Low Contrast

Low contrast is mostly a text issue - If you have colors that are too subtle next to each other, then it will be hard to read, or impossible for some people.

You know, I am not really that old! But in the last year I have experienced changes in vision which make it difficult for me to read certain things. It is just a change due to age, and partly my work habits I'm sure! But it has really made me realize that vision difficulties are very prevalent, and that well designed web pages will just naturally be easier to read than poorly designed ones.

When you have light on light colors, or dark on dark, it does not matter whether you have two different colors, they will blend into one another. And certain colors just never seem to show up well on white.

When you use gray, yellow, pink, light blue, or light green on a white background, you should always choose a darker color than you think you really want. This is because visually, small amounts of color (such as text, which is small) tend to blur into their background a bit, which results in an impression of a much lighter color when you use them on white. Light pinks and yellows can sort of smudge right into the background and be entirely unreadable.

When you use yellow on white, especially, it is best to not use it for anything except a word or two, and then make the words large, and bolded. In addition, choose a strong, mustard yellow. Don't worry, even a strong mustard color will look sunny on a white background.

Pale colors really work best on a dark background. Black can handle a range of colors, though medium colors are going to begin to be difficult to read. When you diverge from black, into other dark colors such as navy, purple, burgundy, hunter, etc, then you'll want to contrast them with only the palest colors - medium toned colors will be difficult to read.

White backgrounds can handle the greatest range of medium to dark text colors, but other light colors will require darker text to contrast well.

If you are using colors that you are not sure of, test them on more than one monitor - different monitors display colors slightly differently, and you can end up with something being readable on one, borderline on another, and just a bit hard to read on still another. Try a flat panel monitor, and a CRT monitor, and try different manufacturers. A Mac and a PC is another good option.

Go for extremes as much as possible for the best readability. Text that frustrates is not only rude, it is ineffective!

Written by Laura Wheeler