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algorithmic-color-palettelisted

Derive a full UI colour palette algorithmically from one or two brand colours. Darker and lighter variants for interactive states, desaturated greys from the brand hue for borders and backgrounds, and semantic colours that feel coherent with the brand rather than generic. Use when building a colour system from scratch or expanding a limited brand palette for UI use.
dembrandt/dembrandt-skills · ★ 13 · Web & Frontend · score 83
Install: claude install-skill dembrandt/dembrandt-skills
# Algorithmic Colour Palette A brand palette of 2–3 colours is not enough for a UI. You need shades for states (hover, active, disabled), neutrals for backgrounds and borders, and semantic colours for status. Deriving these algorithmically from the brand colours produces a palette that feels coherent — everything is visually related to the brand rather than pulled from a generic grey or a stock colour library. ## Deriving Interactive State Colours From each brand colour, generate at minimum three variants: base, darker (hover/active), lighter (tint/background). ### Method: HSL adjustment ``` base: hsl(H, S%, L%) hover: hsl(H, S%, L% - 8%) ← darken by reducing lightness active: hsl(H, S%, L% - 14%) ← darken further tint: hsl(H, S%, L% + 40%) ← lighten significantly for backgrounds subtle: hsl(H, S% * 0.3, L% + 45%) ← heavily desaturated, near-white ``` ### Example: brand primary `#133174` (hsl 224, 70%, 27%) ```css --color-primary-subtle: hsl(224, 21%, 94%); /* background tint */ --color-primary-tint: hsl(224, 70%, 67%); /* light variant */ --color-primary: hsl(224, 70%, 27%); /* base */ --color-primary-hover: hsl(224, 70%, 19%); /* hover: -8% lightness */ --color-primary-active: hsl(224, 70%, 13%); /* active: -14% lightness */ ``` ### Example: success green derived from a teal brand colour If the brand has a green or teal, shift it toward a clearer success green: ```css --color-success-subtle: hsl(142, 20%, 94%); --color-suc