Colour contrast issues can make content hard to read for millions, whether it’s too low for people with low colour vision, or too high, causing visual noise for neurodivergent users. Test your site with a contrast checker, adjust colours to meet WCAG standards, and re-test. Need help? Accessibility experts can make your site readable for everyone, without compromising your brand identity.
When foreground and background colours are too similar, people with low vision or colour loss can’t distinguish content, so text, icons or messaging may be unreadable. However, contrast that’s too high can also create problems, like stark colour combinations can cause visual noise or distortion, making text difficult to read for people with dyslexia or certain neurodivergent conditions.
Colour contrast accessibility ensures that the colours you use in your branding, marketing and digital channels are visible and comfortable to read for everyone.
A lot can be lost on a website that doesn’t have an accessible colour contrast, such as:
Navigation - Buttons and links may not be visible if the colour contrast is low, hindering users from navigating the website easily
Information - Important details on your business, services or products can be lost when text blends into the background
Forms & call-to-actions - Input fields, labels, and call-to-action buttons may be overlooked, stopping users from completing tasks
Alerts & notifications - Warnings, errors or success messages in low contrast could cause users to miss critical feedback
It’s always best to strive for colour combinations with high contrast to avoid any accessibility issues. The easiest way to do this is by matching colours on the opposite ends of the spectrum. But remember, balance is key. Extremely high contrast combinations can create visual stress for some users.
However, if you want to check an already defined colour scheme, you can use a colour contrast checker like AudioEye’s to find out the contrast ratio of two colours to ensure they meet the WCAG requirements.
Low colour contrast can also be caused by the combination of colour and font style, size or weight, and using clashing colours for background and fonts can cause eye strain.
Once you’ve identified any issues, you can adapt your colour combinations with the WCAG guidelines to select pairings that are visible for all users. After making the changes, run it back through the checker to ensure all issues have been resolved.
Moving forward, add this to your content creation process to ensure all your future work is accessible.
Using accessible colours isn’t just for design, it’s now a legal requirement. The American and European accessibility laws outline requirements and guidelines for colour usage.
There are 3 levels of contrast ratio requirements:
Level A states that colour cannot be used as the only visual way to convey information
Level AA requires normal text and images to have a minimum contrast of 4:5:1 and large ones 3:1
Level AAA is the highest level and requires a contrast level of at least 7:1 for standard text and images, with 4:5:1 for larger text.
You should strive to meet Level AAA recommendations where possible.
Partnering with agencies like us can help to cover all bases from an accessibility point of view. We partner with AudioEye to assess websites, identify accessibility issues through AI, tech and real user testing and help implement solutions that meet WCAG standards, all while keeping your branding and design intact.
Let’s chat about how we can help you take your first steps towards digital accessibility.
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