Choose colours and check contrast in Canva

Try another restrained colour combination on a copy, then check contrast and readability again.

This video was made by SkrivSikkert, which also sells its own reading and writing tool. Canva has not made, paid for or approved the video. Canva is a trademark of Canva Pty Ltd.

Written steps

  1. Step 1

    Use a one-page copy of the invitation from the typography lesson. The accessibility checker includes all pages in a design, so unrelated practice pages can affect its results.

  2. Step 2

    Select the page thumbnail, open the round background colour control and choose Add a new color. Select Hex color code, enter #F4F0E6 and press Enter. Select the Color heading to close the small picker, then close the side panel.

  3. Step 3

    Select the heading. Open its text colour control and choose Add a new color. Enter #234A35 in Hex color code and press Enter. Select Text color to close the picker, then close the panel. The date, location and explanation should remain black.

  4. Step 4

    Open File, then Accessibility, then Check design accessibility. Wait for the check to finish. The demonstrated one-page invitation has a green check for Color contrast.

  5. Step 5

    Close the check panel and select the page thumbnail to clear text selection. Review the entire invitation and the actual file after exporting. An automated check does not certify every aspect of accessibility.

What you need

Open the event design with editable text and a background. The recording shows the English interface.

Read the video transcript

Colour should help readers find the content. We will continue with a one-page copy of the invitation from the typography lesson. We will choose a light background and a dark green heading. The other text stays black. This creates a calm design in which the date, place, and practical details remain clear. Select the page thumbnail at the bottom. Then click the round background colour button in the toolbar. The Color panel opens. You can choose one of the displayed colours. We will use an exact colour code so the same colour can be repeated in other designs. Click Add a new color. Select the Hex color code field. Replace its current value with the light background code from the written guide and press Enter. The background becomes cream. Click the Color heading to close the small colour picker. Then close the side panel. Check that the black text is still easy to read. Select the heading Community garden day. Click the text colour button in the toolbar. Choose Add a new color. In the Hex color code field, enter the dark green code from the written guide and press Enter. Click the Text color heading to close the picker, then close the side panel. Only the heading changes colour. We will also check the colours with Canva's own tool. Open File. Choose Accessibility, then Check design accessibility. Wait for the results. On this one-page practice design, Color contrast has a green check. This is a useful automated check, but you should still review readability yourself and inspect the file you export. Close the check panel and inspect the whole invitation. The dark heading stands out against the light background. The date and place are still black and easy to find. Use a small set of colours consistently. Never use colour alone to explain what something means. Try another calm colour combination and check it again.

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