Best colour combinations in print

  Best colour combinations in print  

Black on white is still the easiest way to present type and to read it and you change that colour at your peril. Using coloured paper, coloured type or a heavy type patch often reduces legibility. In tests carried out by Karl Borgrgrafe (cited in Favre and November 1979) to see which colours worked best together, the following taxonomy of colour mixes was discovered, starting with the most legible, and working through to the least legible.

MOST LEGIBLE

 Black on yellow 

 Yellow on black 

 Green on white 

 Red on white 

 Black on white 

 White on blue 

 Blue on yellow 

 Blue on white 

 White on black 

 Green on yellow 

 Black on orange 

 Red on yellow 

 Orange on black 

 Yellow on blue 

 White on green 

 Black on red 

 Blue on orange 

 Yellow on green 

 Blue on red 

 Yellow on red 

 White on red 

 Red on black 

 White on orange 

 Black on green 

 Orange on white 

 Orange on blue 

 Yellow on orange 

 Red on orange 

 Red on green 

 Green on orange 

LEAST LEGIBLE

As you can see, black and white comes pretty near the top although the list suggests that a yellow panel behind the black type would improve legibility (which is why important warning signs of danger are usually printed black on yellow.)

From: Designing for Newspapers and Magazines, by Chris Frost, Routledge, 2003

Note: though black on yellow may be more striking than black on white, it is unlikely to be more pleasing in large quantities. Magazine designers have to strike a balance between legibility, impact, and reader satisfaction.

Between getting attention, and not being annoying.

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