As a designer, one of the things I dread the most is my audience getting confused when they see my content. Truthfully, what good is a beautifully designed content or crafted message if the message is illegible and lost to the intended audience?
That’s why I strongly advocate that readability should always be the primary focus of designers when creating any content.
Whether it’s simple social media content, a website, a book, a billboard, or a presentation, your audience should understand your message on the go without stress. You don’t want them getting frustrated, do you?
Readability in design helps people connect with what they see and makes sure that the design does its job effectively. It’s like having clear road signs that help drivers know where to go without any trouble.
Interestingly, colors and how well you combine them play a massive role in making designs readable. When you use colors smartly together, it makes the information in your content stand out and look pleasing to the eye. It’s like using the right ingredients in a recipe to make sure the dish tastes great.
Generally, factors like color difference and brightness determine the readability of your designs. In color difference, you’re looking at how much a color stands out from another.
For example, if you have black text on a dark blue background, it will be hard to make out sentences because the color difference isn’t much. But if you use white or yellow text on the dark blue background, it stands out and will be easier to read.
The same applies to how light or dark a color is. If it’s a yellow text on a white background, they are both bright and that can make it tricky to read. But if you have black text on a white or light gray background, the contrast in brightness makes it easier to read.
It gets interesting here because I am going to explain in great detail the best colors to combine to make your designs readable and aesthetically pleasing.
You’ll also discover the color combinations to avoid, the role of fonts, and lastly, practical tips for you to try out.
Buckle up and let’s get started!
Color Combinations To Use In Your Designs
Image by Magda Ehlers
As a designer, one of the things to look out for when choosing colors for your designs is the contrast level. I noticed that high-contrast color combinations work like magic!
They help make the text or content stand out clearly from the background. That way, your message is easier to read. Here are some cool color combinations that have worked perfectly for me:
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Black text on a white background
White and black are like two opposites and combining these colors in your work will make your text pop.
Whether it’s having black text on a white surface or white text on a black background, your work will stand out. It’s like writing with a bold marker on a clean sheet of paper.
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Blues and grays on a white background
This is one of my favorite color combinations and you should try it too. Sometimes, I use dark blue text on a white background or light gray text on a dark blue background. I just make sure that the colors are different enough to stand out.
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Black, gray, or white text on high-contrast color backdrops
If you want an easier approach, just focus on using white and gray colors for your text, then lay them on a black or any other high-contrast backdrop like dark blue or dark red.
What I love most about using high-contrast combinations in my designs is that they make the content pop out and easy for people to read. It’s like standing on the stage with the lights on you!
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Color Combinations to Avoid
If you don’t want to confuse your audience with your designs, then you should never use colors that are too close together. I made this mistake when I was still a beginner and learned greatly from it. My designs performed poorly.
I later learned that if the color of the background and text are similar, it will be really hard to read because there isn’t enough contrast.
For example, if you use a light gray color for your text on a white background, your audience will have to strain their eyes to understand your message. In fact, it’s like trying to read faint pencil marks on gray paper.
They will also have the same experience if you use green text on a red background or red text on a green background. This color combination is very chaotic and will leave your audience frustrated.
There’s not enough contrast to separate the text from the background. Your audience will rather choose to read a message written in tiny blurry letters on a dark background than red text on a green background.
Avoid these colors if you want your designs to stand out.
Importance of Contrast and Luminosity
Image by Pixabay via Pexels
As you have seen from the analysis above, contrast and luminosity all contribute to making your designs readable. Content with high contrast naturally draws the eyes to the text. You’re telling the audience, “Hey, this is important, read it.”
So, always ensure that there is a massive difference between the color of your text and the background. They catch the eye immediately.
I have also discovered that luminosity plays a role in your contrast. So, it’s not about picking different colors but also making sure they have different levels of brightness.
Like the example I have above, white text on a black background makes the text pop out. The same goes for a light gray text on a dark blue background.
You should pay attention to all these to ensure that your design communicates its message effectively. You want people to be excited to see your design and not confused or frustrated.
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Font Design and Readability
Another factor to consider if you want your text to be easy on the eye is your choice of fonts. There are different styles of fonts. While some are simple and clean, others are decorative and elegant.
When designing, I use simple fonts like Times New Roman, Arial, Georgia, Verdana, and Calibri. I love that they don’t have overly fancy or distracting elements.
In fact, the fonts were designed with readability in mind. They make letters distinct and easy to recognize. Now, imagine that these simple fonts are white and you’re laying them on a black background or they are black and you’re reading them on a white background, it’s such a stress-free reading experience.
This is the most common color combination and you will see it even when you’re typing on Microsoft Word. It’s like reading a well-printed book with crisp, dark text on white pages. The words are super easy to distinguish.
Overall, if you want your audience to enjoy your work, then go for simple fonts. You should also combine the black letters on a white background. It enhances the overall readability of your message.
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Practical Tips For Designers
If you want your designs to be as clear as spring water, then there are some tips you should bear in mind.
Test color combinations for contrast
No matter the quality of information loaded in your designs, make sure you test the color combinations you want to use. That is to say, the text and background color must complement each other.
You should make sure that there’s enough contrast between the colors. If the contrast is high, it improves the readability and user experience. But if it’s low, you’re pushing your audience to frustration.
I’ve explained above how to figure out the best color combination for your designs.
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Use color contrast accessibility tools
There are a lot of online tools and software that I use to test color contrast in my designs. I feel this process is way easier and faster instead of trying to decipher things on your own.
These tools help you evaluate color contrast especially if you’re designing web content. You will receive feedback promptly on whether the color combination you chose met accessibility standards like the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
My favorite online contrast checker website is WebAIM Contrast Checker. Here’s how the test goes:
- First, visit the websites. You will see fields where you can enter the color of the background and foreground. You should use the RGB hexadecimal format (e.g. #F7DA39 for yellow) or simply choose your color and use the lightness slider to adjust it.
- After you’ve entered the color combinations, you will instantly see the contrast ratio between them. The result is displayed as a contrast ratio, for example, 4.5:1.
The next step is to evaluate your result based on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). The minimum contrast ratio for standard text is 4.5:1 while that of large text is 3:1.
If the contrast ratio is not up to the desired level, you need to keep adjusting it until you arrive at the correct ratio.
You must do this to increase the inclusivity of your designs. That means, all individuals, regardless of their abilities and disabilities can access and interact with the information in your creations. It generally improves the user experience for everyone.
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Check W3C Guidelines for More Information on Readability
To further broaden your knowledge of readability in web designs, you should check out the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). The website provides comprehensive guidelines to help designers build a website based on accessibility and inclusivity.
Relying on the site’s recommendations for text and color contrast will help you to create designs that are readable and accessible to a wide audience. You should make time to study and digest the information on the website.
It’s undoubtedly a valuable resource for designers who want to improve readability in both web and digital design projects.
Conclusion
In this digital age where there is a lot of information and content flying around across different platforms, how do you make your intended audience pause in their endlessly scrolling?
Finding the perfect harmony between your color combination and font design is the way out. It will not only make your work aesthetically pleasing but will also leave a lasting impression on your audience.
Most importantly, you’ll succeed in creating content that resonates with a broad and diverse audience.
Scott L. Macarthur is a marketing consultant and an online author. He is mostly engaged in providing his expertise to startups and SMBs. He is also an author on TheNextWeb.