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link color that meets contrast requirements relative to bg and surrounding text?

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From: Robert Fentress
Date: Oct 4, 2017 7:36AM

Anybody know of a tool or strategy for efficiently finding a link text
color that meets 3:1 contrast requirements relative to surrounding text
<https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20-TECHS/G183.html>, while simultaneously
meeting the 4.5:1 contrast requirements for background
<https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20-TECHS/G18.html>. The design team doesn't
want to add an underline to links (except on hover and focus), which, as I
interpret it, means that the colors used for those links need to have a
luminosity contrast ratio of 3:1 relative to the surrounding text, which is
set as black. The problem is that whatever color is chosen for that
purpose also needs to have a luminosity contrast ratio of 4.5:1 relative to
the background, which is a very light gray, #FAF4F3. I've tried the
palette recommended in their brand guidelines for combinations that might
work, but none of them do, so now I'm just kind of randomly flailing about
trying to find a color that works with one constraint, while not violating
the other. I darken, I lighten, I test, I rinse, I repeat, and so on.
There's gotta be a more efficient way. Keep in mind I'm trying to hew (or
hue--ouch!) as closely to the palette used on the rest of the site, so I
can't just have any old color. Ideas?

Best,
Rob

--
Rob Fentress
Senior Accessibility Solutions Designer
Assistive Technologies at Virginia Tech
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