Colour Accessibility in Web Design: WTF It Means, And Why It’s Important For Every Business Today.
Colour is the number one issue when it comes to web accessibility, and has a huge effect on how people interact with your website, and your brand.
Every single business today has some sort of online presence, whether that’s only through a social media platform, or your website.
But what makes your website, and your socials engaging? Yes it’ll be the words you use and the problem you solve, but the first thing people get hooked on is a good design. Since colour is one of the biggest elements of any design, that makes colour a vital part of how your business presents itself to the world.
Therefore, designers, developers, and business owners should use accessible colour combinations, to provide a great experience for as many people as possible.
So let’s talk about what colour accessibility is, why it matters, and how to implement it in your website and branding, so you can have yourself a more inclusive business. Yey!
What is Colour Accessibility in Web Design?
Colour accessibility in web design is all about using colour combinations that everyone can understand, regardless of different visual abilities - such as colour blindness, decreased sight because of age, or any other kind of visual impairment.
So think about a button on your website. Is there a high enough contrast between the colour of the text and the colour used for the button itself?
We also need to make sure that colour alone isn’t used to convey information. For example:
By changing the colour alone, people reading the text might miss the fact that certain words have more importance than the others in the sentence. By giving the words a physical weight to them, as well as a colour change, the user is drawn to them.
Our goal here is to ensure that all of our content is readable for all users, regardless of visual abilities.
But, Why Does Colour Accessibility Really Matter?
To be honest, I’m really in the camp of “it’s the decent thing to do”. Because it’s cool to be kind, and not leave people out because of laziness (I’m looking at you fellow designers and developers who don’t bother with this).
For you lovely reader, who wants to know all you can, here’s a my top 4 reasons why an accessible colour palette is important:
1. Inclusivity
Not everyone experiences colour in the same way, and that’s important to understand for marketing your business.
- Around 1 in 12 men, and 1 in 200 women have some form of colour blindness.
- From the time adults reach mid 40’s, our sight begins to deteriorate.
- In the UK there are over 2 million people living with sight loss - that includes visual impairments and partially sighted people.
All of these people are still potential customers of yours. They have jobs, they make money, and they’re still looking for your services, so it’s silly to create content that they might struggle to read.
2. Legal and Ethical Responsibility
In many countries, including the UK, there are accessibility regulations we need to adhere to. The UK Equality Act states that websites must be accessible to people with disabilities, which is why we should all follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
If you sell to consumers in the US, under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) customers are entitled to file lawsuits against your business if found not to be accessible, regardless of where your business is located.
One of the biggest issues across the internet is low colour contrast, so by ensuring your colours are accessible, not only are opening the doors to more business, you’re protecting yourself and your brand from fines, and reputational damage.
3. Improved User Experience
Good news! A well-designed, accessible website benefits everyone, so ensuring your content is readable improves usability for all of your customers - not just those with a visual impairment.
4. SEO Benefits
Even better news! More and more, search engines are favouring websites that provide a great user experience.
Accessibility improvements (like good colour contrast) contributes to things like:
- Better engagement
- Reduced bounce rates
- Longer time on page
Which can all indirectly benefit SEO rankings. Who doesn’t love that?
How to Implement Colour Accessibility in Web Design
1. Use High Contrast Colour Combinations
Contrast is key in ensuring readability. WCAG recommends a minimum contrast ratio of:
- 4.5:1 for normal text
- 3:1 for large text (18pt and above or 14pt bold)
- 3:1 for UI components such as buttons and form fields
Tip: Use online contrast checkers like WebAIM’s Contrast Checker or Colour Contrast Analyser to test your colour combos.
2. Avoid Using Colour as the Only Indicator
Remember the example I gave before? Relying solely on colour to convey meaning can exclude users who struggle to differentiate between certain shades.
Another Example:
- ❌ Poor Practice: “Click the green button to submit.”
- ✅ Better Practice: “Click the button labelled ‘Submit’.”
Adding text labels, icons, or patterns alongside colour-coded elements ensures that all users can understand the content.
3. Test Your Website for Colour Blindness
Colour blindness affects different users in varying ways, including red-green colour blindness (the most common), blue-yellow deficiencies, and monochromacy (complete colour blindness). Use tools like:
- TopTal’s Color Blind Webpage Filter
- Chrome’s DevTools Emulation
These allow you to view your website through the lens of someone with different colour visions, and adjust your palette accordingly!
4. Provide Alternative Styling Options
Consider offering alternative styles, such as:
- A light mode toggle if your site has a Dark Theme throughout
- Underlines for links instead of relying on colour alone.
5. Ensure Interactive Elements Are Clearly Identifiable
Users should easily recognise buttons, links, and other interactive elements. Ways to achieve this are:
- Using hover effects and focus states on ALL buttons and links.
- Adding borders and shadows so buttons stand out more.
- Underlining links instead of changing colour alone.
Pro Tip: Don’t underline words to add emphasis. Underlines should only be used for links, because most people assume that if something is underlined, then it is a link. Let’s keep it that way.
6. Be Mindful of Background Colours and Overlays
Text placed over images or patterned backgrounds can radically reduce readability. Make sure your website has a high contrast by:
- Using semi-transparent overlays behind text (if placed over an image)
- Adjusting brightness and contrast of background images
- Choosing solid, high contrasting colours for all of your text
Tools for Testing Colour Accessibility
So I’m hoping you agree with me that colour contrast is important for the accessibility of your website, and marketing success?
If you’re eager to check out how accessible your own colour palette is, or get to work creating a new one, then here are my top recommendations for tools you can use to test your colours:
- WebAIM Contrast Checker – Tests contrast ratios for text and backgrounds
This tool is limited to only testing two colours at a time, but gives a clear breakdown of whether your colours meet WCAG standards. - Color Palette Builder - This is great for testing whole palettes, as opposed to just one text colour on one background colour. However it is a paid for tool, and costs $47USD. If you’d like a 10% discount then you can click my affiliate link here to open Color Palette Tester.
- Stark Plugin (Figma & Sketch) – Great for designers when trying to create a super accessible colour palette.
- Adobe Colour Blindness Simulator – Allows testing of designs for different types of colour blindness!
Final Thoughts
Colour accessibility in web design is about more than just meeting legal standards—it’s about ensuring every person can read, and engage with your content easily. And who wouldn’t want that?
By using high-contrast colour combinations, you’re making a huge step towards creating a more inclusive and user-friendly website, and brand for your business.
You’re also improving SEO, and generally ensuring a positive experience for everyone who visits your site.
Want to make your website more accessible? Start by evaluating your colour choices today!
By incorporating these accessibility best practices, your website will not only meet WCAG standards but also provide a welcoming and user-friendly experience for a diverse audience. Need expert guidance on making your site accessible? Get in touch, and let’s create a design that works for everyone.
