: How to find matching colors for label text and border for a keypad? I am developing a calculator app which looks like this: 　 I'd like to bundle a few themes for the user. So I pick

@Speyer780

For compactness, adaptability, and plugability, I would first sample the base color to see if it consists of mainly bright or dim colors (say, if every RGB value is greater than 127, then it is bright). Then, I'd draw the borders as the sampled color +25% brightness for dim colors and -25% brightness for bright colors. Then, you can set the text color to be black on bright and white on dim.

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@Cooney243

Look at what you have

You're not so much seeking a color theme as you are a contrast scale. I would find a combination of button/divider that works and use that as your formula.

Your dividers are distinguished simply by brightness/value rather than hue. Saturation/chroma can come into play here too as you move along the brightness scale but that will be apparent and divergent from one swatch to the next.

Look to your successful experiments and calculate the percentage difference on the brightness value in the HSB model. You can then use that ratio to determine a starting point for your next theme. For instance, you would take your button color, apply it to the divider then multiply it's brightness by the appropriate factor.

Using your dark grey theme as a starting point I see that your buttons are #2c2c2c (17% brightness) and your dividers are #444 (27% brightness). 27÷17 gives me 1.5882 which is to say your ratio of dark to light is approximately 1:1.6.

Bottom line

Determine a light color based on a dark color:
Multiply the dark color's brightness value by 1.6.

Determine a dark color based on a light color:
Divide the light color's brightness by 1.6.

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@Kristi927

Try this tool: kuler.adobe.com/#themes/random?time=30

With colors already arranged


And more (You could set your colors by) : kuler.adobe.com/#create/fromacolor

analogous
monochromatic
Triad
Complementary
Compound
Shades
Custom

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@Michele215

Color Scheme Designer 3 sounds like what you may be looking for. It is useful for inspiration, but take it with a grain of salt. Use it as a guide, not a scientific tool; you'll probably get better results if you tweak the results manually to blend nicely.

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