CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER/ACCESSIBILITY SPECIALIST GRATZER GRAPHICS LLC, WASHINGTON DC
I’ve been in the design industry for almost 30 years. My consulting business, Gratzer Graphics, provides design and accessibility services to clients.I teach accessibility to designers and developers and host the Design Domination podcast through my second business, Creative Boost, I’ve provided InDesign accessibility training to the U.S. Department of the Interior, at the CreativePro Design + Accessibility Summits, and at several other events.
TELL US HOW AND WHY YOU BECAME INVOLVED IN SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE COMMUNICATIONS, AN SHARE ANY THOUGHTS ON WHY DESIGN CAN BE AN ESPECIALLY EFFECTIVE TOOL?
In 2016, I was recruited into accessibility by an industry leader. I had no idea what it was then, so it’s funny that it completely changed everything for me and my business. I’ve specialized in accessibility ever since.
I love that my work reaches more people and is inclusive. It doesn’t alienate users with a disability, which is about 25% of the population. So my work gets better results!
Our work as designers is all about communication. When you don’t design with accessibility in mind, some people may not be able to read it. They may not be able to navigate the document or website. They may not be able to understand data graphics, especially those with color blindness. Those are just a few examples.
Accessibility is a huge part of design. It starts at the branding stage, and it also affects documents, websites and more.
I became so passionate about accessibility and its role in design that I created courses for designers and web developers to teach them how to make their branding, InDesign files and websites accessible. I’ve also since become a speaker in this space to get more designers into accessibility.
GIVEN THE CONFLUENCE OF EVENTS AND CHALLENGES OUR SOCIETY NOW FACES, DOES THIS MOMENT PRESENT ANY SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES, URGENCIES, OBSTACLES TO DESIGNING FOR GOOD?
Absolutely! Many countries have had accessibility laws in place for decades, especially for governments but also businesses. But many have ignored the laws or flown under the radar.
In recent years, accessibility lawsuits have been on the rise, giving accessibility much-needed attention. Requests for this work have only been increasing.
Designers need to understand how what they design affects who they design for in terms of that company being perceived as inclusive or not, their branding, their sales. They also need to understand how it impacts end users, who may not be able to read some of it or have trouble understanding it.
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