A color group is an organization tool that lets you group related color swatches together in the Swatches panel. In addition, a color group can be a container for color harmonies, which you create using the Live Color dialog box or the Color Guide panel. Color groups can contain only solid colors which include spot, process, or global colors. Gradients and patterns cannot be grouped.

You can use the Color Guide panel or the Live Color dialog box to create harmonious color groups. Using either feature, you can choose a harmony rule to instantly generate a color scheme based on any color you want. For example, choose the Monochromatic harmony rule to create a color group containing all the same hue, but with different saturation levels. Or choose the High Contrast or Pentagram harmony rule to create a color group with contrasting colors for more visual impact.