Creativity and Accessible Design

Table of Contents

East Texas A&M values creative and visually engaging content while maintaining a strong commitment to accessibility. Visually driven formats—such as image-based designs, zines and flipbook-style documents—can enhance content, but they should not be the sole way information is provided. The goal is to ensure that all users, regardless of ability, can access and benefit from university information.

The P.O.U.R. Principles

Accessibility is not just best practice—it is a legal and ethical responsibility for public institutions. To be considered accessible, digital content must meet the four P.O.U.R. principles:

  • Perceivable – Users can see or hear the content in some way (for example, text is real text, images have alt text and color contrast is sufficient).
  • Operable – Users can navigate and interact using a keyboard or assistive technology (no mouse-only or motion-dependent interactions).
  • Understandable – Content is clear, predictable and does not rely on visual cues alone.
  • Robust – Content works with screen readers and assistive technologies, now and in the future.

If content fails any one of these principles, it is not considered accessible.

Digital Accessibility Explained

Zines, Flipbook PDFs and Text-Based Graphics

Visually rich designs—such as zines, flipbooks, posters, flyers or graphics made in platforms like Adobe or Canva—can be creative and engaging. However, these formats become inaccessible when they are the only way information is presented.

Many visual-only designs fail accessibility because they overlook one or more P.O.U.R. principles, most often Perceivable and Robust.

Common Accessibility Issues

  1. Image-Only Content
    • Text is embedded inside images instead of existing as real text. Screen readers cannot read the content, and users cannot search, highlight or copy it.
  2. Missing Alternative Text (Alt Text)
    • Images containing critical information often lack alt text, meaning users who rely on screen readers miss key content entirely.
  3. Poor Color Contrast
    • Decorative fonts and background colors may not meet contrast requirements, making text difficult or impossible to read for users with low vision or color blindness.
  4. Motion and Page-Turning Animations
    • Flipbook or page-turn effects can cause motion sensitivity and interfere with keyboard navigation and assistive technologies.
  5. No Semantic Structure
    • Without headings, lists or a logical reading order, screen reader users cannot navigate content efficiently.

Accessibility standards do not ban creativity or visual storytelling. Instead, they require that all users must be able to access the information. If content exists only as a collection of images or effects, it does not meet accessibility standards on its own.

What Makes Digital Content Accessible?

Accessible digital content includes:

  • Real, selectable text (not text embedded only in images)
  • A logical reading order
  • Proper heading structure (H1, H2, H3)
  • Alt text for meaningful images
  • Sufficient color contrast
  • Keyboard navigation support
  • Descriptive link text
  • Tagged PDF structure (when using PDFs)
Creating an Accessible PDF

Creativity and Accessibility Can Coexist

Accessibility does not mean documents have to be boring or plain. PDFs can still be visually engaging, branded and creative—as long as accessibility is built into the design from the beginning.

ETAMU Brand Guide

What Accessible Creativity Looks Like

Accessible PDFs can include:

  • ETAMU branding, colors and typography
  • Thoughtful layouts with white space and visual hierarchy
  • Icons and illustrations that support (not replace) text
  • Infographics paired with real text equivalents
  • Photos with meaningful alt text
Writing for the Web

The key principle is that design enhances the content—it does not replace the content.

Creative Choices That Work

  1. Strong Visual Hierarchy
    • Use headings, subheadings, pull quotes and callout boxes
    • Pair visual emphasis with proper heading structure
  2. Color Used Intentionally
    • Brand colors are welcome when contrast requirements are met
    • Use color to reinforce meaning, not convey it alone
    • ETAMU Brand Colors
  3. Fonts with Personality (and Legibility)
    • Decorative fonts may be used sparingly for headings
    • Body text should remain clean, readable, and high contrast
    • ETAMU Fonts
  4. Images That Support the Message
    • Use images to complement the text, not replace it
    • Add concise, descriptive alt text
  5. Infographics Done Accessibly
    • Ensure all data and key messages also exist as text
    • Avoid embedding entire explanations inside a single image

Creative Choices to Avoid

Even with good intentions, these design choices create accessibility barriers:

  • Text embedded inside images
  • Full-page background images behind text
  • Page-turning, flipping or scrolling animations
  • Decorative layouts that disrupt reading order
  • Designs that rely on color alone to convey meaning

A Helpful Reframe for Designers

Instead of asking:

“How do I make this look like a magazine or zine?”

Try asking:

“How do I make this clear, engaging and readable for everyone?”

Accessibility encourages intentional design, not restrictive design.

When a Highly Visual Piece Is Required

If a highly visual or experimental design is necessary:

  • Provide an accessible HTML page with the same information
  • Or provide a fully accessible PDF that contains all essential content

The accessible version must include all essential information and be equally easy to find.

Key Takeaway

Creative design should never come at the cost of accessibility. If a document cannot be read, navigated or understood by everyone, it needs revision. When in doubt, choose clarity, structure and accessibility first.

Contact

Have a question? Contact [email protected].

Navigate This Page