Inclusive and Accessible Branding for You

Can you be confident you’re reaching all the people you want to work with? One mistake many companies make is not considering the accessibility of their branding.

We talk a lot about reaching the people you can help and making strong connections. As businesses today, we have many tools available to help us reach our audience, but have you ever considered those who may be excluded because of inaccessibility?

Claire Shelswell (Graphic Designer of Voyant Design) has shared her knowledge about building an accessible brand in several of our recent meetings. In our Adding Value section, she has looked at how you can ensure your website is accessible, and shared her thoughts on other elements of your branding and communications. We thought we’d share some of that learning here with you.

The Benefits of Accessible Branding

Claire tells us, “Accessibility in design terms refers to the practice of creating products, services, environments, and digital content in a way that ensures people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the content effectively. This includes visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, neurological disabilities and temporary disabilities. These temporary impairments might include short term illnesses, or even a broken arm!”

Internet browsers and website platforms enable settings that allow access to people who would once have been excluded. We need to ensure we’re creating an inclusive business with branding that uses those tools to reach the people we can support.

Did you know that there are laws covering website accessibility? The Equality Act 2010 and Public Sector Bodies Act 2018 state that websites must reflect the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) international standards. While very few businesses have been found in violation of these rulings, we expect to see more focus on this in the future.

But it’s not just about the law; it’s about good business, too. Claire told us about a 2019 survey showing that UK businesses lost more than £17 billion in sales because disabled shoppers abandoned websites. The survey also found that disabled consumers are “typically more brand loyal, shop more frequently and spend more than the average consumer.” These are surely the kind of buyers you want!

Building an Accessible Website

So, to ensure your website is accessible, you can follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). These cover many elements, including:

Contrast

For those with visual impairments, the right contrast between colours—whether on graphics or text—is essential. There are some great tools to measure the contrast between brand colours and show which combinations are accessible and which will not be visible to all.

Colour

Don’t use colour alone to highlight or draw attention; use text to make your point. Again, those with visual impairments can lose the impact of your words and website if they cannot see the colour as you anticipate.

Alternative text (Alt text)

This allows you to set descriptive text for images and non-text content, which screen readers can read to make the related visual information available to those who need a description.

Keyboard Navigation

Navigating a website with a mouse and pointer can be awkward for those with physical and motor impairments; providing keyboard navigation will ensure your site is more inclusive.

Descriptive Links

Links that use generic phrases such as ‘click here’ or ‘read more’ are unhelpful when using a screen reader. Ensure your links use phrases that make sense when read in isolation.

Instructions

Instructions shouldn’t rely on sound, shape, size, or visual location to be understood. The text alone should give a reader all the information they need.

Videos and Audio

Any audio or video content should have captions and transcripts available to support users with hearing impairments.

Readability

In terms of design, it’s important to use an accessible font with logical headings that enable easy reading. You should also use clear and concise language appropriate to your audience.

Text

Left-aligned text is more accessible than words centred or right-aligned.

This is just part of the list of considerations for your website; you might also think about avoiding automatic actions that need quick responses, effectively using white space and avoiding distractions on the page, creating an organised, logical page structure, and ensuring your website is responsive to different screen sizes.

While these are all important elements, Claire says “remember that accessibility is a process not a project. You should be looking at the importance of accessibility and design accessible content from the ground up rather than adding it afterwards.”

Accessibility in Print

Of course, many businesses rely on physical content as well as our websites—whether that’s business cards, leaflets, or banners. Think about everything you print and where you’ll use it.

Many of the factors above are still relevant—contrast, colour, text position, and the importance of spacing, just to start.

Colours

Colours will behave differently when printed; without the screen’s lighting, you’ll need to consider the texture and tone of the material you are printing on and where it will be used.

Material

Uncoated paper reduces glare for easier reading, while the thickness of paper is also important as thicker paper allows more pressure to be applied for easier turning.

Fonts

Using the right font is incredibly important; Claire recommends fonts with:

• Unambiguous letter shapes – think about how the following are displayed: 1, I (capital i) or l (small L).
• Non-mirroring letters – to judge, consider how b and d are presented; mirroring letters can be difficult to distinguish.
• Clear space between letters so they don’t run into each other.
• Clear ascenders (think b) and descenders (think p), some fonts barely show these different heights which reduces clarity.

Making Social Media Accessible

Focusing on your social media content, you’ll want to consider the areas we’ve already mentioned. The one thing I’d stress as most important, though, is ensuring you have alt text on your images. Many platforms, Facebook included, will add alt text if none is included; however, doing this yourself gives you control on the text used.

Building an Inclusive Community Through Accessibility

Claire finishes by saying,“Inclusivity is not just a buzzword; it’s a core value that should be reflected in every aspect of our digital design world. It creates equal access to information, enhances user experience and helps us meet legal and ethical obligations. And don’t forget its a huge business benefit and helps you stand out from your competitors!”

We hope this has given you some useful insights into building a brand that will support a truly inclusive community. Thanks again to Claire Shelswell of Voyant Design for sharing your knowledge here.

If you’d like to visit one of our meetings, where you’ll not only network but also learn lessons to help your business, we’d love to see you. You can find the right group for you here.