It’s not uncommon for us to celebrate designs that are ‘beautiful’, edgy, or energetic. Billboards flash with images of stereotypical beauty. Social media adverts vie for our attention with a rainbow of colours and thumping background music. Bus stops are adorned with posters that display trendy typefaces, obscure photographs, and graphics. But what if we were to consider that simple, structured, content could have a bigger reach? What if less of the fluff meant more of an audience?

This post looks at how design that is accessible, universal and inclusive, means design that accommodates a much broader section of society, and therefore a broader set of customers.

Think about hopping on the bus. Easy task, right? So long as it turns up, you can jump on board and be on your way. But what if you’re using a wheelchair. How does that ‘jump’ play out? There’s an opportunity to design a better means of access, I’m sure you’ll agree. Maybe the bus lowers to the curb, or has an access ramp built in. These simple solutions mean a broader set of people can roll right on the bus. And the benefits are wide and wonderful; making transport more accessible for wheelchair users, often makes it easier and more comfortable for other people to use too, from parents with pushchairs to older people. A great example of universal design.

Universal design - creative output that’s put together with a diverse and inclusive audience in mind - is one way to make our output better for those with access needs, and therefore make it better for all.

Universal design is design for independence and inclusivity. It’s an approach that recognises diversity, and designs for scenarios, such as childhood, injury, disability and old age.

Though it’s not just the stages of life we move through that should be considered in our design process. Did you know that one billion people worldwide have disabilities? Whether living with visual, hearing, motor or cognitive impairments, all people in our society deserve a first class experience with the content, products and services we deliver. Those with a disability should be able to experience our outputs with the same success as those without disabilities. Just like with our example of universal design improvements, accessible design can show off design that shines brighter, as a result of its considered approach. Take websites for example.

If your site isn’t accessible, one in four visitors with an impairment or disability could be unable to use it.

The Click-Away Survey found 4 million people abandoned a retail website because of the barriers they found to access. Designing inclusive, accessible digital experiences could mean up to twenty five percent more of your audience are able to engage online. A sure fire way to raise the bar over your competitors, offer a positive message to all, and undoubtedly enhance business.

Accessibility and inclusivity might sound like they mean the same thing, but they are two different ways of thinking. Accessible design is a design process in which the needs of people with disabilities are specifically considered. Inclusive design, meanwhile, takes into account people of all different genders, races and backgrounds and looks to ensure that many perspectives are represented.

When you make your content more inclusive, you help more people to engage with the things many others might take for granted. Perhaps they see someone of their age jogging in a magazine advert for the latest running trainers - a breakaway from the stereotypical young male on a track - and feel empowered to do the same. Or a social media advert celebrates the best in cake-stall sales from a group of people who aren’t typically pictured in a kitchen, baking and decorating.

The best part? The changes needed to make a magazine ad, or social media post more accessible and inclusive are small, but their impact is mighty. It’s this kind of design that will enable more people to appreciate and celebrate your work. Keeping accessibility and inclusivity at the forefront of our campaigns also opens our own minds up to new perspectives and knowledge.

The benefits of bringing these concepts into your design? Here are four:

• Better design. Improvements made for some, mean for improvements for all. Hold yourself to higher accounts and produce work that shines.

• Good for business. A broader section of society reached, and a better perception of the business.

• Stay on the right side of the law. Working in the U.S? You must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities - a law which was amended in 2009 to include telecommunications. Enforcement actions against companies for noncompliance have been rising.

• Do the right thing. When we fail to accommodate those with access needs, we effectively cut them off from basic needs. Consider how they shop, learn, and communicate with others. With so much of our lives online, apps and websites aren’t nice-to-have sources of entertainment; they’re vital for day to day life.

I hope the blog has left you feeling inspired to take on the topics of universal, accessible and inclusive design into your own practice; whether you design or not. How we start to influence our creative with these principles will form topics of journal content in the coming weeks; until then, I encourage you to take away the momentum to learn more for yourself.

Green Smoke Studio’s tagline - a considerate creative - reflects the sentiment of this post. I design, discuss, craft and create in a way that looks good, and does good. For creative graphic, digital or web design, considered UX and UI, send an email or drop into my direct messages.