Accessibility and Why It Matters for Graphic Designers (Content Creators, Brand Designers, Web Designers)
In recent years, accessibility has become an important topic of discussion in the world of graphic design. Accessibility is often not something that is taught to graphic designers in school (at least not when I went 20+ years ago!) Accessibility isn’t just a buzzword anymore; it’s an integral part of creating content. All types of designers need to keep accessibility in mind when creating design elements for websites and other digital media.
So what does this mean for you? This means understanding how people with disabilities access and interact with digital content and ensuring that your designs are accessible to everyone who visits your website or interacts with your brand. Let’s start with the basics!
What is Accessibility?
Accessibility is the practice of making digital content available to all users, regardless of their abilities or disabilities. This includes visual impairments, hearing impairments, physical disabilities, cognitive issues, learning disabilities, and more. For example, if a user is visually impaired and uses a screen reader to access information on a website, they should be able to access all information on that site without any difficulty. Similarly, if a user is color blind or has difficulty distinguishing certain colors from one another, they should be able to understand the message conveyed by a website through its design elements. The same is true for designing in print, one should be able to understand the message even if it shows up in grayscale!
Designing for Accessibility
When designing for accessibility, there are several key considerations that must be taken into account. These include:
Using large font sizes that can easily be read by users with low vision (users should be able to resize all text on the page to at least 200% of its original size)
Providing text alternatives for non-text elements such as images
Ensuring that all links have descriptive text so that users with screen readers can understand them. For example, which link would provide you with the most information: Click Here versus Send Me an Email!
Providing visual cues like contrast so that users with color blindness can easily distinguish between different elements on the page
Avoiding animations and other flashy effects which can cause distraction or dizziness in some people
And more!
These considerations are essential for ensuring that everyone who visits your website or engages with your brand can do so without any difficulties or barriers. Designing with accessibility in mind will also help you create content which looks great across multiple devices and platforms—and since most web traffic now comes from mobile devices, this is increasingly important!
Accessibility is no longer just a nice thing to do—it’s an essential part of design for every type of designer (web, graphic, brand) or content creator. By keeping these key considerations in mind when designing for brands, print, websites and other digital materials, you can ensure that everyone who interacts with your brand will be able to do so without any difficulties or barriers. Not only does this make your designs more inclusive and welcoming for everyone who visits them—it also helps you create better quality content overall! So don’t forget to think about accessibility when working on your next project!
