Contrast is accessibility, not preference
Light grey text is a design decision that excludes people.
Ratios, not vibes
Body text needs a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 against its background, large text 3:1. These are floors, not targets — comfortable reading usually sits well above them.
Grey is a trap
Reducing contrast is the fastest way to make a rough layout look calm, which is why it is so tempting. The calm is borrowed from legibility.
Design for the worst screen
A dim phone in sunlight is the real testing environment. What looks refined on a calibrated monitor in a dark studio can be unreadable on a bus.
Reducing contrast borrows calm from legibility, and the loan is called in outdoors.
Check every text colour in your current project against its background. Fix the failures without changing the palette — usually the neutral, not the accent, has to move.