About
Color palettes,
in context.
Palette Atlas is an archive of color palettes tied to specific cultural contexts — historical periods, crafts, architecture, and folk traditions.
It exists because when a designer needs “a Japanese color palette” or “Moroccan blues,” Coolors and Adobe Color return trendy guesses without context. Pinterest has visuals but no names or codes. This site closes that gap by pairing every palette with a name, a place, and a note about where the color comes from.
Palette data is released under CC0 so you can use it freely in any project. Feedback, corrections, and suggestions from people closer to each culture are welcome — see the Credits page for how to reach us.
Principles
- Depth over breadth. Five countries done well beat fifty done shallowly.
- Context matters. A HEX code without a story is just a number.
- Open to correction. If a palette misrepresents a culture, we fix it.
- Free forever. Palette data is CC0. Support is optional.