Brand Palette

Overview

This skill guides brand color discovery and generates comprehensive palette reports. It walks through understanding brand identity, selecting hues from the RYB color wheel, setting chroma/tone preferences, then generates Obsidian-compatible markdown with full tonal scales (50-950), Tailwind configs, and APCA contrast validation.

Three entry points:

1. Discovery flow - Guide users through brand identity → hue selection → palette
2. Hex refinement flow - Start from an existing hex color (e.g., #00b9c3)
3. OKLCH refinement flow - Start from OKLCH values (e.g., 0.72 0.12 201.7)

When to Use

• User wants to create a brand color palette or design system
• User needs Tailwind color configuration for a project
• User describes brand values, personality, or identity that imply color decisions
• User mentions competitors' colors to differentiate from
• User asks about accessible/APCA-compliant color schemes
• User has an existing hex color and wants to generate a full palette from it
• User has OKLCH values and wants to generate a palette from them
• User picked a color from a previous palette and wants to regenerate around it

Scripts

Execute via uv run:

uv run {base_dir}/scripts/brand_report.py [options]

Script	Description
brand_report.py	Main entry point - generates palette reports

brand_report.py Options

Option	Description
--name NAME	Brand name (required)
--hue NAME:WEIGHT	Hue with weight, repeat 1-3 times (e.g., Blue:0.6)
--hex COLOR	Start from hex color (e.g., #015856). Overrides --hue/--chroma/--tone
--oklch 'L C H'	Start from OKLCH values (e.g., '0.72 0.12 201.7'). Overrides --hue/--chroma/--tone
--chroma 0-100	Chroma/saturation intent (default: 50)
--tone 0-100	Tone/lightness intent (default: 50)
--gamut p3|srgb	Target color gamut (default: p3)
--include-complement	Include the complementary color (180° opposite in RYB)
--auto-adjust	Auto-adjust colors for APCA contrast
--output PATH	Output file path (required)

Workflow A: Brand Discovery (Full Process)

Use this when starting from scratch with a new brand.

Phase 1: Understand the Brand

This phase is collaborative and iterative. Engage in genuine dialogue to understand the brand before making color decisions. Do not rush through as a checklist.

Key areas to explore:

1. Brand essence: What does the brand represent? Core values, personality traits, emotional associations? What feelings should the brand evoke?

2. Industry/category: Finance, health, entertainment, luxury, tech, sustainability? Industry norms provide useful starting points (but can be intentionally broken).

3. Target audience: Who is the primary audience? Consider age, sophistication level, cultural context, and what resonates with them visually.

4. Competitive landscape: Who are the direct competitors? Use web search tools or subagents to research what colors dominate the competitive space. The goal is not to avoid these colors entirely, but to understand existing associations. A competitor strongly associated with blue doesn't mean blue is off-limits—it means choosing blue requires intentional differentiation or acceptance of the association.

5. Existing constraints: Any existing brand colors, logo colors, or assets that must be respected or harmonized with?

Guidance:

• If the user provides a detailed brief upfront, extract these elements and confirm understanding
• If information is sparse, ask targeted follow-up questions
• Summarize findings before proceeding to hue selection
• This phase may take several exchanges—that's expected and valuable

⚠️ CHECKPOINT: Do NOT proceed to Phase 2 until the user explicitly confirms understanding of their brand. Present a summary of findings and wait for approval.

Phase 2: Select Hues

The palette system uses 6 anchor hues from the RYB color wheel. Select 1-3 hues with weights that reflect their relative importance to the brand identity.

Available Hues and Brand Associations:

Hue	Associations
Red	Energy, passion, urgency, bold, confident, pioneering, excitement, youthful, active, powerful
Orange	Warmth, friendly, approachable, cheerful, creative, social, inviting, clarity, fun, optimistic
Yellow	Joy, optimism, sunshine, energetic, youthful, happy, cheerful, bright, summer, playful
Green	Nature, growth, health, trust, balance, safety, environmental, organic, peaceful, wealth
Blue	Trust, stability, calm, professional, secure, reliable, depth, progress, responsible, tranquil
Purple	Luxury, creativity, wisdom, elegance, ambition, noble, imaginative, mystical, sophisticated

Selection guidance:

• Single hue (weight 1.0): Strong, focused brand identity. Best when one association dominates.
• Two hues (e.g., 0.6/0.4): Blended identity. Primary hue leads, secondary adds nuance.
• Three hues (e.g., 0.5/0.3/0.2): Complex identity. Use sparingly; can dilute focus.

Industry starting points (guidance, not rules):

Industry	Common Hues	Notes
Finance/Enterprise	Blue, Green	Trust, stability, growth
Health/Wellness	Green, Blue	Nature, calm, trust
Luxury/Premium	Purple, restrained Red	Elegance, sophistication
Food/Retail	Orange, Red, Yellow	Energy, appetite, warmth
Tech/SaaS	Blue, Purple	Trust, innovation
Sustainability/Eco	Green	Nature, environmental
Entertainment/Youth	Yellow, Orange, Red	Energy, fun, excitement

Discussion points:

• Which associations from Phase 1 map most strongly to these hues?
• Does the competitive landscape suggest differentiation opportunities?
• Are there cultural considerations for the target audience?

⚠️ CHECKPOINT: Propose hue selection with weights and reasoning. Do NOT proceed to Phase 3 until the user confirms the hue selection.

Phase 3: Set Chroma and Tone

After hue selection, determine the chroma (saturation) and tone (lightness) intents. Both use a 0-100 scale and are independent of hue choice.

