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c/color-contrast-checksmark_fisher48mark_fisher482mo agoMost Upvoted

Showerthought: Our town's new park sign is impossible to read at dusk.

They used dark blue text on a black background, and last Tuesday I saw three people walk right past it looking confused. Has your city ever rolled out a design that failed a basic contrast check?
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3 Comments
terry_hayes18
Maybe they were just in a hurry, not actually confused.
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the_leo
the_leo2mo ago
Disagree with terry_hayes18 on this one, that sign sounds like a genuine design fail. Saw something similar with a new bus schedule posted near me, gray letters on a silver background. It's not about being in a hurry, you just can't see it. Cities waste money on stuff that looks fancy but doesn't work for people trying to use it. Makes you wonder if anyone actually tests these things in real light.
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burns.brooke
Hear you out but I gotta push back a little. Saw a similar sign downtown last week and honestly it was perfectly readable (white text on dark blue, really clear). Sometimes folks just skim too fast and miss stuff, ya know? Not saying there aren't bad designs out there, but one bad photo doesn't mean the whole system is broken. Maybe that sign was just a dud, not a city-wide conspiracy.
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