Graphics & Color Contrast
When designing social media graphics, prioritize sufficient color contrast, text legibility and overall visibility to ensure content is easy to read.
- Keep text legibility and color contrast a top priority.
- Avoid placing text over busy backgrounds.
- Lighter-colored fonts contrast best against dark backgrounds.
- Darker colored fonts contrast best against bright backgrounds.
- Some color shades are difficult for some people to see. Use WebAIM's Color Contrast Checker Tool to check your color contrast.
Alternative Text
Alternative text (alt text) provides a text description of images, photos and other non-text content. It helps people who are blind or have low vision understand visual content through assistive technologies such as screen readers.
- Effective alt text provides a meaningful and useful description of an image.
- Keep alt text concise while providing enough information to communicate the image's meaning and purpose. Include relevant details and avoid unnecessary visual description or information already provided in the surrounding text.
- Minimize text embedded in images and graphics whenever possible. Include important information in the post caption or other accessible text.
- When images contain essential text that is not provided elsewhere, include that information in the alt text.
- For event promotions, include important details such as the date, time, location and event description in the post caption rather than relying solely on text embedded in a graphic.
Fonts
When designing content, choose clear, legible fonts that are easy for your audience to read. Sans-serif fonts are often a good choice for social media graphics. Avoid overly decorative or cursive fonts that may reduce readability.
- Use appropriate and adequate sizing.
- Keep font sizes proportionate and consistent.
- Viewers should be able to read the text comfortably.
- Avoid using special Unicode fonts (special keyboard symbols) in your profile username, as screen readers read these characters aloud as mathematical formulas and can confuse users.
- Avoid spelling things through the use of emojis.
Video Captioning
Videos with spoken content or meaningful sounds must include accurate captions. Captions make audio information accessible to people who are deaf or hard of hearing and benefit viewers watching without sound. They do not replace descriptions of important visual information not communicated through audio.
- Include spoken dialogue and relevant sounds, such as applause, laughter or music.
- Identify speakers when necessary to understand the content.
- Review automatically generated captions and correct errors before publishing.
- Ensure captions are readable, appropriately timed and do not obscure important visual information.
Video Descriptions and Audio Description
Videos should communicate essential information to people who cannot see the screen. This includes important visual details, such as actions, settings, speaker identities and on-screen text.
Whenever possible, incorporate important visual information into the video's spoken audio during planning and production. This approach, known as integrated description, helps viewers understand the content without relying on visuals alone.
When the existing audio doesn't communicate essential visual information, incorporate that information into the narration or provide an accessible version of the video with audio description.
Written video descriptions can also be included at the end of social media post captions to provide additional context. These descriptions should:
- Focus on meaningful visual information that is not already communicated through the audio.
- Include relevant on-screen text when that information is important to understanding the content.
- Be concise, objective and easy to understand.
- Avoid repeating dialogue or describing unnecessary visual details.
A written description in a post caption provides additional accessibility support but does not replace audio description when it is required under WCAG 2.1 AA.
When is additional audio description unnecessary?
If the video's spoken audio already communicates all essential visual information, additional audio description is not necessary. For example, a video featuring students speaking about an event may not need a separate description if the dialogue conveys the essential message and the accompanying footage adds no additional information needed to understand it.
Before publishing: Listen to the video without watching. If important information is missing, consider adding it to the narration or providing audio description. Also review the video with the sound off to confirm that accurate captions communicate the spoken content and meaningful sounds.
Accessibility Summary
In short, keep the following best practices in mind when producing content to share.
- Ensure important information is accessible through appropriate alternatives, including alt text for images, video captions and descriptions of essential visual information.
- High contrast between background colors and foreground text.
- Use legible fonts and avoid overly decorative or cursive styles.
- Text must be large enough to read comfortably at arm’s length on a mobile device.
- Provide accurate video captions and ensure important visual information is communicated through spoken audio or audio description when needed.
Accessibility on Social Media
Each social media platform provides step-by-step information to keep posts accessible.
Updated: October 30, 2026