Practical color guide
Website Color Schemes: Practical Palettes for Modern UI
Learn how to build website color schemes with primary, secondary, background, text and accent colors.
Start with a simple structure
A reliable website color scheme usually needs one primary color, one accent color, neutral backgrounds, readable text colors and clear states for links, buttons and alerts.
Recommended palette recipe
Use a neutral background, a strong primary color for actions, a softer secondary color for highlights, and a dark readable text color. Keep decorative colors limited.
Common mistakes
Avoid using too many saturated colors, low contrast text, or palettes that look good in a mockup but fail on mobile screens.
Frequently asked questions
How many colors should a website use?
Most websites work well with one primary color, one accent color and a small neutral scale.
Should every button use the primary color?
No. Reserve the primary color for the most important actions and use neutral or secondary styles for less important actions.