Colour and luminance contrast and visual impairment –
a design guide for building refurbishment (Project Rainbow)

When selecting colours, designers and managers of buildings can have a major impact on the ability of visually impaired people to use buildings. Unfortunately, in lieu of detailed information, the obvious response is to maximise colour and luminance contrast between different objects, or to cover walls with coarse high contrast patterns. However, both of these solutions will probably produce an environment which is unacceptable to designers and the fully sighted user of the building. Another approach may be to use subtle variations of colour and texture but again, uncertainty often exists regarding which combinations are useful to visually impaired people in coping with the general internal environment of a building, identifying localised features such as doors, or essential utility items such as light switches and sockets.

This project determined, for the first time, the problems that visually impaired people experience when using the built environment. It also established the colour and luminance contrasts that visually impaired people felt assisted or hindered them in navigating around buildings and identifying features, and in the strategies they adopt when doing so.

This project led to the development of design guidance which is identified in the Approved Document to Part M (2004) and in the best practice guidance BS8300:2001.