Tip #8: The How – Color Use
Tip #8: The How – Color Use
Hello Team,
Welcome back to our Accessibility Tips & Tricks series!
This week, we continue our hands-on work with the NCADEMI Accessibility Basics by focusing on Color Use. Thoughtful color choices play a major role in digital accessibility and help ensure information is clear for all users.
Color is often used to highlight, organize, or emphasize information. However, relying on color alone can create barriers for people who:
are color blind
have low vision
experience visual fatigue
use screen readers
view content on different devices or in varying lighting conditions
Good color use helps everyone quickly understand content, not just those who perceive color the same way.
Learn more from NCADEMI’s guidance on Color Use.
Color becomes a barrier when:
meaning is conveyed only by color (for example: “items in red are required”)
text blends into the background
low-contrast color combinations are used
color is used heavily without additional cues like text, icons, or labels
To support digital accessibility:
Never rely on color alone to communicate meaning
Pair color with text, icons, patterns, or labels
Use high contrast between text and background
Avoid problematic color combinations such as red/green or blue/purple
Keep color use consistent and intentional
Example:
Instead of saying: “Items in red are overdue”
Try: “Overdue items are marked with an asterisk (*) and highlighted in red.”
Color contrast checkers and accessibility tools can help identify issues quickly. We’ll explore some of these tools later in the series, but even a simple visual check can catch many common problems.
Open one document, slide deck, or webpage you use regularly.
Look for places where color is used to show meaning.
Ask yourself: “Would this still make sense without color?”
Add text, icons, or labels where needed to reinforce meaning.
If you’d like feedback, bring it to office hours.
Next week, we’ll explore Headings and how structure and organization support digital accessibility and navigation for all users.
Thank you for continuing to build accessible, inclusive digital materials step by step.
ESU 10 Accessibility Implementation and Planning Team