keeps the base hue and adds others at fixed angles on the 360° color wheel. Complementary adds 180°. Analogous uses ±30°. Triadic uses 120° and 240°. Split-complementary uses 150° and 210°. Tetradic and square use 90°, 180°, and 270° (square spaces them evenly; tetradic emphasises two complementary pairs). Monochromatic keeps a single hue and only varies lightness. Because saturation and lightness are preserved, the generated colors share a family resemblance with your base color.

Scheme	Hue offsets	Best for
Complementary	0°, 180°	Maximum contrast, accents
Analogous	-30°, 0°, +30°	Calm, cohesive backgrounds
Triadic	0°, 120°, 240°	Vibrant, balanced trios
Split-complementary	0°, 150°, 210°	Contrast with less tension
Tetradic / Square	0°, 90°, 180°, 270°	Rich four-color schemes
Monochromatic	single hue	Subtle, unified tints and shades

Turning a scheme into a usable palette

A harmony scheme gives you raw hues, but a finished palette needs hierarchy. Choose one color to dominate, then assign the others to secondary and accent roles using the 60-30-10 ratio. Desaturate or lighten supporting colors so a single accent can stand out. Always check that any text-on-background pairing meets WCAG AA contrast (4.5:1 for body text). Harmony decides which colors belong together; contrast and proportion decide whether the result is readable and professional.

Worked examples

Blue base, complementary

Inputs: #2563EB

Result: Pairs blue with an orange-toned opposite for strong contrast

Blue base, analogous

Inputs: #2563EB

Result: Generates indigo and cyan neighbours for a cohesive cool palette

Glossary

Hue: The pure color attribute measured in degrees around the color wheel, from 0° to 360°.
Complementary: Two colors directly opposite each other on the wheel (180° apart), producing the strongest contrast.
Analogous: Colors next to each other on the wheel (within about 30°), giving a calm, cohesive look.
Monochromatic: A scheme built from a single hue, varying only saturation and lightness.
60-30-10 rule: A proportion guideline: 60% dominant color, 30% secondary, 10% accent.

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Color Harmony Generator

Complementary

Analogous

Triadic

Split-Complementary

Tetradic

Square

Monochromatic

How to use Color Harmony Generator

How each harmony scheme is built

Turning a scheme into a usable palette

Worked examples

Glossary

Related reading

Frequently Asked Questions

Why use Color Harmony Generator?

Common use cases

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