I finally get why high contrast isn't always better

Talked to my buddy who's colorblind last weekend and he told me pure black on pure white actually gives him a headache. Made me totally rethink my go-to design approach.

4 comments

4 Comments

seth_nguyen2d ago

Does that mean pure black text is bad for everyone or mostly just colorblind folks?

holly472d ago

Ha, I feel like such a dummy because I spent years thinking I was being clever with pure black and white designs. I'd even brag about how "clean" and "modern" they looked. Now I realize I was just making everyone's eyes work harder for no good reason. I switched to like a dark charcoal on a soft cream and honestly even my own eyes feel less tired at the end of the day.

milam422d ago

Okay, I actually gotta push back a little here. I've tried the dark gray on cream thing and it just makes everything look muddy to me, like I can't quite tell if the text is in focus. For my eyes at least, a true black on white with maybe a 2 pixel reduction in brightness is way crisper and I don't get any extra eye strain. Maybe it's just a personal preference thing, but the "pure black is always bad" rule doesn't work for everyone.

gavin_mason313d ago

My uncle who works in printing told me years ago that pure black on pure white is actually harder for the human eye to process than a slightly off white background with a dark gray text. He said something about how the eye has to work overtime trying to focus because the contrast is too extreme or something like that. I remember being shocked because every website and document I'd ever seen used that exact combo. Now I always mess around with my background colors and text shades just to see what feels easier to read for longer periods.