We always start from the idea that if it works for a small group of people, it certainly works for the biggest one.

Each month we take a deep look at what a certain topic means for us, but also for the design/communication world.

This month it’s:

How do they affect designs/communication, how to make them for everybody. And how do I increase my impact!
Whether you want more sales or more connectivity from your audience.

Because great contrast =

+ Accessibility

+ Inclusivity

+ Sales

Colorblindness:
It’s a common problem that affects around
1 in 12 men and
1 in 200 women.

Bigger problem:

It is estimated that
1 in 10 people have dyslexia.

But wait jos? What does this have to do with contrast?

Dyslexia:

Avoid very high contrast.
Be aware also that for some people, especially people with dyslexia, will make reading more difficult.

Tips:

• Use single colour backgrounds. Avoid background patterns or pictures and distracting surrounds.
• Use sufficient contrast levels between background and text.
• Use dark coloured text on a light (not white) background.
• Avoid green and red/pink, as these colours are difficult for those who have colour vision deficiencies (colour blindness).
• Consider alternatives to white backgrounds for paper, computer and visual aids such as whiteboards. White can appear too dazzling. Use cream or a soft pastel colour. Some dyslexic people will have their own colour preference.
• When printing, use matt paper rather than gloss. Paper should be thick enough to prevent the other side showing through.

Olly Moss is a good example of a designer who plays around with contrast to narate and increase a visual story.

Luckily a bunch of great tools exist.

Such as

Colourblind : Adobe color accessibility

A great tool to test if your proposed colours are actually not a risk for users suffering from colourblindness.
It also corrects and redirects towards more favourable colours.

Contrast checker : Adobe contrast check

When the value reaches 4:5 and beyond it reaches the WCAG limit for approved contrast.

*What is the WCAG*

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2 is developed through the W3C process in cooperation with individuals and organizations around the world, with a goal of providing a single shared standard for web content accessibility that meets the needs of individuals, organizations, and governments internationally.

Multiple Levels of acceptance exist:

• level AA
• level AAA

But also Types:

• Regular Text
• Large Text
• Graphic Components

• Aim to reach at least a maximum of level AA for text.
• Stay away from too high contrast for text (dyslexia)

In this order

1. Contrast & colors
2. Typography
3. Illustration/photography
4. AI
5. Web (UI/UX)

Thanks for reading, see you around!