Design So Everyone Can Sit With Us: A No-Fluff Guide To Accessibility
- hannahoheine
- Oct 10
- 4 min read
If Your Design Isn’t Inclusive, It Isn’t Finished
Welcome to the wild world of accessible design, where good intentions meet even better outcomes. We’re talking about making websites, brands, and digital experiences that everyone can use, love, and maybe even rave about. Yes, even your color vision deficient cousin and your keyboard-only friend. Because beautiful design should also be usable.
TL;DR (For the Creatives Who Need the Vibe Fast)
Accessibility = design that works for everybody, not just the default user.
WCAG guidelines = your new bestie (but we’ll translate them into human speak).
Small tweaks (hello, contrast! goodbye, tiny type!) make a big impact.
What Accessible Design Actually Means
Let’s break this down without the jargon headache: accessible design ensures that people with visual, auditory, cognitive, or motor impairments can still interact with your work. It’s not just nice to have—it’s essential.
No one wants to design something gorgeous that 15% of the population can’t even use. And that’s a conservative number. Accessibility isn't about limitations; it's about unlocking your design's full potential.
Wait—What’s WCAG?
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are the global standards for making digital content accessible to everyone. They’re built around four golden rules:
Perceivable – Users can see, hear, or feel the content.
Operable – It works with keyboards, switches, and assistive tech.
Understandable – No one’s decoding hieroglyphics here. Content should make sense.
Robust – It’s future-proofed and plays nice with all the tech (including screen readers and devices we don’t even know exist yet).
Sounds intense? Don’t worry, we bake it all into beautiful, human-friendly design.
Who Are We Designing For?
Everyone. But specifically:
Someone who uses a screen reader
Someone who can’t use a mouse
Someone with a color vision deficiency (1 in 12 men, by the way.)
Someone with ADHD or dyslexia
Someone trying to navigate your site on a cracked phone screen in broad daylight
In other words: accessibility helps everyone, not just the people we assume "need" it.
What Does Accessible Design Look Like?
It’s clean, it’s clear, and it considers real-world use:
Bold contrast between text and background
Fonts that are readable, not just decorative
Logical content hierarchy (think: headers in the right order)
Interfaces that can be navigated by keyboard, screen reader, or voice
Feedback that doesn’t rely only on color (like form errors)
It’s inclusive without being boring. Practical without being plain.
How Hart House Creative Designs For Access
We’re not out here making boring websites in the name of compliance. We’re out here making smart, intentional, ridiculously good-looking designs that also meet WCAG standards.
Contrast is Queen: Light grey text on a white background? No ma’am. We check contrast ratios and still keep things on brand.
Readable Typography: Fancy fonts are fun, but if your client’s grandma can’t read it, it’s not doing its job.
Clear Navigation: We love a scroll-triggered animation as much as the next studio, but if it breaks keyboard navigation, it’s gotta go.
Alt Text (That Isn’t an Afterthought): Because screen readers deserve good storytelling, too.
No-Drama Forms: Easy to navigate, labeled clearly, and no guessing games.
We also apply these principles to branding and print. Need a logo that works at any size and for every eye? We’ve got you. Choosing colors that look good and test well? Double check. It’s all part of building a brand that works hard and shines bright.
Quick Wins For Designers
Want to add accessibility into your workflow without burning down your process? Start here:
Use headings properly. Not just for size, for structure.
Don’t rely on color alone to convey information.
Label your buttons. "Click here" is the equivalent of "stuff" in design. Be better.
Make your tap targets tappable. Tiny text links are a menace.
Turn off your images. Does your design still make sense? Good.
Put Money In Your Pocket & Good In The World
Offer accessibility audits or build it into your proposals. Most businesses want to do the right thing but don’t know where to start. You can be the hero. Bonus? It differentiates you from the sea of designers just chasing trends.
Inclusion Is A Design Choice
If your design only dazzles the able-bodied, neurotypical, high-res screen-having crowd, you’re missing the point (and missing out). Great design works for more people. Smart design serves real humans.
So check your contrast, bump your font size, and make sure your brilliance is readable. Because at Hart House Creative, we believe everyone deserves a seat at the (well-designed) table. Now go forth and design for everyone.
Everything we share here is meant to be helpful and inspiring. We’re speaking from experience. Please consult a qualified professional to help make decisions. You are responsible for how you choose to use this information, and we are not liable for any loss, damages, or issues that may arise. We can’t be responsible for how things play out, but we’re always rooting for your success!
Credits
Author: Hannah Heine
Editor: Jenn Hart (More About Me)
Associate Editor: Sarah Dawoud
Art: Sharon Bakas
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