Images

Photographs and illustrations should be easily recognisable and convey a clear message. Ensuring clear brightness and colour contrast between foreground and background also makes recognition easier.¹

A problematic image with poor overall contrast: the person in the foreground is dressed in dark clothing and does not stand out clearly enough against the background. In addition, the background is relatively unstable. Important image content (person) and unimportant image content (background) cannot be easily distinguished.

By brightening the person in the foreground and brightening and blurring the background even more, the recognizability of the figure is improved.

If the image statement allows it, image objects can also be completely cropped.

In digital media, images and graphics should always be provided with descriptive alternative texts so that their content can be conveyed by screen readers or other assistive technologies to people who are unable to identify it.²

As a general rule, text should not be placed on a cluttered background.

The use of icons and pictograms can aid communication and in some circumstances even replace text. To ensure they are understood with absolute certainty their design should be clear and to the point. Elements that do not aid recognition are best omitted. Solid versions of icons prove easier to identify than their linear counterparts.