Web Safe Color Palette

Back in the days when everyone was using video cards capable of displaying only 256 colors, a collection of colors that would not dither within a web page was established. This small number of colors, just over 200, were even given names although - in our experience - this often lead to more confusion. After all, if someone says they want their primary color to be 'sky blue,' then it is not clear what the exact color values in either Hex or RGB format this would mean. We normally define all of the colors used within a web page using Hex values. 

Thankfully, most computers in use today are capable of showing - at the very least - a 24-bit palette. This would be one capable of displaying 2⁸, 256 x 256 x256, or 16,777,216 colors. Cards or chips capable of displaying 30 or 32-bit depths can display even more. However, for those who have no idea where to begin in choosing a primary color for use on their site, the web-safe palette is still an excellent starting point.

Rather than just displaying a chart of these values, there is yet another issue in play. The text set against a colored background must still legible and easy to read. That lack of contrast between these two colors is the most common design mistake made! For this reason, we are providing an interactive JavaScript powered web application in a pop-up window that allows for the easy selection of both foreground and background colors while displaying a small selection of text. Experiment with this until you are happy with your color choices, and uses the values listed in defining your color scheme.

Javascript App written by Tom Duffy, March 22, 2004