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Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

In today’s digital landscape, creating beautiful designs isn’t enough – they need to be accessible to everyone. At Devery, we understand that inclusive design is powerful design. Whether we’re developing brand identities for products, businesses, or campaigns, accessibility remains a core consideration throughout our creative process.

Why designers should care about WCAG2

1. Expanded Audience Reach

Accessibility isn’t just about compliance—it’s about connection. By designing with WCAG 2.0 principles in mind, brands can reach the approximately 15% of the global population with disabilities. We believe that inclusive branding creates more meaningful connections with diverse audiences.

2. Legal Compliance and Risk Mitigation

Countries are increasingly adopting WCAG 2.0 as part of their digital accessibility laws. Brands that fail to meet these standards may face legal challenges, reputation damage, and financial penalties. Our branding services incorporate accessibility from the start, helping clients avoid these risks.

3. Enhanced User Experience for Everyone

Many accessibility features benefit all users, not just those with disabilities. High contrast ratios, clear typography, and intuitive navigation improve usability for everyone—especially in challenging environments like bright sunlight or when using smaller screens.

4. Better SEO Performance

Many WCAG 2.0 requirements align perfectly with search engine optimisation best practices. Proper heading structures, descriptive alt text, and semantic HTML improve both accessibility and search engine rankings, amplifying your brand’s digital presence.

Accessibility principles for designers

WCAG 2.0 (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) is a set of internationally recognised standards developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) that defines how to make web content more accessible to people with disabilities. 

These guidelines serve as the foundation for creating digital experiences that are based on four key principles; perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust design for all users.

Perceivable: Information must be presentable in ways all users can perceive

Operable: Interface elements must be operable by all users

Understandable: Information and operation must be understandable

Robust: Content must be robust enough to work with various technologies

 

Does your brand palette meet the WCAG2 minimum contrast standard?

Use our tool designed specifically to test your existing brand palette colours. 

Practical applications for accessible design

Colour and Contrast

  • Maintain a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for normal text
  • Headings or large text (18pt or 14pt bold) should maintain a contrast of 3:1

Typography

  • Choose fonts that are clear and readable
  • Maintain minimum text size standards
  • Ensure sufficient line spacing and paragraph breaks

Layout and Structure

  • Create clear visual hierarchies
  • Use consistent navigation patterns
  • Provide adequate spacing between interactive elements