How important is color theory in Visual Communication

Color theory plays a crucial role in ensuring accessibility for colorblind users, as it influences how they perceive and interact with visual content. Color blindness is known to affect the ability to distinguish certain colours, so designers must apply the principles of color theory to improve usability and accessibility, thus aiding inclusion.

As is known, there are different types of color blindness, and each has a different perception of colors, for example: 

Protanopia (red color blindness): Difficulty distinguishing red from green.

Deuteranopia (green color blindness): Similar to protanopia, with difficulty differentiating red from green.

Tritanopia (blue and yellow color blindness): Difficulty distinguishing between blues and yellows.

Monochromatism (total color blindness): Seeing only in grayscale.

Colorblind consumers rely on contrast, rather than hue differences, to interpret visual elements, so designers should:

• Use high contrast between text and background.
• Implement variations of chiaroscuro instead of relying solely on color.
• Avoid problematic color combinations such as red and green or blue and purple.

Good choices for effective colors include: blue and orange, yellow and black, dark blue and white.

Options that should not be chosen or are not recommended: red and green, light blue and pink, yellow and white.

Patterns or textures are currently used to help colourblind people differentiate elements, rather than relying on color, for example: Labels or icons can be included instead of using color as the sole indicator (tables, graphs).

Colour theory is critical because it allows designers to be more inclusive, creating more accessible experiences for everyone. This benefits the company and users by improving the image and usability of products and services, as well as the experience.