Accessible Color Palettes That Actually Look Good

Accessibility and aesthetics aren't mutually exclusive. The myth that accessible design means boring design has been thoroughly debunked by brands that prove you can have both — vibrant palettes that pass WCAG AA and even AAA contrast requirements.

Start with your brand's primary color and build a systematic scale. Tools like Leonardo by Adobe generate perceptually uniform color ramps that maintain contrast ratios at each step. A 10-step scale from 50 to 950 gives you enough range for backgrounds, surfaces, and text.

The key insight is that contrast isn't just about light vs dark — it's about the relationship between foreground and background. A text color that fails on white might pass on a darker surface. Design your color tokens as pairs: always define which background a text color is intended for.

Don't forget about color blindness, which affects roughly 8% of men. Never rely on color alone to convey information — pair it with icons, patterns, or text labels. Test your palette with simulators like Stark or the Chrome DevTools vision deficiency emulator.

Document your color system thoroughly. For each token, specify its intended use, minimum contrast ratio, and which other tokens it pairs with. This creates guardrails that prevent future inconsistencies as the team grows.