Why accessibility should shape your brand colours
In B2B, “the colours need to look nice” is not the whole brief.
Colour has much heavy lifting to do. It projects brand meaning, and it needs to remain legible, consistent, and cohesive everywhere — and for everyone.
From obligation to expectation
Accessibility used to be a public-sector box-tick. Now, with the European Accessibility Act applicable in the EU from 28 June 2025 and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) checks turning up in procurement, it’s everyone’s business — tech, professional services, manufacturing, the lot. (UK-only organisations still sit under the Equality Act 2010 — and the public sector under the PSBAR — both of which lean on WCAG.)
And the audience is substantial: at least 2.2 billion people worldwide live with near- or distance-vision impairment (not all are registered as disabled, but many are affected by low contrast and small type). Add colour-vision deficiency (CVD) to the picture too — about 8% of men and 0.5% of women have CVD (roughly 3 million people in the UK). If you’re relying on red/green alone to signal meaning, you’re asking a significant slice of your audience to guess.
Meaning and accessibility are now the working definition of quality. “Do the colours look nice?” is a target, but not the measure.
Contrast is clarity
The colour wheel explains why hues get along; accessibility tells you whether everyone can read them. In WCAG Level 2.1 AA, contrasts exist for a reason: 4.5:1 for standard body text and 3:1 for large text and essential non-text UI cues (“large” = 18 pt regular or 14 pt bold). UI components and key graphic elements should also meet a 3:1 contrast ratio against adjacent colours. Miss those and you’re effectively whispering on stage. (Tip: on dark backgrounds, aim higher than usual: small text reads better closer with WCAG Level 2.1 AAA – a contrast of around 7:1.)
This is where “we’ve always been this colour” runs out of road. Heritage isn’t a hall pass for unreadable pairings. Often, the hue isn’t the problem; deployment is. White on yellow is a squint and a headache; yellow on white is no kinder.
The answer isn’t to abandon your identity, it’s to evolve it: adjust tones, strengthen pairings, and refresh secondary and tertiary palettes so the brand reads beautifully in the wild. And never use colour as the only cue — pair it with labels, icons, patterns or line styles so the message survives for readers with CVD.
Build a system, not a shrine
Not all brands can afford to worship a single swatch; they run a system:
- Primary colour palettes anchor recognition.
- Secondary colour palettes add breadth without breaking the idea.
- Tertiary colour palettes bring nuance for data-heavy visuals, dashboards and seasonal moments.
Many in our chosen sectors sing the same song in harmony: “we’ve always been blue”. Blue is fine. But which blue, in which contexts, with which supporting accents? A thoughtful update keeps the heritage and signals progress. For multi-series charts and maps, use colour-blind-safe palettes and avoid red/green as opposing states unless you add secondary cues.
Recognition through consistency
B2B buying cycles are long, and decisions are shared. Consistent colour across reports, portals, product UIs and event environments builds familiarity. And familiarity shortens the leap to trust. As I often say (I have many idioms), beware designing yourself into a corner. In a world of print, digital, video and events, colour layouts must work universally.
Always think big picture. Check contrast during design with a reliable checker, and verify on real devices in light and dark contexts.
The risks of getting it wrong
Clinging to “it looks nice” or “we’ve always used this colour” invites three entirely avoidable problems:
- Exclusion. You lock out part of your audience (remember: 2.2 billion globally with vision impairment; 2 million+in the UK with sight loss; millions with CVD — c. 8% men, 0.5% women, ~3 million in the UK).
- Compliance. RFPs, pitches, bids and audits trip over avoidable contrast failures.
- Perception. Low-contrast, inconsistent colour signals sloppiness exactly when you’re asking for trust.
Evolve the palette with accessibility and meaning in mind, and you get trust, recognition and a brand that feels current (at least until it earns its next considered refresh).
Colour is strategy, not taste
This is the through-line from my last post, “In Defence of Brand Identity“. Design is there to work, not to show off. Refining hues, strengthening contrast, and expanding secondary and tertiary options keep you familiar yet sharper, clearer and more professional.
That’s colour doing its job. Not just decorating the room.
