Background Lab
Same five people, twelve backgrounds, one measure: how clearly the outline of each head stands out. For a team with mixed hair colours, go light.
same five people
twelve backgrounds
one crop
go light for a mixed team
The verdict
Three backgrounds, three lessons.
1.7:1
weakest outline · white
The safe all-rounder
Every outline stays visible. On white apps the circle disappears.
read the test →
1.1:1
weakest outline · mid grey
The classic that fails
Grey and blond hair melt into it. Dark hair is fine.
read the test →
1.1:1
weakest outline · navy
Great for grey, not for black
Grey and blond hair stand out. Black hair disappears.
read the test →
All twelve
Sorted by the weakest outline
Under 1.5:1 the outline of the head melts into the background. Above 3:1 it stays crisp.
White
#FFFFFF
1.7:1
Moonrise
gradient
1.6:1
Light grey
#E7E7E7
1.6:1
Bora Bora
gradient
1.3:1
Charcoal
#3A3A3A
1.2:1
Slate
#64748B
1.2:1
Warm grey
#B8B0A6
1.2:1
Pinot Noir
gradient
1.2:1
Sage
#9CAF88
1.1:1
Dusty blue
#8FA7BF
1.1:1
Mid grey
#A3A3A3
1.1:1
Navy
#1F2A44
1.1:1
Method
How we test
Same five people
Blond, black curly, black, grey and grey curly hair. The people are fictional.
Same crop
Every face sits at the same eye line and size, so only the background changes.
Measure the outline
We measure the contrast of a thin band around the head, with the WCAG formula.
The full tests
One page per background
#FFFFFF
White headshot background
Tested on the same five people: on white, dark hair stays crisp and grey hair holds up better than on any mid-tone. The catch is white apps, where the circle disappears.
#A3A3A3
Mid grey headshot background
The classic photographer’s grey scored lowest for grey and blond hair in our test: 1.1:1, so the outline of the head disappears. Dark hair is fine.
#1F2A44
Navy headshot background
Navy makes grey and blond hair stand out, but dark hair disappears: 1.1:1 in our test, the lowest of the twelve backgrounds we tried.