Do vector graphics in animated videos need to follow color contrast guidelines?

Question

Do vector graphics in animated videos need to follow color contrast guidelines?

Answer

The answer to this question depends on what the graphics are intended to do.

If the graphics are meaningful and are providing needed information to understand the video, then the meaningful parts of the graphic must reach 3:1 color contrast with adjacent colors. Are there any parts of the graphic that cannot be removed without changing or losing information in the video? If so, focus on those areas for meeting contrast.

If the graphics are purely decorative and don’t provide any new information, then they do not need to reach 3:1 contrast with adjacent colors.

For help reviewing the contrast ratios of different color combinations, check out the WCAG Color Contrast Checker from Accessible Web.

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