Dark or light? Colour and contrast tips for a card that reads well

A card that looks great on your laptop can be almost unreadable on someone's phone in bright Dubai sunlight. Colour choice on a digital business card is not just a style decision — it decides whether the person scanning your NFC tag or QR code can actually read your title before they move on. Here is how to pick colours that hold up wherever your card gets opened.

Start from contrast, not from a favourite colour

The single biggest readability factor is contrast between your text and your background, not which colour you pick first. A dark grey template with light text, or a light template with dark text, both work well; a mid-tone background with similar-toned text does not, especially on a phone screen outdoors. When you build your own look in the theme studio, MyInfo checks that your text and background colours are readable together and will not let you save a theme that fails, so you cannot accidentally ship an unreadable card. See themes and branding for the full set of controls.

Dark themes: sharp, but check your accent colour

A dark background (like the Executive Dark style) reads as premium and suits legal, finance and consulting cards. The trade-off: a subtle accent colour can disappear against dark backgrounds — test it on buttons and links, not just the preview thumbnail, before you commit.

Light themes: safest for outdoor scanning

A light background with dark text is generally the most forgiving choice outdoors, since bright ambient light makes dark screens harder to read at a glance. If most of your card gets scanned at events, on a reception desk, or on a car window sticker, a light template is the lower-risk default.

Use your exact brand colours without losing readability

If your brand colours are fixed, you do not have to compromise. In the theme studio, set your accent, background, text and button colours by hex code, and the live preview updates instantly so you can check the real combination before saving. Follow create and apply a theme to build one. For just an accent colour on a built-in template rather than a full custom theme, use Classic options under the Theme tab instead — see choosing a template that fits your profession.

Test on a real phone, in real light

Before you finalise a colour choice, open your card link on your own phone and step outside, or hold it under a bright light. The editor's live preview is accurate, but a phone at arm's length in daylight is the real test your visitors will apply.

One theme, one brand, every card

Once you land on a combination that reads well, save it as a theme rather than repeating the choices on every card by hand. Every card using that theme updates together if you ever adjust it, so your whole team stays on the same readable palette. Free accounts can save one custom theme; accounts with a Premium card can save several. Create your free digital business card and try your colours in the live preview before you decide.

Frequently asked questions

Is a dark or a light card better?

Neither is universally better — both can be highly readable if the contrast between text and background is strong. Light backgrounds tend to be slightly safer for cards scanned outdoors in bright light; dark backgrounds suit indoor, desk-based sharing like finance and legal work.

Can MyInfo stop me from picking colours that are hard to read?

Yes. The theme studio checks that your chosen text and background colours are readable together and will not let you save a theme that fails the check, so your card cannot end up accidentally unreadable.