Alexandria, VA (Sept. 16, 2024) – Changes in the upcoming International Code Council’s standards, A117.1, positively impact the sign, graphics and visual communications industry by establishing the color contrast ratio for visual characters at 65 percent. This new 65% contrast ratio rule improves upon the 70% suggested guidelines included in the 1991 version of the International Building Code (IBC).

The changes come after years of work by the International Sign Association and the Society for Experiential Graphic Design (SEGD). ISA’s work was led by Kenny Peskin, ISA’s director, industry programs, and included Glenn Dea of Collaborative Access Studio and Lucy Pereira of APCO Signs. Peskin estimates the committee spent 220 hours in 55 meetings of the full A117.1 committee and another 130+ hours for task group meetings related just to this one sign contrast issue, which has been ongoing for more than 30 months.

“Codemaking is a long process and involves many, many hours of work over years to see a win like this,” said David Hickey, ISA’s vice president, advocacy. “This work would not have been possible without the investment of significant time from ISA representatives and our SEGD colleagues who worked tirelessly to bring about this new sign contrast rule and other sign-related proposals of importance to the sign and design communities.”

Key provisions of the new A117.1 rule include:

65% contrast ratio (using the Weber formula) between the light reflective value (LRV) of the sign copy and the background for most signs with visual characters;
Manufacturers can supply documentation of the LRV (preferred approach), the inspector can conduct a field measurement or the sign can be evaluated by a testing agency;
Some signs cannot be reliably measured with a spectrophotometer; these signs need to meet a 65% “high contrast standard” but do not require the same documentation for compliance:
Inserts behind a translucent lens
Signs with colors applied on the subsurface of translucent material
Signs produced with CMYK or process color printing
Maps
Directional signs with color-coded information

In addition to finding consensus on the contrast ratio rule, the ISA and SEGD team was able to defeat several proposals that could have made designing signs and regulating them in the field nearly impossible. The 65% ratio favored by ISA and SEGD was selected over a competing proposal that could have:

Required as much as 88% contrast when using a dark color approaching pure black;
Prohibited use of yellow or other colors with middle LRV values;
Prohibited three-color signs if each intersecting color combination failed to meet the minimum ratio;
Required all samples be shipped to a third-party testing lab for certification; or
Required inspectors and regulators to purchase a $1,500 measurement tool to generate accurate color readings.

“ISA fully supports signs that can be seen by all, including those with vision impairment,” Hickey said. “However, some of these proposals would have seriously constrained creative sign design and complicated the ability to regulate them in the field, causing confusion. This result finds a balance between accessible design and the business growth that creative and engaging signs bring.”

ISA will host two upcoming webinars to explain more about the changes and the impact on signs and design. Registration for both is free for ISA and Affiliated Association members ($35.00 for non-members).

“Solving the New Sign Contrast Formula: What Sign Manufacturers Need to Know About the A117.1 Accessibility Standard” will be at 2 p.m. (ET) on October 23. Lucy Pereira (APCO Signs) and Jessica Schrader (Entro Design) will explain key changes in the new A117.1 standard and what sign manufacturers need to do to comply.

“Solving the New Sign Contrast Formula: What Sign Designers Need to Know About the A117.1 Accessibility Standard” will be at 2 p.m. (ET) on November 6. Schrader and Pereira will explain key changes in the new A117.1 standard and what sign designers need to do to comply.

Because IBC adoption occurs on a state-by-state basis, enforcement of new 2025 ICC A117.1 standard’s sign contrast rules will likely begin in 2027 and take several years to be fully implemented.

Detailed information, including a video resource, can be found on ISA’s website.

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The International Sign Association (ISA) strives to be the leader in shaping and developing the sign, graphics, and visual communications community worldwide.