Color Palette Generator

The Palette Generator is an Isotop tool that allows you to generate color palettes based on a single seed color. It is designed to work with existing variables and helps you quickly create balanced palettes within a predefined design system structure.

Isotop does not support creating, deleting, or renaming variables. All palette keys must be created natively in Figma beforehand.

For example, you can create a Primary palette with any number of shades:

• 5, 7, 9, or more values
• with any step size (100, 200, 300, etc., or any custom scale)

The Palette Generator automatically supports any number of colors and does not impose restrictions on palette structure.

Once the palette is prepared, open Isotop and launch the Palette Generator from the variable group context menu.

In the generator, you:

• manually define a seed color,
• generate a palette based on that color,
• fine-tune the shade distribution.

The Palette Generator does not rely on fixed presets — palettes are generated flexibly to match the needs of your system.

When you open the Palette Generator for a color group for the first time, Isotop automatically determines a seed color. This seed is calculated from the existing palette and represents either a visually central color or the most characteristic value that defines the group.

You can keep the suggested seed color or replace it manually before generating the palette. All further palette generation is based on this seed and the current generator parameters.

When you generate a palette, Isotop does not simply output a static set of colors. Instead, it operates using a Palette Recipe — a saved description of how the palette is constructed. This recipe includes the seed color and all generator parameters, such as lightness distribution, hue behavior, chroma control, and curve shaping.

When you click Apply in the Palette Generator, this recipe is saved for the palette. From that point on, the palette becomes fully reproducible. Reopening the Palette Generator for the same color group restores the previously used recipe automatically, allowing you to review, refine, or adjust the palette without starting from scratch.

Palette Recipes make it possible to safely refactor palettes over time. Instead of manually editing individual color values, you can fine-tune the generation logic itself and reapply it consistently across the entire palette. This is especially useful when evolving a design system, adjusting brand direction, or responding to new accessibility or contrast requirements.

By separating color values from the logic used to generate them, Palette Recipes help keep color systems intentional, predictable, and easy to maintain.

Generated palettes are first applied in a temporary state (sandbox).

This allows you to preview the result before committing changes and helps prevent unintended updates.

After confirmation, the palette is applied to the variables.

If the palette is marked as a core palette, all design tokens and colors linked to it will update automatically.

(For details on how changes are applied safely, see the Safe Sync & System Stability section.)

The Palette Generator is deeply integrated with core variable logic.

When a palette is used as a core palette:

• changes propagate to all linked design tokens,
• updates are immediately reflected in your designs.

To better understand this workflow, see the Core Variables section.

The Palette Generator supports both single-mode and multi-mode design systems.

You can:

• generate palettes for a single mode,
• work with multiple modes within the same palette,
• adjust values based on the active mode.

This makes the generator well suited for themes, brands, and product states.

In some cases, a palette may contain colors that are already linked to core variables — for example, when design tokens within the group have active alias links.

When this happens, the Palette Generator detects the conflict and offers clear resolution options:

• Skip — leave linked colors unchanged
• Unlink — remove the link and continue working with the palette as a regular, unlinked set of variables

This ensures safe palette editing without breaking existing system relationships.

While working with a palette, you can lock individual colors to prevent them from changing.

This is useful when:

• certain shades must remain fixed,
• key brand colors are already approved,
• you want to build and adjust a palette around specific anchor values.

Locked colors remain untouched while the rest of the palette is generated or adjusted.

The Palette Generator allows you to:

• quickly generate palettes from a seed color,
• work with any palette structure,
• safely preview and apply changes,
• respect core variables and multi-mode systems,
• maintain control over critical colors.

It is a tool for building intentional, scalable color palettes within real-world design systems.