Accessibility and Inclusivity in Design

Accessibility in design is essential for creating products, services, and environments accessible to everyone, including individuals with disabilities. This approach is crucial not only for ethical reasons but also for maintaining a brand’s reputation. In contrast, neglecting accessibility can lead to isolation for those with disabilities and negatively impact a company’s image.

In web design and branding, accessibility covers various aspects, such as website navigation, readable content, and legible fonts. Prioritising these elements ensures that all users, regardless of their abilities, can enjoy equal access and usability. This commitment to inclusivity fosters positive digital experiences for a diverse audience.

However, despite its importance, the technology and science sectors often encounter obstacles in implementing fully accessible design and branding strategies. Issues like non-inclusive websites, unsuitable product packaging, and biased marketing campaigns still deter user engagement. These challenges not only alienate potential customers but also tarnish the image of companies as progressive entities.

So, how should the sector approach this? How will you ensure that your team knows the principles they should apply to your brand, communications or website designs? The first step is to build a diverse team that can help you overcome your accessibility challenges. The second is to let them guide your company in implementing rules and ideas to champion inclusivity and accessibility. Accenture has done it so well with their “Inclusion Starts with I” video. Often, changes need to happen internally to shine outwardly.

We know that building a team can take a long time. So, here are tips to start overcoming those challenges now, by creating intentional design and messaging that serves a diverse audience:

• Prioritise accessibility from the start: Design all your brand elements with accessibility in mind, ensuring they are seen and understood by people of all abilities right from the start.
• Use clear and simple language: Make your brand messaging easy to understand, avoiding jargon and complex language. 
• Incorporate colour and contrast wisely: Ensure sufficient contrast between text and background colours to enhance readability for users with visual impairments. Here is a colour contrast checker to help you!
• Use legible fonts: Use clear, easy-to-read fonts and avoid decorative typefaces that may hinder readability for some users.
• Adopt inclusive imagery and media: Use diverse visuals that reflect a broad spectrum of people, fostering a sense of belonging for everyone.
• Consider multimedia elements: Add captions, transcripts, and audio descriptions to your multimedia content, making it accessible to individuals with hearing or visual impairments.
• Ensure easy navigation: Design your website and digital platforms with intuitive navigation to help users find information quickly and effortlessly.
• Engage and listen to your audience: Encourage feedback from a diverse user base to better understand accessibility and inclusivity needs.
• View accessibility as an ongoing journey: Continuously evaluate and update your brand practices to accommodate emerging accessibility standards and user needs.

As a future-forward agency with a female co-founder, we’re proud to celebrate and amplify the voices of minorities in STEM. We want to help companies in science and technology break barriers to pave the way for a more inclusive tomorrow.

Over the years, we have worked on many projects that promote inclusivity:

An e-learning course about neurodiversity for a well-known pharmaceutical company.

A brand identity for Ctrl Alt Del, a summit celebrating and encouraging diversity, accessibility and inclusivity within the technology industry.

A brand scheme for the World Bank to support female entrepreneurs in the Middle East.

And we won’t stop there.

So, if you need a partner to make your brand more inclusive and accessible, do get in touch.