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Design / 5 min read

How to Choose Colors for a Simple Website

A practical color workflow for small websites, landing pages, tools, dashboards, and creator projects.

Start with one useful base color

Small websites rarely need a complex palette. Start with one base color that fits the tone of the project, then create lighter and darker variations for backgrounds, borders, buttons, and hover states.

A simple palette is easier to maintain and less likely to distract from the content or tool itself.

Assign roles to colors

Instead of choosing colors randomly for each element, give each color a job. This makes the interface feel more consistent.

  • Use one accent color for primary actions.
  • Use soft tints for panels or subtle highlights.
  • Use dark neutrals for readable text.
  • Keep warning and error colors separate from brand colors.

Check contrast

Readable text matters more than decoration. Before publishing, check that buttons, links, and body text have enough contrast on their backgrounds.