Color Safe: Making Web Color Blends Easy to Read
Developing a website isn’t gaiety only; accessibility matters in ensuring every user interacts with the content properly. Graphic design is an aspect of web designing which also primarily deals with colors which will benefit visually impaired users or act as a hindrance. In the following sections, we’re going to define color-combination safe-for-all websites and the recommended practices to achieve that goal of ensuring that your website is easy to navigate around for anyone.
The Need for Color Combinations:
The colors on a website can convey emotions, provide direction and emphasize otherwise ignored information. Users who are visually impaired due to vision conditions such as color blindness or low vision are likely to be turned off by improper use of colors. Here’s the scenario:
Inclusivity
Everyone can consume the content without regard to their abilities with the help of an inclusive site.
User Experience
A well-designed website with strong contrast and suitable color schemes greatly enhances legibility making it easier for the website users.
Legal Compliance
Many countries have laws governing the accessibility of the web and failure to follow these laws may result in legal problems.
Knowing the benefits of accessible colors will make it easier for you to foster a friendly digital atmosphere for all users.
Identifying the Most Frequent Forms of Color Blindness
It is crucial to remember your user in web design, and there are special features which need attention. The inability to see some colors is a common feature which occurs in one person out of about every 12 men and every 200 women in the world. These include:
- Protanopia: An inability to tell the difference between red and green.
- Deuteranopia: Nearly the same as protanopia but derives from a different cause but affects sensitivity to green primarily.
- Tritanopia: This is less well recognized and mainly due to blue-yellow color blindness.
A quick suggestion: do not use colors alone to emphasize a particular message because those who cannot see the color will not be able to interpret the message. Utilize text labels or icons in addition to the color.
Best Tips for Selecting Color Combinations That Are Easy To See
Definition of Contrast Ratios
The aspect of contrast is important especially when it comes to reading other people’s work, and thus it has to be taken into consideration. According to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, certain ratios are recommended:
- For normal reading text: 4.5:1 is the minimum acceptable ratio.
- For enlarged reading text: 3:1 is the minimum acceptable ratio.
You can do color checking over the internet through WebAIM’s Contrast Checker, for instance.
Color Combinations Support Tools
Finding the best color can be difficult so many websites offer assistance. There are many such tools. Some are given below:
- Adobe Color: It assists you to design appropriate color schemes and how best such schemes are used.
- Coolors.co: Offers different color palettes where the contrast is good enough.
- Color Safe: Works only towards getting an average or good ratio of color combinations while designing websites eliminating scope for errors on the WCAG standards.
With the help of these tools, you can make attractive and easy-to-access websites.
Example Color Combinations
Here are some color combinations that have been tested and are suitable for access for all persons, irrespective of their abilities or disabilities:
High Contrast
- Dark Blue #003366 over Light Yellow #FFFFCC
- Black over White #FFFFFF
These combinations have an excellent contrast to readability of the users.
Muted Palette
- Dark Gray #333333 with Light Gray #F7F7F7
- Olive Green #4B8B3B with Beige #E7E6AA
These combinations as stated above give a quieter side of aesthetics while still being friendly for access.
Pastel Undertones with Dark Text
- Pastel Blue #A7C6ED and Charcoal Text #36454F
- Lavender #E6E6FA and Dark Lavender #565656
These combinations only confirm that having style has nothing to do with accessibility.
Testing Your Design for Accessibility
Testing comes after selecting a color palette of choice and will now be a priority for testing—go ahead, here is how:
- User Testing: Ask the users who are color impaired if and how easy it is for them to use your site.
- Simulators: Tools like the Color Oracle allow color blind people to see the colors that they can color and how these colors will appear to them.
- Accessibility Evaluation Tools: Websites that exist like axe Accessibility Checker assist us in preventing poor choices of color combination.
Conclusion
Designing a website makes it easy for clients to do business with the organization, and doing so requires careful consideration of how color is used. This is aimed at ensuring that users are also engaged regardless of their visual impairments. People with certain color vision deficiencies or the elderly for example may find a website more appealing if it uses colors with a high degree of contrast.
“Accessibility isn’t an add-on, it’s societal movement.” – Unknown.