Choosing the right colour contrast is crucial for legibility and visual impact. When placing coloured text or images on a white background, some colours will pop more than others. In this article, we’ll examine the factors that make certain colours stand out on white, and provide data on the best colour choices for high contrast.
How colour contrast works
Contrast occurs when two colours are very different from one another. High contrast makes objects or text easy to distinguish, while low contrast results in a muddied, harder-to-decipher image. Contrast depends on three factors:
- Luminance – The perceived brightness or lightness of a colour.
- Hue – The colour family, such as red, blue, green.
- Saturation – How intense or vivid the colour is.
Colours that are widely separated in luminance, hue, and saturation create the strongest contrast. Black and white represent the maximum contrast since black absorbs all light while white reflects it all. Shades like dark red or navy blue also contrast sharply with white due to differences in luminance and hue.
Low contrast occurs when colours are similar in one or more of the three factors above. For example, pastel shades have low saturation. And colours close to each other on the colour wheel, like red and pink, have similar hues. These pairings lack visual punch when combined with white.
How to choose high-contrast colours
Certain colour selection principles can help maximise contrast on white backgrounds:
- Darker shades will stand out more than light ones. Deep blues, greens, reds and purples pop against white.
- Saturated colours are more eye-catching than muted or pale tints.
- Complementary colours (opposite each other on the colour wheel) have inherently high contrast due to different hues. Blue and orange, or purple and yellow, make vibrant combinations.
- Monochromatic palettes still offer contrast by varying saturation and luminance. Pair a vivid red with pink or maroon.
Additionally, warm colours like red, orange and yellow inherently stand out more than cool blues, greens and purples. Our eyes are naturally drawn to warm hues.
Best colour choices for white backgrounds
Research indicates certain shades are the most legible and attention-grabbing against white. Here are the top colours to use:
| Colour | Hex Code |
|---|---|
| Black | #000000 |
| Navy blue | #000080 |
| Royal blue | #4169E1 |
| Orange | #FFA500 |
| Red | #FF0000 |
| Lime green | #32CD32 |
| Purple | #800080 |
Black, blue, orange and red reliably produce strong contrast and visibility. Darker blues like navy and royal blue are preferable to lighter tints. Vivid warm colours such as red and orange also stand out. Lime green is an eye-catching option from the cooler colour palette.
How colour contrast impacts legibility
Contrast is about more than visual appeal. It’s critical for legibility, especially for text. Low contrast text is difficult to read. But high contrast makes text easy to see, enhancing readability. This improves user experience in various contexts:
- Print design – Dark text on white paper offers optimal legibility in books, posters and other print applications.
- Web design – Black or dark text on a white webpage background enables easy reading without eye strain.
- Signage – Vivid colours like red and yellow on white backgrounds keep signage text highly visible.
- Presentations – Dark text contrasts with bright white slides to maintain audience focus.
For smaller text, higher contrast is needed for clarity. Using sufficiently contrasting colours ensures text remains crisp and decipherable at all sizes.
Contrast ratio guidelines
Design standards recommend minimum contrast ratios between text/foreground colours and white backgrounds for optimal legibility. These guidelines apply for standard-sized text (14pt+):
- Small text (14-18pt) should have a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1.
- Body text (18pt+) should have a ratio of 3:1.
- Headings and large display text can have slightly lower ratios around 3:1.
Contrast ratios can be calculated using colour contrast checker tools. Inputting foreground and background colours gives you the ratio. White provides ultimate contrast – pairing it with dark shades that meet or exceed the guidelines above will ensure text stays readable.
How font impacts legibility
Font choice also factors into text legibility. Some principles for maximising legibility include:
- Clean, simple sans serif fonts are most readable for long blocks of text.
- Serif fonts are also legible for body text but work best at larger sizes.
- Highly decorative script or display fonts are harder to decipher and best reserved for headlines.
- Bold and black weights offer stronger contrast than light or thin text.
Pairing a clear, legible font with high contrast colours boosts readability. For example, a bold sans serif typeface in black or dark blue on white background makes a readable design.
Factors that reduce contrast
Certain situations can undermine the contrast of coloured text or images on white, making high contrast colours essential. These include:
- Poor lighting – Dark or glaring light reduces contrast and legibility.
- Small text size – Fine or tiny text needs very high contrast to remain clear.
- Visual impairments – Colour blindness and low vision require extra contrast.
- Printing variations – Ink bleed and paper quality can decrease contrast on printed materials.
Testing designs across different screens and print conditions ensures sufficient contrast for real-world use.
Using white space to maximise contrast
Strategic use of white space further showcases high contrast colours. Allowing vibrant hues to stand alone against white backgrounds makes them pop. Techniques like:
- Surrounding coloured headings with plenty of whitespace.
- Using white containers or borders to frame colourful images.
- Ensuring sufficient padding around coloured buttons or icons.
Let colour take the spotlight while whitespace plays a supporting role. This creates clean, uncluttered designs where contrast is clear and impactful.
Conclusion
Maximising colour contrast is vital for legibility and visual impact, especially on white backgrounds. Darker shades like black, navy, and purple combined with vivid hues like red and orange provide the strongest contrast. Following legibility guidelines for minimum contrast ratios ensures text remains readable. Strategic use of whitespace also makes contrast stand out. With the right colour choices and layouts, you can create eye-catching, easy-to-decipher designs on white.
