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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Choose website colors by assigning each color a role, testing the foreground-and-background pairs used in the interface, and checking that information remains understandable without hue alone. Under WCAG 2.2 AA, ordinary text generally needs a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 and large text generally needs at least 3:1; meaningful controls and graphics need their own review.
Start with roles and real pairings
A color does not have one universal accessibility status. Contrast depends on the foreground and background as they appear together, so list the combinations your site actually uses before approving a palette.
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- Text: body copy, headings, muted text, links, button labels, placeholders, and text shown on hover or focus.
- Controls and states: buttons, form fields, borders needed to identify controls, focus indicators, and selected states.
- Meaningful graphics: icons, chart marks, diagrams, and other visual elements whose appearance is needed to understand information.
Give palette tokens functional names such as page background, body text, interactive accent, border, success, warning, and error. Then specify the intended foreground and background for each component and state. A token set is not enough by itself: its combinations must work in the rendered interface. W3C guidance also calls attention to text over images, gradients, buttons, and other elements (WCAG 2.2, Success Criterion 1.4.3; W3C WAI design tips).
Apply the right text contrast threshold
For WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 1.4.3 at Level AA, ordinary text generally requires a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 against its background. Large text generally requires at least 3:1. The criterion defines exceptions, including incidental text and logotypes; do not treat those exceptions as a substitute for checking ordinary interface text. The requirement applies to text across the page, including placeholder text and text displayed on hover or focus (W3C WCAG 2.2 Understanding 1.4.3).
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Contrast is calculated from relative luminance. Hue and saturation alone do not establish whether text is legible, so choosing colors that look distinct or feel vibrant is not a substitute for checking the actual pair.
Check meaningful controls and graphics separately
Text contrast and non-text contrast address different needs. WCAG 2.2 includes a separate criterion for visual information needed to identify user-interface components and meaningful graphical objects. Review such elements independently rather than assuming that readable labels make the control or graphic itself clear (W3C WCAG 2.2 Understanding 1.4.11).
Consider whether a control can be identified by its boundary or visual state, and whether a chart or diagram mark can be distinguished where that distinction carries information. Include focus and selection indicators in the review: they appear in particular states and may use different combinations from the default design.
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Do not use color as the only signal
Pair color with another cue wherever it communicates meaning. For example, identify an error with a text message or icon as well as a red field outline; distinguish links with an underline or another visible treatment as well as color; and give chart categories labels, patterns, shapes, or another distinction beyond hue. This helps people who cannot distinguish particular colors and also makes meaning less dependent on a single visual cue. W3C WAI advises against using color alone to convey information (W3C WAI design tips).
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Compare palette candidates by use, not by swatch
When deciding between candidate combinations, compare the same factors for each one:
- Role: Is the pairing for text, a control, or meaningful graphic content?
- Applicable check: Which WCAG criterion and threshold applies to that use?
- Actual presentation: Does the pairing remain suitable in the component, its states, and any image or gradient background?
- Information without hue: Can people still identify the content or meaning through labels, shapes, patterns, underlines, or another cue?
A visually appealing swatch is not automatically the better choice if the needed pairing or distinction fails in context.
Test early, then inspect the interface
- During palette selection, list the intended pairs. Record each foreground, background, role, and relevant state before the palette is treated as final.
- Use a contrast checker on each pair. Check text against the threshold for its size and check meaningful non-text elements under the relevant criterion. A checker evaluates a pairing; it does not establish that the entire site is accessible.
- Review the rendered components. Inspect text over images or gradients and examine controls in their default, hover, focus, and selected states. Confirm that boundaries, indicators, and meaningful graphics remain identifiable in context.
- Check for non-color cues. Verify that errors, links, statuses, and chart categories have another visible means of identification where color carries meaning.
W3C WAI says contrast selection is “ideally done during the early design stage and the selection of color palettes” (W3C WAI, “Colors with Good Contrast”). Starting early makes it easier to adjust role tokens and pairings before they are repeated across components. Free official guidance and digital contrast-checking tools are available through W3C’s text contrast explanation and its design tips.
What a palette review can—and cannot—establish
Passing contrast checks is important, but it does not prove that a website is fully accessible. Content, component implementation, interaction states, and the visual information conveyed by non-text content all affect the result. Treat palette review as one part of an interface accessibility review, not as a pass/fail label attached to individual hex values.
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