My professor argued that 'accessible' palettes are always boring, but my internship mentor says that's a lazy excuse.

Heard this in a lecture at State last week, and it's been bugging me ever since. Has anyone found a way to make a high-contrast, WCAG-friendly scheme that still feels vibrant and not clinical?

2 comments

2 Comments

roberts.diana3d ago

Honestly, that professor's take is giving "I can't cook so I blame the stove." My own color choices used to be a mess, all muddy and low contrast. I had to really learn how saturation and value work separately. You can totally have a bright, fun color that's still dark enough or light enough to stand out clearly against its background. It just takes more tries in the color picker, sliding those little bars around forever.

green.jenny3d ago

Ugh, that professor is flat out wrong. My last project had a strict accessibility rule and we used this deep teal with a bright coral. It passed all the contrast checks and looked amazing, not boring at all. The trick is to pick one bold color and build around it with neutrals. Calling accessible palettes boring is just admitting you don't want to put in the work to find good combinations. Your mentor has the right idea.