Colour palettes for 10 industries, from real website designs

Ten website colour palettes, one per industry, from real designs: the four colours of each, why they work and the starter site that uses them.

By Mahesh PatelUpdated 9 November 20264 min read

The same law firm website twice: in calm neutral colours, marked “Feels like trust”, and in hot pink, marked “Feels like a party”, under the words “Colour talks first.”

Most good websites need only four colours: a background, a second colour for sections, a colour for headings and one accent for buttons and links. The skill is in choosing the four that feel right for the business.

Here are ten palettes, one per industry, taken from real website designs: each is a style in PageCore’s Style Library and is used by a live starter site. Every colour code is the real one.

In short

Four colours are enough: background, section, headings and one accent.
Use the background most, the section colour often and the accent rarely: buttons, links and key details.
The industry sets expectations: navy for trust, teal for care, terracotta for warmth, yellow for building sites.
Text needs enough contrast to read: at least 4.5 to 1 for normal text.
Dark palettes work well for tech, photography and construction, when the accent is bright.

How to read the palettes

Each picture shows the palette’s name in its own heading font and its four colours with their codes, beside the starter site that uses it. Use the codes as they are, or as a starting point for your own brand.

1. Law firm: Counsel Navy

Deep navy says stability and trust; lots of white keeps it calm rather than cold. The accent is used sparingly, which makes every button easy to find.

See it live: Law Firm 1.

2. Medical clinic: Clear Clinic

Teal reads as clean and caring without the cold feel of hospital blue. Soft blue-grey sections separate services without boxing them in.

See it live: Medical Clinic & Healthcare 1.

3. Restaurant and café: Wood Fire

Terracotta and cream feel like warm bread and clay ovens. Dark brown headings are softer than black and keep the warmth.

See it live: Restaurant & Café 1.

4. Construction: Site Board

Safety yellow on charcoal is the colour of the building site itself. A dark style feels strong and solid, and the yellow points straight at the next step.

See it live: Construction & Building 1.

5. Solar and renewable energy: Sunrise Array

Warm amber suggests sunlight and energy; the warm cream background keeps it optimistic rather than corporate.

See it live: Solar & Renewable Energy 1.

6. Accounting and finance: Balance Sheet

Green is the colour of growth and money done right. Paired with near-black headings it looks precise and steady.

See it live: Accounting & Tax 1.

7. Weddings and events: First Dance

A deep rose feels romantic without being sugary, and the blush-cream background gives photos room to shine.

See it live: Event & Wedding Planning 1.

8. Hotel and resort: Lake House

Forest green and warm cream bring nature indoors. It is quiet and grown-up, a good fit for places sold on calm.

See it live: Hotel & Resort 1.

9. Web hosting and tech: Uptime

A dark navy page with a bright green accent looks like a terminal and a status light at once: technical, fast and always on.

See it live: Web Hosting & Cloud 1.

10. Web and creative agency: Pixel Grid

Electric violet is confident and digital, and different enough from the usual blue to be remembered.

See it live: Web Design & Development Agency 1.

How to use a palette well

Background about 60%, sections about 30%, accent about 10%. A common rule of thumb that keeps pages calm and buttons visible.
One accent, used only for actions. If everything is orange, nothing stands out.
Check contrast. Normal text needs a contrast ratio of at least 4.5 to 1 against its background, large text 3 to 1.
Test with your photos. A palette that looks great on its own can clash with the colours in your pictures.
Keep it everywhere. The same four colours on every page, in emails and on social media.