Re: The color of text & on-screen readab

["Gallagher, Susan" <sgallagher -at- STARBASECORP -dot- COM>]

mary jean wonders...

>However, the program I use for reading my e-mail, was set up with a black
>background and blue letters.  I remember reading somewhere that blue
letters
>were the hardest to read/see.  And, I'm finding that to be the case.

>So, I've been playing around with the color of the letters.  They now are
>hot pink.  I don't think this is any better than the blue letters.

[snip]
>What do *you* recommend?  Should I also consider changing the black
>background?

I remember when I worked at a company that used cc:Mail -- we each were
expected to select unique (for our own little circle) colors so that
everyone could tell our additions to postings that went round-and-round.
Needless to say, we came up with some pretty bizzar combinations (and some
were nearly impossible to read).

And, even though most people will tell you that black-on-white looks best to
them, usability studies indicate that, although people feel 'comfortable'
with this combo because that's what they see in hard-copy, the light that
emenates from the white background will cause your eyes to fatigue more
rapidly than a background that emits less light (like grey or black).

One of the most soothing and easily readable combinations I used was lt cyan
on dk blue -- another was lt cyan on dk magenta. Mostly, it depends on how
your monitor is set -- I've seen something be relatively pleasing and easy
to read on one screen become totally illegible on another.

I'd suggest you play around a bit to see which combinations look best on
your monitor and on the monitors of the people you correspond with most
frequently (assuming your colors get carried along with your text).

Enjoy your colors!

****************************************************
Sue Gallagher
StarBase Corp, Irvine CA
sgallagher -at- starbasecorp -dot- com
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