Inclusive Design & Accessibility

For my final magazine, I plan to make it as inclusive as I can by following the inclusive design principles, and finding places in my project where I can incorporate them as much as possible.

Points of Exclusion

There is one major point of exclusion in my magazine deliverable for both print and digital forms, which is not being easily accessible to an audience with visual impairments. Those who are blind or have visual impairments are not able to read it or know what kind of imagery is included. Whether the individual is blind, or has a temporary condition such as just having lasik eye surgery and not able to see very well, this point of exclusion can apply to all sorts of cases.

Access Design Solutions

An access design solution for the digital version of the magazine would be to create alt text and captions for the images, and export the magazine as a specific PDF version that allows it to be read aloud once it is downloaded. This solution for the digital version may also be helpful to people who temporarily can’t read the text if they are driving and want to listen to the magazine instead of reading or if they have trouble reading the text and would rather listen to it.

An access design solution for the print version would be to create a Braille version of the magazine so those who are blind can enjoy it. This solution for the print version of the magazine could also be helpful to those who are learning Braille and want more practice. Unfortunately, there is not enough time in the semester to create a version like this, but I will make sure to use easily readable fonts, good color contrasts, and adequate font sizes for those who are visually impaired reading the printed version.

A photo of White Print - India's First Lifestyle Braille Magazine for the Blind showing the title of the magazine and a page of Braille lettering.

image of a Braille magazine called White Print

Project Distribution

When thinking about the printed version of my magazine, I don’t plan to distribute them since I am only going to print a few versions out for myself and my family to have. However, I plan on displaying the digital version up on my website portfolio where any future employers or companies can see it, and also anyone else who may be interested in looking at it as well can see it by visiting my website. I would mostly like it to reach any future employer I hope to work for, and they can easily access it when I send in my portfolio when applying for jobs. Also, because some of the photos in the magazine are used in my Art Senior Project, anyone visiting the exhibition for my photographic thesis work can find out that the photos will be included in the magazine I am designing as well.