As non-profit marketers, we strive to connect with our audiences. Our brand colors, often overlooked, play a significant role in our identity. Understanding the impact of brand color accessibility on the inclusivity of our community, especially those with visual impairments, is crucial. In this article, we'll delve into the importance of brand color accessibility for non-profits and how it can strengthen our connection with our diverse audience.
According to the World Health Organization, approximately 2.2 billion people have vision impairment or blindness. With an audience as large as this, leaving them excluded goes against the mission of any non-profit. Inclusivity is not just a buzzword; with a simple color selection, it is your first step in showing your action.
How does color help with accessibility? Just like metadata data helps speech-to-text software read images, accessible branding helps software glide through your digital marketing and web design.
Speech-to-text software is on the rise. A study conducted in 2022 found that 70% of Gen-Z are using the technology daily. For all generations, the use increased in the U.S. by 13% from 2022 to 2023.
The reason? Text-to-speech is widely used with individuals with learning disabilities, learning English as a second language, or reading difficulties.
Imagine this: you are looking through old, long-forgotten photos of relatives. You can barely distinguish their faces because the quality has faded over time. This is what it's like to look at your site, in digital marketing, or even in your print materials with a poor color contrast ratio. Even as an everyday audience member, text becomes hard to read, and your message becomes unclear.
What can we, as non-profit marketers, do to ensure our brand colors are accessible? It's our responsibility to follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Fortunately, numerous online tools help us check for compliance, such as ratio checkers and tutorials. These resources empower us to make our entire community feel included in our brand guide. https://webaim.org/, created by the Institute for Disability Research, Policy, and Practice, is an excellent starting point.
Conclusion
In conclusion, brand color accessibility is not just a design element but a crucial aspect for your non-profit as you strive to connect with diverse audiences. By prioritizing design practices, we not only enhance the accessibility of our branding but also reinforce our commitment to equity and inclusivity. Whenever we check our color aspect ratio, include our metadata, and ensure we use H1 vs. H2 headings, we demonstrate our care for our audience, one small design principle at a time.
References
Designing for Color Blind Users. https://pushinteractions.com/designing-for-color-blind-users/
Text-to-Speech Basics: What Is TTS and Who Uses It?https://www.coursearc.com/guest-post-readspeaker-text-to-speech/#:~:text=5.,tool%2C%20but%20as%20a%20preference.