19/06/2026
Tools like Canva are great because they've made it easy for entrepreneurs and small business owners to create graphics. If only they would tell you when you're making a simple design mistake that makes it hard for people to understand your message.
See, most of us approach our presentation slides, social graphics or other marketing materials from a design standpoint. Does it look professional? Does it match my brand? Does it feel creative?
But in our quest to create a "pretty" design, we often forget to ask a vital question.
Is it readable? Can someone quickly read the message on my slide from 15-feet away (or further)? Or my social media graphic while glancing at their feed mid-scroll? How about reading the billboard message while flying down the interstate at 70 mph?
Looking good and being readable are two different things. And often one does not support the other.
The most common culprit is contrast. When your text and background are too similar in lightness or darkness, your audience has to waste energy trying to decode what they're looking at.
And the moment that happens, you've lost them. Even if brief, that break and decision whether to "figure it out" can cost you.
Now, designs don't have to be boring to be clear. They just have to work for the person reading it, not just for the person building it.
What's one place where you've caught yourself or others prioritizing look over legibility in marketing?
