Color-vision deficiency is a relatively common genetic condition, which often leads to the obstruction of necessary information in colored images. It is important to minimize such inconvenient effects in communication using colored images from a universal design perspective. The universal design principle stipulates that all environments and products should be usable by all people, regardless of age, physical attributes, and ability. This article proposes a method to detect color combinations in a given image that would confuse color dichromats, and suggests a way in which to modify them to make the image easily distinguishable for both normal and dichromatic observers. Confusing color combinations were detected based on a color-difference calculation using simulations of how the color would appear to dichromats. The confusing colors were then modified based on the minimization of an evaluation function, which was defined as the sum of the degree of confusion and the degree of color change from the original image. Several colored images obtained by the proposed method were compared with the originals by red-green dichromatic observers who judged them to be clearer, thereby confirming that the proposed method was effective for color rendering for universal design. (C) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.