Pretty palettes that nobody can read are bad design. WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) defines minimum contrast ratios between text and background. Real designers check this before shipping.
RATIO 16.5 : 1
✓ PASSES WCAG AAA
Body text on background , readable for everyone, including users with low vision.
RATIO 1.6 : 1
✗ FAILS WCAG AA
Body text on background , invisible to many users. Never ship this.
The WCAG contrast standards
WCAG AA is the minimum legal standard. 4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text.
WCAG AAA is the gold standard. 7:1 for normal text, 4.5:1 for large text.
Large text = 18pt+ or 14pt+ bold. Smaller text needs higher contrast.
UI elements (buttons, form borders) need 3:1 against their background.
TRY IT
Live contrast checker
Background
Text color
The quick brown fox
Smaller body text reads like this on the chosen background.