What are some of the best practices for designing accessible and inclusive graphics for diverse audiences?

WCAG Success Criterion 1.4.1 Use of Color states that you cannot use color alone as the only means of conveying information. Furthermore, you need to ensure that when you do use color appropriately, that you meet the minimum contrast requirements for text and graphics. An easy way to do this is to use a tool such as the Color Contrast Analyser which allows you to sample your colors against their background colors to ensure that you are meeting the minimum color contrast requirements in your design. Minimum contrast requirements for text 14pt and smaller is a 4.5:1 color contrast ratio and a 3:1 color contrast ratio for 14pt bold text and larger. Graphics need a minimum color contrast of 3:1. Logos are exempt from this requirement.

Don't forget to test your designs through a colorblindness simulator! Free tools like COBLIS will allow you to test all variations of colorblindness from anomalous trichromacy all the way to monochromatic. Some color combinations seem to be fine but when passed through the simulator blend together and make items impossible to decipher when colorblind.

The smart approach depends a bit on the mode of delivery. If you're designing content that's going to be automatically analyzed for accessibility you'll find those systems are often inconsistent and/or nonsensical. In these instances, the best approach is to design everything in black & white -- no colors, no gray tones. For a good designer, color is a force multiplier, not an essential element.

To be compliant with the WCAG, font size isn't the only variable to address. Success Criterion 1.4.12 requires a line height of at least 1.5 times the font size, spacing between paragraphs of at least 2 times the font size, letter spacing at least 0.12 times the font size, and word spacing at least 0.16 times the font size.

Fundamentally, graphics contain no useful information to users of assistive technology. AT will simply voice those elements as "graphic" with no additional information. We as humans need to add useful information to graphic elements in the form of alternative text. Alternative text or alt-text is used to describe images and graphics so users of assistive technology understand what the graphic is about. In addition to alt-text, make sure that colors used in graphics have a 3:1 color contrast ratio between adjacent colors used in graphics. Avoid the pitfall of using color alone to define meaning graphic elements. For charts and graphs, one way to distinguish values is to add shapes to values to provide another way of distinguishing them.

To ensure that graphics can be interpreted appropriately by low-vision users, ensure that the colors used in your graphics meet the minimum color contrast ratio of 3:1. For charts and graphs, you can also add shapes to data values to help users interpret those values if color cannot be appropriately interpreted by them. Also consider adding labels to charts and graphs to provide another means for users to be able to understand the values in charts and graphs.

Transfer power to the end user. Hire users with lived experience to test and evaluate graphics. Provide opportunities to listen, ask questions and compensate them for their time.

Don't neglect the cultural aspects of color choices. Colors that imply happiness in one culture might imply something entirely different in another. Research the cultural norms in your target audiences and choose colors with them in mind.

In graphic design, it's important to take into account the target audience and the context in which the design will be displayed. Factors such as color choice, font size, background selection, and font types should be carefully considered based on the intended audience and context of the graphics. For example, if designing a poster to be displayed during winter, specific design elements should be incorporated that correspond to the weather and mood conditions of the targeted audience. The type of information is also a significant factor to consider. For instance, the approach taken in designing emergency information graphics would differ from that of an entertainment poster.

Designing accessible graphics isn’t just about meeting guidelines it’s about creating experiences that work for everyone. Small changes, like ensuring sufficient contrast, using readable fonts, and providing alternative text for images, can make a huge difference