Visual polish · Lesson 4 of 8 · 10 minutes

Visual polish: Readable contrast

Foreground and background work as a pair. Color choice still needs contrast measurement in the real product.

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Your objectives

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1
Build readable contrast
Build this first target: main with background-color: #ffffff. Keep the selector relationships intact and inspect the preview.
Hint & worked example
Foreground and background work as a pair. Color choice still needs contrast measurement in the real product.
The requested selectors and declarations exist outside comments.
```
main { background-color: #ffffff; }
```
Common mistake to avoid: If the page fits one desktop viewport, no narrower viewport needs checking.
2
Extend the readable contrast example
Extend your file to include: main with background-color: #ffffff; main with color: #182b2a. Keep the selector relationships intact and inspect the preview.
Hint & worked example
Foreground and background work as a pair. Color choice still needs contrast measurement in the real product.
The requested selectors and declarations exist outside comments.
```
main { background-color: #ffffff; }
main { color: #182b2a; }
```
Common mistake to avoid: Hiding all overflow always makes content accessible.
3
Verify the complete readable contrast pattern
Finish the pattern with: main with background-color: #ffffff; main with color: #182b2a; a with color: #164e45, text-decoration: underline. Keep the selector relationships intact and inspect the preview.
Hint & worked example
Foreground and background work as a pair. Color choice still needs contrast measurement in the real product.
The requested selectors and declarations exist outside comments.
```
main { background-color: #ffffff; }
main { color: #182b2a; }
a { color: #164e45; text-decoration: underline; }
```
Common mistake to avoid: If the page fits one desktop viewport, no narrower viewport needs checking.

Understand the pattern

Foreground and background work as a pair. Color choice still needs contrast measurement in the real product.

Misconceptions to reject

If the page fits one desktop viewport, no narrower viewport needs checking.
Hiding all overflow always makes content accessible.

The preview is a sanitized subset, not a full browser compatibility test.

Worked example and expected result

main { background-color: #ffffff; }
main { color: #182b2a; }
a { color: #164e45; text-decoration: underline; }

Foreground and background work as a pair. Color choice still needs contrast measurement in the real product.

Try a variation

Adapt the final example to a different project name while retaining its structure and relationships. A different context still needs a real browser and accessibility check.

Explain it

Which statement correctly explains readable contrast?Hiding all overflow always makes content accessible.Foreground and background work as a pair. Color choice still needs contrast measurement in the real product.If the page fits one desktop viewport, no narrower viewport needs checking.

Apply it elsewhere

You reuse readable contrast in a different project. What must still be verified?The resulting layout, focus behavior, and readability at the target viewport sizes.Nothing; passing a single exercise guarantees every future use.Only whether the source code has the same number of lines.

Keep the momentum.

Complete the lab, then explain and apply the pattern.

Next: Visual polish: Status colors Try an incident drill

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