In the fast-moving world of social media, visuals speak louder than words. Every day, brands and creators share vibrant images, carousels, and reels designed to grab attention. But in the rush to create something eye-catching, one essential principle often gets overlooked accessibility.
Accessible design isn’t just about checking a compliance box. It hits close to home at Westvyne. Michele Rempel, Managing Partner, has struggled with vision issues for much of her adult life. Recently, a poor result from an eye surgery greatly reduced her vision. She’s hopeful for an upcoming surgery, but in the meantime, accessibility in web and social media has been at the top of her mind.
Accessibility is about ensuring that everyone, including people with visual or cognitive disabilities, can see, read, and engage with your content. And two of the most impactful factors in that experience are color contrast and font choices.
Let’s explore how getting these right can make your social media content more inclusive, engaging, and effective.
Why Accessibility Matters in Social Media
Before diving into the details, let’s understand why accessibility matters so much.
Globally, over a billion people live with some form of visual impairment. That includes people with color blindness, low vision, or those who struggle to read fine or stylized text. Add to that users scrolling outdoors in bright sunlight, or those using devices in dark mode, and accessibility affects virtually everyone.
When your content is clear and readable, you’re not only being inclusive; you’re improving engagement, retention, and reach. Accessible design helps your message resonate with more people, on every screen and platform.
Color Contrast: The Foundation of Readable Design
Color contrast refers to the difference in brightness between text and its background. High contrast makes text easier to read, especially for users with low vision or color blindness.
Low contrast like light gray text on a white background or white text on a bright yellow image makes reading difficult or even impossible for some viewers.
The Standards
According to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1 AA):
Normal text should have a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1.
Large text (18pt or 24px and up, or 14pt bold) should meet a minimum ratio of 3:1.
These ratios ensure your text stands out clearly, regardless of lighting conditions or screen quality.
In Practice on Social Media
- Avoid pastel text on light backgrounds or white text over bright, busy images (unless you add an outline or shadow to the white text to make it stand out).
- Use solid backgrounds or semi-transparent overlays behind text to boost readability.
- Test your designs in both light and dark mode, since contrast perception changes dramatically between the two.
- Make sure key information (like sale dates or event details) meets minimum contrast standards; never rely on faint text or subtle color pairings.
Helpful Tools
You don’t have to eyeball it. Try:
- WebAIM Contrast Checker
- Stark Plugin for Figma
- Google Lighthouse
These tools quickly calculate contrast ratios and show whether your design meets accessibility standards.
Font Choices: Readability Over Aesthetics
Fonts carry personality they express tone, style, and brand identity. But on social media, readability must always come first.
Your post may look beautiful, but if your audience can’t easily read it, they’ll scroll right past.
Choose Simple, Clean Fonts
Stick with sans-serif fonts such as:
- Arial
- Helvetica
- Open Sans
- Verdana
These fonts are clear, consistent, and render well across devices. They’re also compatible with most assistive technologies like screen readers.
Avoid overly decorative or script fonts in body text. They may look stylish but can be difficult to read especially at small sizes or on mobile screens.
Size and Spacing Matter
Even the best font can fail if it’s too small or cramped.
Follow these basic rules:
- Use at least 18–20 px equivalent for main text in social media graphics.
- Maintain a line spacing (line height) of around 1.4–1.6 for better readability.
- Avoid long all-caps sentences they can be hard to scan and read.
- Keep text short and focused fewer words often mean better engagement.
Skip the Fancy Fonts and Emoji Overload
Stylized Unicode fonts (like those generated by font websites) often aren’t recognized by assistive technologies.
Similarly, while emojis can add personality, using too many can disrupt screen readers and make your captions confusing. Use them sparingly and strategically.
Combining Color and Font for Maximum Impact
The best designs find harmony between color and typography.
Here’s how to make both work together:
- Test your text color over your image or video background never assume it’s readable.
- Pair simple fonts with strong contrast to make your message pop.
- Use consistent color and type hierarchy (e.g., the same header color or font size across slides) for familiarity and flow.
- Always preview your post on mobile where most social media users are scrolling.
Accessibility is Good Design
Accessibility doesn’t limit creativity it enhances it. When your social media posts are easy to read, everyone benefits.
People spend more time engaging, sharing, and acting on content that’s comfortable to consume. Brands that prioritize accessibility send a clear message: we see you, we value you, and we design with you in mind.
Final Thoughts
Accessible design isn’t a trend it’s the future of digital communication.
By choosing readable fonts and ensuring proper color contrast, you make your content more inclusive and more effective.
Before publishing your next post, take a minute to run a quick contrast check and review your typography. Small design tweaks can open your message to thousands more people.
Because accessibility isn’t just about compliance it’s about connection.
Ready to make your brand’s social media more inclusive?
Start by auditing your latest posts for color contrast and font readability then build accessibility into your design workflow.
Here at Westvyne, we’re passionate about helping brands create inclusive digital experiences that inspire and connect.