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In today’s digital world, graphic design is more than just aesthetics, it’s a powerful tool for communication and engagement. At Article Ten, we believe that great design is inclusive, whether we’re creating marketing materials, websites, presentations, or video, accessibility is considered from the initial design phase.
Accessibility ensures that everyone, including individuals with visual, auditory, cognitive, or motor impairments, can interact with and benefit from your content. It’s not just a legal requirement under standards like the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and more recently The European Accessibility Act; it’s an important responsibility and a strategic advantage.
Designs that aren’t accessible can lead to user frustration, reputational damage, and even legal consequences. But when accessibility is prioritised, it enhances the user experience for all, making content easier to navigate, understand, and enjoy.
High colour contrast improves legibility, especially for users with visual impairments. WCAG recommends a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text. We use tools like WEBAIM and built in PowerPoint Accessibility Checkers to check all content passes this system.
We also take careful consideration when choosing typefaces, font weights and sizes. Sans-serif type is preferred for its clarity, as is avoiding excessive formatting like italics and all caps, which can hinder readability for users with dyslexia.
To ensure compatibility for users that rely on screen readers, we include descriptive alt text to imagery and identify decorative elements so they can be skipped to reduce distractions. Links favour descriptive text that clearly indicate the destination, rather than vague phrases such as “click here”.
Not all users rely on a mouse so it’s essential to also consider keyboard accessibility. We ensure that all interactive buttons or links are navigable via keyboard and design consistent navigational patterns and indicators to help guide users with motor impairments.
We ensure that all spoken dialogue is accurately captioned and synchronised in our videos, while subtitles can also include non-speech elements such as sound effects or speaker identification to provide full context. This enhances engagement for a wider audience such as users who are hard of hearing as well as those watching in sound-sensitive environments like public transport or quiet offices.
A predictable and well-structured layout helps users to easily understand and interact with content. We focus on a range of details such as grid systems to maintain alignment, logical text hierarchy, left-aligned layouts, adequate line spacing and more, to further support cognitive accessibility and make information easier to scan and digest.
Particularly in our presentation design, we take time to specifically ensure that titles, body text, images, and other components follow a logical sequence order within the selection pane. Screen readers follow a linear path, typically reading elements in the order they were added. If the content is placed haphazardly or added out of sequence, it can confuse users and disrupt comprehension.
Designs must adapt to different screen sizes, devices and viewing methods. We build responsive layouts which not only support users with disabilities but also improve the user experience for all who engage with it.
At Article Ten, accessibility is embedded in everything we create, from presentations to videos, websites to eLearning courses. Our team of designers, developers, and content specialists work together to ensure that every asset is inclusive, compliant, and user-friendly. Give us a message to start the conversation!
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