Why Marketers Must Prioritize Accessibility in Every Aspect of Their Campaigns: A Focus on Branding and Design

Marketers need to think about accessibility throughout their campaigns, especially when it comes to branding and design.

Embedded in our ethos at Ratkaj Designs is the idea that there is power in design. In an ever-changing landscape, we now see more clients shifting towards a mission-first mentality. However, a lot of brands and marketers forget about accessibility as they are designing campaigns that are meant to reach the masses. It’s 2024; the masses today have disabilities, need special considerations, and want to be considered. Too many people feel left out of critical conversations with brands, and companies are leaving behind an untapped market with plenty of shopping power.

508 Compliance

Now comes 508 compliance. Not only is considering accessibility across your campaign, branding, and design a nice thing, but in some cases, it is required. Many brands have to follow 508 compliance guidelines. In any case, thinking of accessibility later on in a campaign’s asset design is a costly error to correct.

Our commitment to 508 compliance and accessible design has given us many ups and downs when designing assets to aid the marketing of a product, campaign, or initiative. We’ve learned a lot. Our work, specifically what we accomplished with the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA), is one campaign where we learned about the power of design and how good design can drive change.

BIAA Case Study

Let’s break this down into a case study of key learnings and takeaways. Central to this work was the strategic development of The Challenge! Magazine and My Brain Injury Journey campaign branding.

The Challenge! Magazine

Ratkaj Designs was BIAA’s principal design agency for The Challenge!, a full-color print and digital publication. The Challenge! combines BIAA’s work around education and advocacy by elevating stories of brain injury survivors, sharing affiliate news, and publicizing the latest brain injury research. The magazine is published three times a year and has a circulation of 4,000 printed issues.

My Brain Injury Journey

Ratkaj Designs was assigned to design the visual branding for the organization’s new National Brain Injury Month campaign. Working with the organization’s stakeholders and brain injury survivors to craft a logo, color palette, fonts, and illustrations to convey the main idea of the campaign: that living with a brain injury is a journey, and no two paths are the same.

The design focus for this client was not solely on the aesthetic appeal but on the profound impact of design in conveying messages and ensuring inclusivity from the outset, guided by Section 508 compliance standards. This approach was pivotal for BIAA to reach a diverse audience effectively and inclusively. They needed to get the message across to everyone on their brain injury journey, wherever possible.

We designed with inclusion in mind. We picked colors and fonts that resonated with the message. We designed with Section 508 guidelines first, not as an afterthought.

The backbone of this project was a conscious selection of visual elements and color schemes that aligned with BIAA’s brand and ensured accessibility for all users. Such considerations are essential for creating designs that are not only visually appealing but also functional and inclusive.

Looking ahead, these initiatives serve as a testament to the evolving role of design in brand advocacy and awareness. By prioritizing accessibility and inclusivity in the design processes, our work with BIAA sets new standards for impactful visual communication and engagement.

Here is how we broke this campaign down…

We Designed with the Person In Mind

Our work here represented every individual journey of a brain injury survivor – can you feel the pressure? The illustration style uses line art balanced with a colored shape below to create two brain shapes. One looping, turning, spirling, and returning to the center. The other is the grounding for that journey—containing and supporting. This represents the relationship between individuals, survivor and caregiver, patient and physician, and survivor and previous self.

We designed with a call to action at the forefront: Not only did we need to represent the individuals, we had to ignite a call to action: show up in Washington! To deliver a message, your audience needs to be able to see the message. The golden color acts as a complementary color to the primary brand blue, creating a harmonious that is attractive and visually balanced. While this color is amazing on the eyes, it should be avoided in large fills. To be 508 compliant, it should be used as an accent only, and no text should be in this color.

Design Should Tune into the Emotions

The journey depicted in the design was a personal one, so the design had to be aligned. The font chosen for My Journey is also full of this same symbolism, looping and connecting to the next letter. Additionally, the font adds a handwritten element to the mark, creating a sense of something personal.

Overall, marketers across all brands need to start including accessibility across all marketing assets, but most importantly, design—there is no point in having a strong message if your audience can’t see it or read it.

As we saw with this campaign, design goes beyond color palettes and fonts. True design is a conduit of a message and knowledge. Good design embodies power. Good design drives change.

The power of design lies not only in its ability to captivate visually but also in its ability to convey meaningful messages and foster inclusivity. As design agencies embrace these principles, the potential for creating positive social impact through thoughtful, accessible design will only grow.