Dynamic Color Palette with Time of Day
Define tokens for morning, afternoon, evening, and night. Preview the shift, then export CSS variables for a scheduled theme.
Configure Periods
morning
afternoon
evening
night
Export
/* Time-based palette */
:root{--bg:#F8FAFC;--text:#0F172A;--primary:#0EA5E9;--accent:#22C55E}
@media(prefers-color-scheme:dark){:root{--bg:#0B1220;--text:#E5E7EB;--primary:#60A5FA;--accent:#F472B6}}How it works
Set background, text, primary, and accent for each period. The tool outputs semantic variables such as --bg, --text, --primary, and --accent, plus an optional snippet to switch them from the clock.
- Keep brand hues stable; change lightness more than hue across the day.
- Validate contrast in every period before shipping.
- Let users override automatic switching when they prefer a fixed theme.
- Optionally coordinate with
prefers-color-schemefor night vs evening.
When this pattern fits
Ambient dashboards, long-session productivity apps, and editorial sites sometimes want softer evening surfaces without waiting for a full OS dark mode flip. Treat circadian comfort as a hypothesis: test with your audience rather than assuming warmer night themes always help.
For a single paired light/dark set instead of four periods, use the Dark Mode Palette Builder.
Frequently asked questions
What is a time-of-day palette?
A set of theme tokens (background, text, primary, accent) defined for morning, afternoon, evening, and night. CSS variables swap as the clock (or a schedule) changes.
How is this different from system dark mode?
prefers-color-scheme is usually light vs dark. Time-based themes can use four (or more) steps and gradual transitions, independent of the OS toggle—though you can still respect both.
How do I switch themes automatically?
Read the local time with the Date API, map it to a period, set a data-theme attribute or class, and transition CSS variables over a few hundred milliseconds. Persist user overrides in localStorage.
Will this hurt performance?
Updating a handful of CSS custom properties is cheap compared with repainting large JS-driven style trees. Keep transitions short and avoid animating layout properties.
How do I keep each period accessible?
Check contrast for every period’s text and control pairs. A scheme that passes at noon can fail at night if you only darken the background.
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