Why creativity and accessibility should work together

Accessibility comes with the reputation of being a box-ticking exercise you add at the end of a design process to “make it compliant”. And some even believe it’s where creativity goes to die – a restriction that flattens the fun, limits the colour palette and forces us into “safe” design choices.

But when accessibility is done right, creativity thrives. Accessible design doesn’t have to mean compromising creativity, it’s about finding smarter, more imaginative ways to communicate – about designing for all.

What is accessible design?

Accessible design means ensuring that everyone, regardless of ability, can comfortably engage and interact with what you create. In practice, this means:

• Designing digital experiences that meet Web Content Accessibility guidelines (WCAG), covering everything from colour contrast to text alternatives and keyboard navigation.
• Making print and physical spaces usable with clear typography, graphical elements and intuitive navigation.
• Writing in plain, straightforward language that doesn’t exclude people with lower literacy or those reading in a second language.
• Considering neurodiverse audiences by avoiding overwhelming layouts, flashing content or jargon-heavy messaging.

When accessibility is baked into the creative process, from conception to creation, it becomes more about connection and ensures no one is left behind.

Leave the “compromise” mindset behind

There are still a lot of designers out there who buy into the idea of a trade-off when it comes to accessibility. They assume that if you want a bold, inventive look and feel, you have to sacrifice some accessibility – and vice versa.

In reality, designing accessibly actively pushes creativity forward. It strips away unnecessary clutter, makes space for confident imagery and sparks new narrative techniques.

How creativity and accessibility work together (in real-life projects)

Accessibility is the brief that asks: “How can we make this work harder, for more people?” And that’s exactly what great design should do.

Take the Stoke on Trent College prospectuses. The college team were keen for the prospectus design to be accessible. When designing, we followed WCAG AA accessibility standards to ensure it was designed with everyone in mind, without compromising on engaging visuals and inspiring design. We increased the font size of the body copy, carefully considered the placement of images on the page and removed outlined text on colour backgrounds to create a clear, user-friendly design that’s easy to understand.

Making digital documents accessible

Focused on local green spaces, waterways, wildlife and community involvement, Support Staffordshire’s Transforming the Trent Headwaters project required an engaging, accessible report to give back to those who have participated across Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire Moorlands and Newcastle-under-Lyme.

To attract the organisation’s target audience (including people with learning disabilities, mental health challenges, as well as people who may find it difficult to read), we designed an easy-to-read, engaging print-ready and screen-reader accessible digital report. And of course, we didn’t compromise on the design. We used a blend of images and illustrations to take the reader on a journey with a local feel.

Support Staffordshire’s Partnership Manager, Nicola Lynes, commented on the project: "The leaflets are brilliant and we’ve already had great feedback on how accessible and easy to read they are. Thanks for all your work on this, the whole team have been so helpful and made the process super easy for us."

Choosing the right language

Camden Council wanted to educate youth practitioners and operational managers across London on Constructive Resettlement. They also wanted to equip practitioners with easy-to-access tools that would help them implement the theory into their daily practice with young people.

So, we created a new, first of its kind website to respond to the challenge. Its purpose - to provide trusted, digestible and engaging resources on the theory and implementation of Constructive Resettlement.

The language we used across the website and digital resources, including videos and a digital flipbook, was chosen to ensure maximum readability and accessibility by the target audience. We simplified any advanced-level vocabulary used in white papers and ensured it was accessible to the primary audience (practitioners and care workers) and can be used in the context of the secondary audience too (the children released from custody). Overall, we wanted the language to be easy to understand without any off putting jargon.

The value of accessible design

Making design accessible delivers measurable impact. By removing barriers, more people can engage with your content. Clearer, more focused design reduces confusion, increases dwell time and boosts conversions. This means more sign-ups, applications, visits or purchases. And with legal and cultural expectations around accessibility growing, investing in accessible creativity will get you ahead of the curve.

Accessibility pushes designers to think harder, storytellers to write smarter and brands to connect with more people in more meaningful ways. Do you want to explore how accessibility can unlock creativity in your next project? Talk to us on 01782 618324 or email info@starbots-creative.co.uk.