Why Accessibility Is so Important in Graphic Design
When you think of graphic design, what comes to your mind? Do you think about a specific style? Or perhaps a certain designer pops in your head? What are some of your favorite design applications? Are you more of a Photoshop person, or do you really love Affinity Designer? We could go on an on thinking about our favorite things in the graphic design space. The beauty of graphic design is that there isn’t a single way of approaching it. Everyone’s opinion is valid. There are no right or wrong answers (well sometimes there are wrong answers). You’re entitled to interpret your art however you’d like.
Some people would say that graphic design is for everyone. Everyone might not possess the skill or interest to explore the world of graphic design, but the finished product of a design should be available to as many people as possible to enjoy. This is where the term accessibility comes in.
Accessibility is defined as the quality of being easily understood or appreciated. Other definitions include the quality of being able to be reached or entered and the quality of being easy to obtain or use.
Functional Purpose
When you first read those definitions of the word “accessibility”, you might be confused about how this relates to graphic design. It can be even more confusing when you throw in the fact that graphic design is a form of art, and art is interpretive. That’s a valid point and I believe that holds true. Art is very interpretive, and you should be allowed to express yourself through your art. When we’re talking about accessibility in graphic design, we are not exclusively talking about the artistic form of graphic design. There is a lot of work done by graphic designers that serves a very functional purpose.
Design works that serve a functional purpose should be treated like other functional things. Think about this. What if a community hospital was built with no thought of accessibility for people with limited mobility, visual impairment, or hearing loss? If the hospital was built to serve the community, it should be designed in a way that meets the needs of as many citizens as possible. This idea also translates to the graphic design space. If we’re creating designs that are meant to be consumed by the public, then we should create those designs in a way that serves as many people as possible.
We have a lot of responsibility as designers. In many cases, we’re responsible for creating the brand and persona of a company. When we meet with clients, we get an idea of what their core values are, and we take that information to create a visual representation of the company. Most companies have a message of inclusivity, diversity, and acceptance. When you’re creating the visual representation of the company, that message should be shown through the design and branding. If you’re not creating accessible designs, you might be sending out a message that isn’t inclusive, diverse or accepting of people who have unique challenges. Without you realizing it, you might be sending the message, “If you can’t read, view or engage with this media, you’re not a part of our brand.”
Go Beyond Design
Most designers are friendly and want to send positive messages out into the world. It’s never the intention of a good designer to exclude someone from viewing and engaging with their designs. Accessible designs aren’t created because the reality is, no one ever thinks about it. If something doesn’t impact your life directly, you don’t really consider the needs of that community. It’s something that we all do, and we’re not terrible people for it.
We can’t create designs that fit the needs of everyone, but we can attempt to think about the small changes that we can make to be more inclusive. I challenge our entire design community to start thinking about the needs of others and go beyond design something that looks amazing but is only accessible to a small and privileged number of people. Accessibility is something that is becoming more and more prominent in our society and we have a responsibility to continue improving our designs so that the largest number of people can engage with us and our work.
