5 Sites I Use For Color

Randy Bazile
Sep 22, 2024
2 min read

“Colors, like features, follow the changes of the emotions.” - Pablo Picasso

One of the important elements of art & design is choosing the right color(s). Brand colors evoke an emotional connection with consumers, attracting them to return over time. If you have been doing graphic design, then you understand that color theory is necessary. Therefore, I will share a list of websites I use when designing.

Without further ado, here are the sites:

1. Adobe Color

Adobe Color was one of the first color websites I used when trying to find color codes, complementary colors, shades, etc. If you have an Adobe subscription plan, this is included. Besides using the color wheel, you can also search for color palettes and add them to your library. My favorite feature is uploading an image and creating a color palette from the image. Perfect for branding projects if you are using reference images.

2. Coolors

Coolors is a great alternative if you don’t have or use any Adobe products. Before Adobe color added the feature to upload images for colors, I used Coolors. Its simple UI for creating color palettes is easy on the eyes. You can convert palettes into gradients, view a luminance map, and even generate random palettes! A bonus is they provide names of the said color in the palette.

3. Pantone

This is a MUST-HAVE for graphic and visual designers of all mediums. The colors of Pantones matter when you design digitally. Searching for a Pantone color will provide color codes that match — or closely match — hex codes, RGB, CMYK, LAB, & HSB. Sometimes, however, the color codes may differ from the Pantone codes. Ultimately, as long as the color shade and tint are a close match, it’s barely noticeable. One flaw I feel the Pantone website needs work on has the option to search for a Pantone color using hex codes. It’d make the work easy instead of just going to Photoshop and pulling up their color library.

4. ColorSpace

I accidentally found this website when I was searching for the perfect gradient. ColorSpace doesn’t just generate gradients (the best feature of the website, in my opinion), it generates perfect palettes. The poppy design of the website is just as attractive as the palettes generated when you type out the hex code for your brand.

5. Color-Name

I recently discovered this website. By far, it is my favorite of the five I use. It not only gives you the color codes, but some cool color names. I use this website when creating brand guides for clients. I give them the names of the colors that make it easy for them to remember. If they are in doubt of the color, they can search the name of the color. They are unique and easy to remember.

The website also provides recommended color combinations, patterns of the color, gradients, mockup photos using the color and even the solid color in wallpaper size.