Chroma (Vividness): 0-100

Range	Feel	Brand signals
20-40	Muted, sophisticated, calm	Luxury, premium, minimalist, formal, reserved
40-60	Balanced, professional	Enterprise, finance, healthcare, government
60-80	Vibrant, energetic	Consumer tech, retail, entertainment, youth
80-100	Bold, attention-grabbing	Promotions, sports, disruptive startups

Higher chroma = more saturated, energetic, youthful Lower chroma = more muted, sophisticated, calm

Tone (Lightness): 0-100

Range	Feel	Brand signals
30-45	Dark, weighty, authoritative	Luxury, power, prestige, serious
45-55	Balanced, versatile	Most professional contexts, enterprise
55-70	Light, friendly, approachable	Wellness, consumer, inclusive, optimistic
70-85	Airy, soft, gentle	Lifestyle, wellness, feminine products

Higher tone = lighter, more approachable, open Lower tone = darker, more authoritative, weighty

Discussion points:

• What emotional register should the brand colors strike?
• Is the brand meant to feel approachable or authoritative?
• Should colors command attention or recede into sophistication?
• Will colors be used primarily for UI elements, marketing, or both?

⚠️ CHECKPOINT: Propose chroma and tone values with reasoning. Do NOT proceed to Phase 4 until the user confirms these values.

Phase 4: Confirm Before Generation

Before generating the palette, present a summary of all choices for final approval.

Summary template:

Brand: [name]
Hues: [Hue1:weight1], [Hue2:weight2], ...
Chroma: [value] ([feel description])
Tone: [value] ([feel description])
Gamut: [p3 or srgb]
APCA Auto-Adjust: [yes/no]

Additional options to confirm:

• Gamut: Display P3 (wider, for modern displays) or sRGB (universal compatibility)
  • Default to P3 unless user needs maximum browser/device compatibility
• APCA Auto-Adjust: Automatically adjust colors that fail accessibility contrast
  • Recommended: yes (ensures all colors meet APCA Lc 60 threshold)

Example summary:

Brand: Acme Corp
Hues: Blue:0.6, Purple:0.4
Chroma: 55 (balanced, professional)
Tone: 50 (versatile, mid-range)
Gamut: Display P3
APCA Auto-Adjust: yes

⚠️ CRITICAL: Wait for explicit user confirmation before proceeding. Do NOT generate the palette until the user approves the summary.

Generate command (only after approval):

uv run {base_dir}/scripts/brand_report.py \
    --name "Brand Name" \
    --hue Blue:0.6 --hue Purple:0.4 \
    --chroma 55 \
    --tone 50 \
    --gamut p3 \
    --auto-adjust \
    --output thoughts/shared/brand/YYYY-MM-DD_brand-name_palette.md

Phase 5: Review and Iterate

After generation:

• Review the generated report with the user
• The report can be opened in Obsidian to preview color swatches
• Tailwind configs can be copied directly into tailwind.config.js
• If adjustments are needed, re-run discovery or tweak parameters
• Use --hex to refine: pick a specific color from the palette and regenerate around it

Workflow B: Color Refinement (Quick Start)

Use this when the user already has a specific color they want to build from:

• They have an existing brand color (hex or OKLCH)
• They picked a color from a previous palette
• They refined a color externally and want to regenerate

Process

1. Get the color from the user - either hex (e.g., #015856) or OKLCH (e.g., 0.72 0.12 201.7)

2. Confirm the color by showing what palette will be generated:

   • The color becomes the primary anchor
   • L (lightness) and C (chroma) are extracted automatically
   • Harmonics (analogous, complements) are derived from the hue via Paletton

3. Generate directly:

# From hex color
uv run {base_dir}/scripts/brand_report.py \
    --name "Brand Name" \
    --hex "#015856" \
    --include-complement \
    --output thoughts/shared/brand/YYYY-MM-DD_brand-name_palette.md

# From OKLCH values
uv run {base_dir}/scripts/brand_report.py \
    --name "Brand Name" \
    --oklch "0.72 0.12 201.7" \
    --include-complement \
    --output thoughts/shared/brand/YYYY-MM-DD_brand-name_palette.md

Example Dialogue

User: "I like this teal color #015856 from the last palette. Can you regenerate around it?"

Agent: "I'll generate a new palette with #015856 as your primary anchor. This color has:

• Lightness: 41 (dark, authoritative)
• Chroma: 19 (balanced, professional)
• Hue: 192° (teal/cyan)

Generating palette..."

uv run {base_dir}/scripts/brand_report.py \
    --name "Refined Brand" \
    --hex "#015856" \
    --include-complement \
    --output thoughts/shared/brand/2026-01-01_refined_palette.md

Output

Reports include:

• Brand anchor colors at the chosen tone/chroma
• Paletton Colors scales - Exact colors from Paletton harmonics preserved at natural anchor levels
• Max Chroma scales - Maximum saturation per hue (bold, vibrant)
• Even Chroma scales - Consistent saturation across all hues (harmonious, balanced)
• Tailwind configs with OKLCH values for all three modes
• All scales in Obsidian palette plugin format
• Metadata table with generation parameters

Output location: thoughts/shared/brand/YYYY-MM-DD_brand-name_palette.md

Notes

Script location: Scripts are bundled with this skill at {base_dir}/scripts/.

Troubleshooting

• "Unknown hue name": Check spelling. Valid hues: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple
• Colors look clipped: Try reducing chroma or switching gamut from p3 to srgb
• Report not rendering in Obsidian: Ensure the Obsidian Palette plugin is installed

Iteration Tips

• Small chroma/tone adjustments (±5-10) can significantly change the feel
• If colors feel too bold, reduce chroma before changing hues
• If colors feel too dark/light, adjust tone rather than chroma
• Use --hex to refine: pick a color from generated palette, regenerate around it