Style Guide

Color plays an important role in text legibility and accessibility. When using colors from the Martin County Style Guide, always ensure sufficient color contrast between the text (foreground) and background of your content. To verify, use the WebAIM Contrast Checker to display the contrast ratio and determine if it meets Level AA requirements.

Minimum Contrast Ratios

To meet the WCAG standard for color contrast, your text must have at least the following minimum contrast ratios:

  • Normal-size text – 4.5:1
  • Large text (18+ pt font) – 3:1
  • UI elements like icons, buttons, text boxes – 3:1

Primary Colors

  •  

    #006699
    Martin County Blue 

  •  

    #33CCCC
    Aqua Blue

  •  

    #1A7774
    Bright Green

  •  

    #FF9966
    Citrus Orange

  •  

    #053755
    Marine Blue

  •  

    #336666
    Light Green

  •  

    #245043
    Dark Green

Secondary Colors

  •  

    #83A9DB
    Light Blue

  •  

    #FFCC33
    Yellow

  •  

    #FFCC33 to #FF9966
    Sunrise-Gradient

  •  

    #D4291E
    Red

  •  

    #D64200
    Citrus Orange Dark

Text Colors

  •  

    #000000
    Midnight Black

  •  

    #44515E
    Dark Grey

  •  

    #006699
    MC Blue

  •  

    #FFFFFF
    White

Typography

Recommended Accessible Fonts

These fonts are widely recognized for their legibility and accessibility:

  • Sans-Serif
  • Arial
  • Helvetica
  • Verdana
  • Tahoma
  • Calibri
  • Open Sans
  • Roboto
  • Source Sans Pro

General Guidelines

Guideline Requirement / Recommendation
Font Type Use sans-serif fonts for improved screen legibility. Avoid decorative, script, or overly stylized fonts.
Font Size (Web) Minimum 16px for body text. Use larger sizes for headings (e.g., H1: 32px, H2: 24px).
Font Size (Documents) Minimum 12pt for body text. Prefer 14pt for easier readability in printed or PDF documents.
Line Height (Spacing) Use a minimum of 1.5 times the font size for line height.
Font Weight Use regular (400) to semi-bold (600). Avoid very light weights below 300.
Text Alignment Use left-aligned, ragged right. Avoid justified text to prevent uneven spacing.
Avoid All Caps Use sparingly. All caps text is harder to read and may be misinterpreted by screen readers.
Limit Use of Italics Limit italics and underlining for emphasis (use bold instead); underline only for links.