Microsoft® Manual of Style, Fourth Edition

Accessible graphics and design

It is possible to work within the requirements of Microsoft standard design templates to make written content as visually accessible as possible. For example, use short paragraphs and break up long passages of text with subheadings.

Follow these guidelines for visually accessible documents:

• Do not use color coding alone. Use additional cues such as textual annotations or underlines. Alternatively, use patterns in addition to colors to indicate different types of information in charts and graphs.

• Do not use hard-coded colors. Hard-coded colors can become unreadable when using a high-contrast theme, as in a table, chart, or graph.

• Do not use hard-to-read color combinations, such as red and green or light green and white. ...