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Architecture diagram colours

Architecture diagram colour palettes: 25 refined schemes with HEX codes

Most of what makes a site analysis diagram look good is colour. Here are the 25 real palettes in MapToNap, grouped by figure-ground, land use, streets and green space, each with a rendered example and its HEX codes. Like one? Apply it to your own site in one click.

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25 real palettesClick to copy HEXLight and darkApply to your own site

25 palettes

Pick a palette by drawing type

Every palette below is a real scheme you can switch to in one click in MapToNap. Each image is the same site (Île de la Cité, Paris, 600 m radius) drawn in that palette. Click a swatch to copy its HEX code for Illustrator, Photoshop or Rhino.

Figure-ground Land use Streets and roads Green and water

Figure-ground

Figure-ground palettes

Figure-ground map in the Inverse palette, generated with MapToNap, Île de la Cité, Paris — **Inverse**
White buildings on near-black, for dark portfolio layouts.

Figure-ground map in the Kraft palette, generated with MapToNap, Île de la Cité, Paris — **Kraft**
Warm brown on paper beige, good for historic centres.

Figure-ground map in the Navy palette, generated with MapToNap, Île de la Cité, Paris — **Navy**
Deep navy with an orange accent: calm and precise.

Figure-ground map in the Vermilion palette, generated with MapToNap, Île de la Cité, Paris — **Vermilion**
Built mass in vermilion for a poster-like board.

Figure-ground map in the Forest palette, generated with MapToNap, Île de la Cité, Paris — **Forest**
Forest green on pale sage, for landscape projects.

Figure-ground map in the Midnight gold palette, generated with MapToNap, Île de la Cité, Paris — **Midnight gold**
Gold on midnight violet, for covers and exhibitions.

Land use

Land use palettes

Land use map in the Terracotta palette, generated with MapToNap, Île de la Cité, Paris — **Terracotta**
Terracotta and slate blue; warm and understated.

Land use map in the Night palette, generated with MapToNap, Île de la Cité, Paris — **Night**
Saturated uses on a dark base, made for screens.

Land use map in the Red and grey palette, generated with MapToNap, Île de la Cité, Paris — **Red and grey**
Only red, black and grey to single out one use.

Land use map in the Mint and coral palette, generated with MapToNap, Île de la Cité, Paris — **Mint and coral**
Mint housing and coral retail; fresh, never loud.

Land use map in the Mediterranean palette, generated with MapToNap, Île de la Cité, Paris — **Mediterranean**
Sun yellow, tomato red and sea blue in balance.

Land use map in the Fog blue palette, generated with MapToNap, Île de la Cité, Paris — **Fog blue**
Grey-blue with a touch of orange; restrained.

Streets and roads

Streets and roads palettes

Streets and roads map in the Night palette, generated with MapToNap, Île de la Cité, Paris — **Night**
White arterials on black, like a night aerial.

Streets and roads map in the Red arterials palette, generated with MapToNap, Île de la Cité, Paris — **Red arterials**
Red arterials, black collectors, grey local streets.

Streets and roads map in the Sepia palette, generated with MapToNap, Île de la Cité, Paris — **Sepia**
Coffee-brown streets on beige; a hand-drawn feel.

Streets and roads map in the Forest palette, generated with MapToNap, Île de la Cité, Paris — **Forest**
Forest-green streets that sit well with landscape sheets.

Streets and roads map in the Navy gold palette, generated with MapToNap, Île de la Cité, Paris — **Navy gold**
Gold arterials on deep navy; strong on a cover.

Green and water

Green and water palettes

Green and water map in the Olive palette, generated with MapToNap, Île de la Cité, Paris — **Olive**
Olive and grey-teal water; low saturation.

Green and water map in the Night green palette, generated with MapToNap, Île de la Cité, Paris — **Night green**
Emerald and deep blue on dark, for night themes.

Green and water map in the Mist palette, generated with MapToNap, Île de la Cité, Paris — **Mist**
Misty blue-greens that pair with the navy streets.

Green and water map in the Deep navy palette, generated with MapToNap, Île de la Cité, Paris — **Deep navy**
Greens on deep navy; a set with navy-gold streets.

Tips

Four habits that make diagrams look refined

One palette per set

Across one portfolio or review, keep figure-ground, streets, land use and green in the same family, so the set reads as one hand.

Save the accent for the site

Use red or orange only for the site and the one layer that matters; push everything else into greys and pale tones.

Dark palettes are for screens

Night and midnight schemes shine on a projector but print dark and heavy; for print, choose a light base.

Choose the board colour first

White, beige or black boards decide whether your diagrams should sit on a light or a dark base.

FAQ

Before you start

What colours make architecture diagrams look refined?

Low saturation, few colours and one accent. Palettes such as Terracotta, Fog blue or Kraft keep large areas in beige and grey-blue, and save one strong colour for the site or a key use.

Can I use these HEX codes in Illustrator, Photoshop or Rhino?

Yes. Click a swatch to copy its HEX code (for example #1F3B5C) and paste it into the colour panel of Illustrator, Photoshop, Rhino or SketchUp.

How many palettes should one portfolio use?

Ideally one. Keep every diagram in the same family with the same typeface and the set reads as one piece of work.

Can I apply these palettes to my own site?

Yes. Pick a site in MapToNap and generate; each diagram has swatches underneath to switch palette. Figure-ground, streets, land use and green and water are free.

Do dark palettes print well?

They are made for screens and projectors. In print they come out dark and heavy, so switch to a light-based palette for printed boards.