{"id":11516,"date":"2021-08-09T14:39:19","date_gmt":"2021-08-09T14:39:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.tubikstudio.com\/?p=11516"},"modified":"2025-10-24T11:28:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-24T11:28:09","slug":"contrast-in-user-interface-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tubikstudio.com\/blog\/contrast-in-user-interface-design\/","title":{"rendered":"Types of Contrast in User Interface Design"},"content":{"rendered":"

It would be impossible to define light if there was no darkness. It would be hard to feel the refreshing enjoyment of cold water if there was no heat. It would be difficult to enjoy the sounds if there was no silence between them. It would be challenging to read the words if there were no empty spaces between them. We couldn’t feel ourselves adults if there were no children around. Everything in the world exists and is perceived in contrast with something else, so no wonder it is one of the foundations of art and design. And that is the topic to discuss in our today’s article.<\/p>\n

What Is Contrast<\/h2>\n

In general terms, the word ‘contrast’ is used to describe objects that differ from each other strikingly. Talking about visual perception, contrast is basically associated with the difference in color or light that allows an object to be clearly distinguishable.<\/p>\n

Why is contrast important? Because the human eye naturally tends to catch the contrast. The highest possible contrast of an image is called contrast ratio or dynamic range. What’s more, for people with poor sight visual disabilities such as color blindness, the contrast becomes the core characteristic of objects they see and allows them to distinguish them.<\/p>\n

In academic art, contrast deals with the arrangement of opposite elements and effects such as light and dark colors, large and small shapes, rough or smooth textures. Contrast, in this case, can be used to not only attract attention but also set the mood and atmosphere, create variety, visual interest, and drama in an artwork.<\/p>\n

In design, contrast is one of the key factors influencing the scannability<\/a> and visual hierarchy of a web page or a mobile screen. It enables the designer to present the layout in a way that informs users which points of interaction are vital and which are secondary. Contrast is effective in catching the user\u2019s attention and drawing it to particular elements, so it plays a big part in supporting the intuitive navigation and usability of the digital product.<\/p>\n

\"pass<\/p>\n

\"pass<\/p>\n

The design of the landing page for the Pass-On application<\/a> shows the example of effective color and size contrast building up the solid visual hierarchy for the pages.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"eco<\/p>\n

Eco-bottles brand website<\/a> uses background colors contrast to separate different logical sections of the web page.<\/em><\/p>\n

Types of Contrast in UI Design<\/h2>\n

Contrast can be based on different features of UI elements, including:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • color<\/strong>: this type is one of the most natural and noticeable for the human eye; it works when colors are sharply different, for example, combined by complementary, split-complementary, or triadic schemes (check more about them in our color theory review<\/a>). This type of contrast is most widely used to make CTA buttons<\/a> and other critical navigation elements<\/a> instantly seen in the layout of the web page or an app screen, which supports clear and intuitive navigation.<\/li>\n
  • size<\/strong>: this type of contrast is based on making an element that should catch attention first noticeably bigger than the others<\/li>\n
  • shape<\/strong>: here, users’ eyes are caught by making the shape of one element different from the others<\/li>\n
  • position<\/strong>: in this type, designers change the position of one element in the row this way, making it look different, like, for instance, the new paragraph of the text piece is started with the indention.<\/li>\n
  • texture<\/strong>: here, the difference is built due to using textures that are clearly distinguished from each other<\/li>\n
  • direction<\/strong> (orientation<\/strong>): here, you change the physical positioning of the element, making it use other or unexpected directions, this way catching users’ attention with uncommonness.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    In his article Contrast and Meaning<\/a>, Andy Rutledge put the types of contrast designers often employ in a simple yet informative scheme, shown below, visualizing each type.<\/p>\n

    \"simple<\/p>\n

    The first idea that often comes to mind about contrast is something black and white. In the absence of shades and multiple colors, a monochrome image uses contrast as the main booster of expressive potential. And that works the same way in user interfaces. Even more, compared to the pieces of art or photography, contrast not only influences aestheticism but also has a significant impact on the usability and navigability of the layout. Therefore, well-thought-out contrast usage is a powerful method of making websites and apps user-friendly and easy to use.<\/p>\n

    \"ecommerce<\/p>\n

    On the checkout screens of the Exotic Fruit app<\/a>, color contrast helps to instantly define the call-to-action button as well as helps to distinguish active time slots from inactive ones.<\/em><\/p>\n