I just steal other people's colors

Tim Ruswick says he handles color selection by stealing palettes from art he likes, and that simple habit can make a game look better almost immediately. For artists and technical artists, the takeaway is less about imitation and more about using existing work as a practical reference system when a palette needs to feel coherent fast.

The appeal is obvious for indie teams and solo devs: color decisions can eat a surprising amount of time, especially when the rest of the pipeline is already moving. Starting from a palette that has already been proven in a finished piece gives you a strong baseline for mood, contrast, and readability before you start adapting it to your own assets.

That approach also fits a common production reality: many teams have strong instincts for composition or style, but not everyone is equally confident choosing colors from scratch. Using reference palettes can reduce churn, keep art direction consistent across assets, and help non-specialists avoid the “almost right” loop that slows down iteration.

The practical caveat is that palette borrowing works best when it’s treated as a starting point, not a copy-paste solution. The useful skill is recognizing why a palette works—value structure, saturation balance, and accent placement—then translating those ideas into your own game’s needs.