webwalk accessibility drawing
Drawing by FMinus

Accessibility is an issue in almost every aspect of design. Architecture is probably the most discussed area even though it is still hard to access buildings when in a wheelchair. However, I’ll just focus on graphic design and web design.

  1. Graphic design
    When doing print design, you always have to make sure that the message you want to pass through is easily readable and understandable by your audience.
    Things you’ll have to handle carefully are:

    • Colors: be certain that the colors you are using are contrasted enough and that they can be seen by people with a visual handicap.
    • Font sizes: when text has to be read, always keep it big enough. An accessible font size may be hard to define, but will depend on your audience.
    • Symbols: accessibility isn’t always about technique but can sometimes be a solely cultural issue. Understanding of symbols can be a matter of age, culture or profession for example, and not knowing your audience can lead you to send misunderstood messages.
  2. Web design
    Accessibility in web design is really hot right now and it’s a widely discussed issue. I will not go through the process of building designing accessible websites here, but just give you a few links that may be helpful if you are interested in that field: