2 ms·
The idea of "too much contrast" is a very recent invention with very little support behind it. People like high-contrast reading. It's easy to read. As contr
by jellicle 14y ago
The idea of "too much contrast" is a very recent invention with very little support behind it. People like high-contrast reading. It's easy to read. As contrast goes up, reading rate goes up. There are hundreds of studies to that effect.
Only dumb-ass designers have asserted that grey-text-on-grey-backgrounds is in any way a good thing, and they are wrong. (At least as far as conveying information goes.)
- Silhouette 14y agoAs contrast goes up, reading rate goes up. There are hundreds of studies to that effect. As someone who does read a lot of research about design and usability issues, I am always sceptical of people who write things like "There are hundreds of studies to that effect" yet don't cite a single one. If it were really as simple as you claim, we would all be reading white or yellow text on black screens and no-one would get headaches because their monitor was set too bright. If you really do believe in looking at empirical data, you might like to read some of the research into how excessive contrast can exacerbate negative conditions, such as the "shaking" effect seen particularly by dyslexics or the "halo" effect seen particularly by older readers.