How Does Typography Color Affect Readability?

Even though it might not always be top of mind, the color of typography has a big effect on a digital product's readability and overall user experience (UX). Besides affecting how information is presented, it also influences how engaged users are, how content is prioritized, and how accessible the product is overall.

Choosing the right color for your typography can significantly improve legibility and make it easier for users to navigate your digital content. The wrong color choices, on the other hand, can lead to confusion and eye strain, and even cause users to disengage completely.

Here are some examples that show how much the color of typography matters in software.

First up, we have the issue of color contrast and readability. When picking a color for your typography, one of the most important things to consider is how much it contrasts with the background color. A lack of contrast can make it difficult to read the text, particularly in longer pieces.

The goal is to make sure there's a clear difference between the color of the text (foreground) and the background. You can do it in several ways, such as using black on white, dark gray on white, or a darker color on a lighter background, depending on the specific design situation and accessibility needs.

Interestingly, some people find that using gray text on a white background offers better readability than black text on a white background. A high level of contrast can sometimes be too harsh on the eyes, leading to discomfort or strain, especially during long reading sessions.

Moreover, certain ocular conditions also influence how people perceive the text. For instance, people with astigmatism can experience halation, a blurred effect around words. It reduces text readability and is particularly bad for people with astigmatism, as it can cause terrible headaches (which I know from my own experience).

Astigmatism is one of the most common eye problems, so designing with these readers in mind can make your typography much more accessible and comfortable to read.

Color is also an important tool for improving accessibility in digital products, particularly for users with visual impairments such as the already mentioned astigmatism or color blindness.

Your target audience should inform your selection of color palettes. It's best to choose universally appealing, easy-to-read designs for mainstream audiences, while a more customized approach is needed when designing for specific groups like people with visual disabilities.

A good example of inclusive design is the BBC's website. It uses an accessible color palette designed with color-blind users in mind, and offers a high contrast mode for those with limited vision.

Color blindness affects a considerable percentage of the global population (around 8% of men and 0.5% of women), so designers should only partially depend on color to convey information. We should use resources like Google's Material Theme Builder or the WebAIM Color Contrast Checker to evaluate designs, and supplement color with other visual cues such as variations in text size or weight.

Here's a great piece from a person with Daltonism, explaining how they perceive colors and their impact on their daily activities, including tasks as (seemingly) simple as booking a flight.

Beyond readability and accessibility, color also influences how users perceive a product and how they behave. Different colors can provoke different emotions and responses in users. Designers who understand color psychology can use typography color to subtly steer user actions and improve the overall user experience.

For instance, many digital platforms, such as Microsoft Windows, use red for error messages and alerts. Red attracts attention and conveys a sense of urgency or caution.

Netflix also has a shade of red in its logo and main headers, but for a different reason. In their context, red sparks emotions and creates a sense of energy and excitement.

Typography color greatly affects the "look and feel" of a digital product. It shapes the overall aesthetics and atmosphere of a website or an application.

For example, Facebook's choice of a soothing blue for its typography and branding was influenced by Mark Zuckerberg's red-green color blindness. Spotify, by contrast, uses a bright green for its typography, which gives it a dynamic, contemporary feel.

So the color of typography affects more than readability. It also communicates the brand's persona and shapes how users perceive the brand's identity and philosophy.

Typography color is also an effective tool for prioritizing information on a webpage and directing the user's attention to the most important elements. Headings and subheadings often use darker shades or contrasting colors to set them apart from the body text. Likewise, links, buttons, and call-to-action phrases may use a distinct color to stand out and encourage users to engage.

As UX designers, we play a critical role in making software products visually appealing, user-friendly, inclusive, and engaging. Knowing how to choose typography color palettes lets us balance aesthetics, functionality, and accessibility.

And I believe that the influence of typography color extends beyond design, because it has business implications too. Users are more likely to engage with software that has an attractive, easy-to-read interface, and that engagement benefits the business as a whole.

If you're interested in the role UX (and consequently typography) plays in the business success of a product, I encourage you to check out this short piece written by my colleague Dawid.