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Tips for Improving Color Contrast in Design

Ensure high-contrast color combinations, like dark text on light backgrounds, to enhance readability. Consider color blindness by avoiding relying solely on color to convey information and test with tools like Coblis. Balance bright colors with neutrals to avoid eye strain and create a comfortable visual experience.

Best Practices for the Color Contrast:  

Use High-Contrast Color Combinations 

To ensure readability, choose color combinations with sufficient contrast: 

  • Dark text on a light background (e.g., black text on white background). 

  • Light text on a dark background (e.g., white text on dark blue background). Avoid combinations with low contrast (e.g., light gray text on a white background). 

  • Using black text on a white background easily meets the WCAG requirements. This strong contrast makes the text highly visible, clear, and easy to read for a broader audience. 

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Consider Colorblindness 

Around 8% of men and 0.5% of women have some form of color blindness. When designing for accessibility, avoid using only color to convey information. Use patterns, textures, or text labels in combination with color to ensure everyone can understand the message. 

Common problematic color combinations for colorblind users include: 

  • Red/Green 

  • Blue/Purple 

  • Green/Gray 

You can test color combinations for colorblindness using tools like Coblis (Color Blindness Simulator). 

Screen Shot showing how color contrast is perceived to color blind people.

Avoid Overuse of Bright Colors 

Bright or neon colors can be overwhelming when used in large areas and may strain the eyes. When using bright colors, balance them with neutral or muted colors to maintain a visually comfortable experience. 

See below for additional information on:

  • ► Use High-Contrast Color Combinations  

  • Color Usage

Additional Tips 

  • Create additional ways to present information by adding text labels, underlines, or bold-face. Failure to meet these standards may make text difficult for users with visual impairments to perceive. 

Microsoft recommends using the Colour Contrast Analyser, a free downloadable application to check for color contrasts. 

For more information, check out the WCAG 2.2  for detailed guidance on ensuring your web and document content is fully accessible. 

How to use Alternative Text: