Accessibility at Kaleidoscope: Creating Communications for Everyone
At Kaleidoscope, we place accessibility at the heart of everything we do. Why? Because truly great communications are for everyone. Designing with accessibility in mind ensures that content is inclusive, usable, and impactful—regardless of an individual’s abilities.
To help you keep accessibility front and centre in your next project, we’ve compiled six key tips that are simple to implement but make a world of difference.
1. Prioritise Colour Contrast
Not all users perceive colours in the same way. Using strong contrasts between text and background ensures your content is clear and legible for everyone, including those with visual impairments or colour blindness.
Tool tip: The WebAIM Colour Contrast Checker is a fantastic resource for testing your colour combinations to meet accessibility standards.
2. Create Clear Boundaries
Organise your content into distinct sections with clear headings, white space, and visual framing. This structure improves readability and helps users quickly locate and process information.
Pro tip: Avoid cluttered layouts. Clean, simple designs not only look better but are also far more user-friendly.
3. Simplify Content
Simpler is better. Removing unnecessary complexity from your language and design helps users find what they’re looking for without frustration. Write in plain English, use concise sentences, and avoid jargon where possible.
Why it matters: Clarity improves user experience for everyone, including individuals with cognitive or learning disabilities.
4. Tag Your Images
Images enhance your content, but they can create barriers for users with visual impairments. Adding alt text (alternative text) ensures that screen readers can describe images to users who cannot see them.
Best practice: Keep alt text brief but descriptive. For example, instead of “image of a beach,” use “a sandy beach with turquoise water and palm trees.”
5. Choose Accessible Typography
Typography isn’t just about style; it’s about legibility. Select fonts that are designed for readability, such as sans-serif fonts (e.g., Arial, Verdana) and ensure the text size is appropriate for your audience.
Font tips: Avoid overly decorative fonts, stick to a minimum size of 16px for body text, and ensure line spacing and letter spacing are sufficient to prevent text from feeling cramped.
6. Structure and Navigation Matter
A consistent layout and predictable navigation make your content easier to use and more enjoyable to explore. Clear headings, breadcrumb trails, and a logical menu hierarchy allow users to quickly find what they need without confusion.
Bonus tip: Test your navigation with keyboard-only inputs to ensure it’s accessible for users who don’t use a mouse.
Accessibility is Everyone’s Responsibility
At Kaleidoscope, we believe accessibility isn’t just a box to tick—it’s an essential part of creating meaningful communications that resonate with all audiences. By applying these six pointers to your projects, you’ll help make the digital world a more inclusive place.
Whether you’re designing a website, crafting a campaign, or writing content, remember: accessibility benefits everyone. Let’s make it a priority.