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Is Your Website Readable?
DavidJackson
subscriber Posts: 143 Silver Level Member
I`m absolutely amazed at how many websites I`ve visited that are written in reverse text.
What`s reverse test?
Reverse text is light colored or white text on a dark or black background.
If used correctly, reverse text can produce an impressive visual impact.
However, a little reverse text goes a long way. And if you have a whole webpage of reverse text, it`s very difficult on the eyes.
Why? Because according to readability studies, reverse text is not suitable for reading because of its poor legibility even in normal lighting conditions. It`s just not user-friendly.
When designing your website, it`s best to use black text on a white or light-colored background.
But if you decide to use reverse text, use it sparingly.
David Jackson
DavidJackson1/12/2009 10:04 AM
What`s reverse test?
Reverse text is light colored or white text on a dark or black background.
If used correctly, reverse text can produce an impressive visual impact.
However, a little reverse text goes a long way. And if you have a whole webpage of reverse text, it`s very difficult on the eyes.
Why? Because according to readability studies, reverse text is not suitable for reading because of its poor legibility even in normal lighting conditions. It`s just not user-friendly.
When designing your website, it`s best to use black text on a white or light-colored background.
But if you decide to use reverse text, use it sparingly.
David Jackson
DavidJackson1/12/2009 10:04 AM
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Comments
I`d also like to add that this goes for most of the eye candies out there
If you include 1 picture in your main page, it has that much more effect than if you include 5
If you include a special sale tab, colored in a different way than the rest, it will jump out. but if you add 3 of these they won`t be seen
You should always try to focus your visitors on what YOU want them to focus on, whether its with reverse text, or any other method
Jmes
White text on a black background has a very high contrast, just like black text on a white background. The higher the contrast, the harder it is to read.I prefer to use a slightly gray text on a white background. It`s a high enough contrast that it is easy to read and it isn`t hard on the eyes after a while.PS I usually make a custom CSS style (with firefox) to switch back the reverse text. Otherwise, I`d go crazy.
White text on a black background has a very high contrast, just like black text on a white background. This is not even debatable. Black text on a white background is far easier to read for most people, than white text on a black background. That`s why books are printed black text on white paper - readability. David JacksonDavidJackson1/12/2009 8:23 PM
I`m not saying a white background and dark text is as hard to read as white text on black. I completely agree with your thoughts there.However, I think the black text on white is harder to read than other colors at smaller sizes because of the high contrast. That is why I prefer a slightly gray text on a white background. I believe this is why most of the books I`ve read are black text on an offwhite paper. It`s not 100% white to lessen the contrast between the background and the text, which makes it easier to read for long periods of time.
Sorry, I misunderstood the point you were trying to make. David JacksonDavidJackson1/13/2009 9:41 AM