Web Design Garage

Choosing Text and Background Colors

People don't read text on a Web page. They don't have time for it. It slows them down too much. Instead, they like to skim and pick out the bits and pieces of information that interest them. Blame it on the collapse of Western civilization or too much TV and video games if you want, but browsing habits are what they are. As a designer, the best thing you can do for the text of your site is to make it easy to skim.

Contrast is the most important tool in your toolbox in this regard. You want your text to stand out from the background easily, so that roving eyes can skim without having to squint or slow down and read the text word for word. If you don't have enough contrast, as in Figure 5.1, you make it harder ...