Check the text people actually need
A palette can look balanced in a row of large swatches and still fail when used for a small label. Begin with a real component: a card title, button, caption, or form hint. Identify the foreground color and the background directly beneath it, then test that pair.
Prioritize the information that helps someone understand or complete a task. Secondary text is still text. Making it lighter may reduce visual competition, but it can also make useful context disappear. Size, spacing, weight, and placement can create hierarchy without relying entirely on faint colors.
Understand the thresholds
WCAG's AA text contrast criterion uses a minimum of 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for qualifying large text. Large text means at least 18 point, or 14 point when bold, with equivalent treatment for some scripts. A heading's name or HTML element does not determine its category.
Use the unrounded result for a threshold decision. A value just below 4.5:1 does not become a pass because a short display rounds it to 4.5. It is often easier to choose a pair comfortably above the threshold than to balance a design on the exact boundary.
Solid-color checks have a boundary
A simple checker compares two solid colors. Your real design may include transparency, a photograph, a shadow, or a gradient. In those cases, identify the least favorable background underneath the text. A result measured from one convenient part of the background does not describe every other part.
For a busy image, consider a solid panel behind the words or change the layout so the text sits outside the image. This can make the design calmer as well as easier to read. If you keep a gradient, test the areas covered by text after the layout changes on a narrower screen.
Review states, not just screenshots
Interactive elements can change color when hovered, focused, selected, or disabled. Check the meaningful states separately. A button that looks good in a static mockup may lose its label against a brighter hover background. A navigation item should remain understandable when the current page changes.
Try a small-screen view and increase text size. Look for labels that wrap into unexpected areas or overlap decoration. These checks will not replace a complete accessibility review, but they often reveal design assumptions that a pair of color values cannot capture.
Keep contrast inside a wider review
Passing one color test does not certify a page. People also need useful headings, clear labels, visible focus, keyboard access, and alternatives for meaningful images. Treat contrast as one concrete habit within that larger process, with a record of the pairs you approved for recurring components.
For a reusable palette, name colors by their intended role as well as their visual appearance. Record a body-text pair, a secondary-text pair, and a button pair instead of a list of attractive hex codes. When you add a new accent, test its actual use before spreading it through the design.