Brand identity is a precious thing to most organizations and institutions, but that shouldn't stop us from making accessibility the default whenever possible. That's why we're updating the default Canvas theme to have better contrast. Most obviously this means updating the default Link color, along with other colors used in places that aren't typically branded anyway, like info, confirmation, and warning colors.
Everyone will benefit from many of these changes and the single largest Canvas instance, Free For Teachers, is using the default theme colors which means all of these updates will improve the experience for a whole lot of users. Some of you reading this may not be all that concerned with the default Canvas theme because your institution isn't using it. Remember a second ago when I said how important branding is to most institutions?
Even though nearly every institution brands most of Canvas, a surprising number actually leave the default Link color! If that sounds like your institution now is a great time to let your Canvas admin know they need to get on the #0374B5 Link color train.
These may seem like small changes, but for the folks impacted it can make a world of difference. And while it is simple to change colors technologically, it can be a challenge to juggle branding and accessibility. There's still more work to do, but we hope these changes will make Canvas just a little bit more inclusive and welcoming to all our users.
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