Is The Web-Safe Color Palette Still Palatable?
By Amy R. Derr Have you ever paused for just a moment and wondered why the colors on the Web are usually highly saturated and dark, instead of displaying more eye-pleasing toned and muted colors like those found in artwork? Well, if you’re fairly new to the wonderful world of Web design, then the answer has everything to do with the Web-safe color palette developed for a period in time (circa 1996) when Web surfers were using 8-bit (256 colors) video cards. Sounds like an awful long time back, since hardly anyone today is on an 8-bit computer system. So, why are Web designers still obligated to stick to this Web-safe color palette when most of us are already using systems that can display at least a whopping 16.7 million colors (24-bit)? Fortunately for all of us, the Internet is a beacon of freedom and democracy and the Web-safe color palette abides by this concept by ensuring universal accessibility and avoiding discriminatory discrepancy. Consisting of 216 colors and defined by RGB
