A color scheme is a combination of hues that are implemented in specific design contexts, such as a site’s layout. Color plays an important role in making your content accessible to people with visual impairments. Web color accessibility in design considers your audience and any condition or disability they may have in perceiving pigmentation.

When it comes to creating an accessible website, color choice matters. Including accessible hues in your design palette will make your site more usable to people who may have vision impairment or low vision.

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) outline various recommendations for color accessibility, including guidance for color contrast ratios, luminance, backgrounds, and color spacing in order to make a site more accessible to those with any type of vision deficiency. The following aspects of website color schemes can help you design with accessibility in mind.

A color contrast ratio determines how bright or dark colors appear on a screen. They can range from 1 to 21 (written as 1:1 and 21:1, respectively). The first number in the ratio indicates what the relative luminance (or brightness) of the light colors is, and the second represents the relative luminance of dark colors. WCAG recommends using 4.5:1 as the minimum ratio for text and interactive elements.

Start figuring out how to choose color combinations for a website by focusing on background colors, text and typeface colors, calls to action (CTAs), and buttons.

The following dos and don’ts will help you choose the best color scheme for your website:

DO:

• start the process by identifying your primary brand color.
• keep in mind that certain colors tend to hold certain meanings.
• aim for more white space to help boost readability.
• use varying saturations of your brand’s main hues to increase brand loyalty.

DON'T:

• let a color combination get in the way of readability.
• use low-contrast text. It can strain the eyes and make your page less accessible overall.
• use a digital black typeface or pure black on a pure white background — the stark contrast may cause eye strain.

There is more to web accessibility than color schemes — screen resolution, brightness levels, and device types also affect site readability. Test colors on the various platforms to ensure they’re adjusted for optimal readability on different devices.