High Contrast Color Palette
Pairs chosen so every text/background combination clears WCAG AAA — accessibility as the design constraint. Palette anchors: #000000, #FFFFFF, #FFFF00.
accessiblecontrast
#000000
#FFFFFF
#FFFF00
#0000FF
#FF0000
#000000 #ffffff #ffff00 #0000ff #ff0000
#000000 #FFFFFF #FFFF00 #0000FF #FF0000
Semantic roles
Assigned deterministically: lightest = background, darkest = text, most saturated = primary.
| background | #FFFFFF | |
| surface | #FFFF00 | |
| text | #000000 | |
| text-muted | #0000FF | |
| primary | #FFFF00 | |
| secondary | #0000FF | |
| accent | #FF0000 |
CSS variables
:root {
--background: #ffffff;
--surface: #ffff00;
--text: #000000;
--text-muted: #0000ff;
--primary: #ffff00;
--secondary: #0000ff;
--accent: #ff0000;
}Accessibility matrix
Text color (rows) on background (columns). Green = WCAG AA pass for normal text (≥4.5:1).
| Text \ BG | #000000 | #FFFFFF | #FFFF00 | #0000FF | #FF0000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #000000 | 1.0 | 21.0 | 19.6 | 2.4 | 5.3 |
| #FFFFFF | 21.0 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 8.6 | 4.0 |
| #FFFF00 | 19.6 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 8.0 | 3.7 |
| #0000FF | 2.4 | 8.6 | 8.0 | 1.0 | 2.1 |
| #FF0000 | 5.3 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 2.1 | 1.0 |
Under deuteranopia
Machado et al. (2009) simulation, severity 1.0 — approximation, not a medical tool.
Colors in this palette
Similar palettes
FAQ
How do I use the high contrast color palette in CSS?
Copy the CSS variables below into :root and use var(--primary), var(--background) etc. Full palette: #000000, #FFFFFF, #FFFF00, #0000FF, #FF0000.
Do these colors pass accessibility checks?
See the WCAG matrix on this page: every text-on-background pairing with ratio ≥ 4.5 passes AA for normal text; ≥ 3 passes AA for large text and UI components.