Top Tips: How to make your brand more accessible

In today’s digital era, we strongly believe that accessibility isn’t just about ticking the box; it’s about developing and designing your brand to be accessible to everyone ensuring that your business is inclusive to reach all target audiences.

Here are our top tips on how to make your brand more accessible.

1. Website Accessibility – To make your website more accessible, we recommend starting by selecting appropriate fonts that are easy to read for all users, including those with visual impairments. Opt for sans-serif fonts like Arial or Helvetica, as they tend to be more legible and responsive on digital screens. Additionally, we recommend that the font size is large enough for comfortable reading, adhering to a minimum of 16px for body text. Utilise adequate line spacing to prevent crowding and improve readability. Avoid using decorative or stylised fonts that may be challenging for some users to read. For more information on Web Content Accessibility Guidelines visit accessibility.org.au.
   
   
2. Digital PDFs – The demand for content is growing more and more, whether it’s product information, fact sheets, infographics, corporate documents, brochures or flyers. Providing these in an accessible format that caters to all audiences is becoming even more demanding. We recommend ensuring all digital PDFs are designed to be accessible including embedded alt text, enabling screen readers to read the text and describe images to users with visual impairments so that everyone can access and comprehend the content effectively.
   
   
3. Colours and Contrast Scores – While colour is an integral part of your brand, it’s crucial to select colours that are visually appealing and accessible to all users. We recommend testing colour combinations with a colour contrast tool that provides a contrast score – this will improve readability, particularly for individuals with colour vision deficiencies. Contrast scores should be above 4.5, as recommended by accessibility guidelines, to maintain legibility for everyone. Prioritising accessible colour palettes creates an inviting and inclusive visual experience for all.
   
   
4. Accessible Video Content – Video content is everywhere, therefore it should be designed for everyone. When creating video content, we suggest developing various formats, specifically to ensure your brand is accessible, including captions for videos, and descriptive text for images. Captions allow deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals to engage with your videos, while descriptive text offers context for images to users with visual impairments. By offering these alternative formats, your brand is more inclusive and will cater to a wider audience.
   
   

We believe creating an accessible brand is more than just fulfilling a legal obligation; it’s about embracing the values of inclusivity, equality and diversity while developing a brand that wants to continue to grow, develop and inspire.

By implementing these top tips, we believe your brand will be on the right track to becoming more accessible to all individuals while talking to a broader audience and providing a positive and inclusive brand experience for everyone.