Designing Accessible Sites: Images, Colors, Contrast, and Font Best Practices

The visual design of your Komo site plays a huge role in how inclusive and usable your experience is.

Why Accessibility in Design Matters

The visual design of your Komo site plays a huge role in how inclusive and usable your experience is. Poor color contrast, hard-to-read fonts, or relying solely on visuals can make it difficult—or impossible—for some users to engage with your content.

This article gives you practical, platform-aligned tips for designing with accessibility in mind—without sacrificing aesthetics or brand consistency.

Images and Alternative Text

Images can make your Komo experience more engaging—but they should never become a barrier. Some users rely on screen readers to understand what’s on the page, so images must be used thoughtfully.

Best Practices:

• Use alt text for meaningful images: If an image conveys information (e.g. a prize, sponsor logo, or product), add clear alternative text describing it.
• Skip alt text for decorative images: If the image is purely visual (e.g. background confetti or design flourishes), leave the alt text blank so screen readers can skip over it.
• Don’t put important text inside images: Text baked into an image can’t be read by screen readers and often won’t resize well on smaller screens. Use real text wherever possible.

Komo tip:

When uploading media to your site, always ask: Would someone who can’t see this image still get the message?

Choosing Accessible Colors

Color can enhance your experience—but it shouldn't limit who can enjoy it.

Best Practices:

• Maintain strong contrast: Aim for at least a 4.5:1 contrast ratio between foreground text and background.
• Don’t rely on color alone: Always pair color cues (e.g. red for incorrect) with text or icons.
• Test your palette: Use tools like Colors Contrast Checker or WebAIM to validate your choices.

Fonts that Work for Everyone

Fonts shouldn't get in the way of understanding your message.

Best Practices:

• Use legible, sans-serif fonts: Avoid thin or decorative typefaces for body text.
• Avoid all caps in long stretches—use them sparingly for emphasis.

Design Pitfalls to Avoid

Avoid these common mistakes:

Quick Checks Before You Publish

• Can all text be read easily in daylight?
• Do links and buttons stand out clearly?
• Have you avoided color-only cues?
• Have you tested with one of the tools below?

Tools We Recommend

• WebAIM Contrast Checker
• Google Lighthouse
• Color Oracle – Simulate colorblindness
• NoCoffee Vision Simulator (Chrome extension) – See how your site might look to users with vision impairments

Want a Design Review?

Send a link to your in-progress experience to support@komo.tech and we’ll give you quick feedback to improve accessibility before launch.