The word “digital” references anything that is viewable on a screen, such as a smartphone, computer or the monitors that display digital signage across campus.
What types of files are considered digital?
- Emails (viewed on a phone or computer)
- Flyers shared via email (viewed on a phone or computer), not printed
- Digital signage (viewed on a monitor)
- PowerPoint presentations (viewed on a computer or monitor)
- Social media posts (viewed on a phone or computer)
All digital content should follow digital accessibility guidelines. One key standard is maintaining high color contrast.
High color contrast ensures that everyone, including those with low vision, color blindness or other visual impairments, can read and interact with your content.
What is color contrast?
Color contrast refers to the difference between the foreground (text) color and the background color. For text to be accessible, it must be clearly readable against its background. It is not enough to visually check, as there are color combinations that are readable to someone without visual impairments but are not readable to someone with impairments. (See Example 1 below.)
To ensure your color contrast meets accessibility standards, use the Web Accessibility in Mind (WebAIM) contrast checker. How it works:
- Start by choosing the color picker for your text.
- Next, choose the color picker for your background color.
- If the combination of those two colors does not pass (see Example 2 below), move the slider for the foreground color to the right until the text below says the color contrast passes (see Example 3 below).
- Change the hex code/color of your text to the hex code that is marked as passing so your digital file will meet accessibility standards.
Continue to monitor Inside GGC for future knowledge-based articles referencing the Digital Accessibility quiz offered at the end of March.
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3
