CASE STUDY /
Business + Higher Education Roundtable with CNIB Foundation
Accessible by Design
Accessibility was a core requirement of these reports, but it didn't mean the design had to be restrained. Working within strict Clear Print Guidelines and a predetermined colour palette, I used typography, imagery, hierarchy and layout to create publications that were both highly accessible and visually engaging.
The Business + Higher Education Roundtable and the CNIB Foundation needed a series of reports that could communicate a substantial amount of information clearly while being genuinely accessible to their audience.
The project came with strict Clear Print Guidelines, which placed specific requirements on everything from typography and contrast to spacing and readability. The colour palette was also predetermined, meaning my colour choices and how I could use them within the layouts were limited.
At the same time, the client wanted the reports to feel dynamic, contemporary and engaging.
That created an interesting design challenge: how do you build a publication that meets rigorous accessibility requirements without making it feel clinical, overly cautious or visually predictable?
For me, the answer was not to treat accessibility as a set of restrictions to work around. It was to make accessibility part of the creative strategy from the beginning.
Clear Print Accessibility Guidelines
Choosing Type With Accessibility in Mind
Typography was one of the first decisions to consider. I selected Atkinson Hyperlegible, a typeface developed by the Braille Institute of America, Inc. and specifically designed with readability and character distinction in mind.
Its forms helped support the accessibility goals of the project while still giving the reports a contemporary editorial feel. Rather than treating the accessible typeface as something that had to be tolerated for compliance, I made it part of the visual identity of the publications.
It's also a typeface I use on my own website—a reflection of how strongly I believe accessibility and good design can work together rather than being competing priorities.
Creating Hierarchy Without Relying on Colour
With the colour palette already established, I had to look beyond colour to create visual interest and guide readers through the content.
Typography, scale, weight, spacing, image placement and page composition became the primary tools for establishing hierarchy.
I used these elements deliberately to distinguish sections, emphasize key information and create visual rhythm throughout the reports. The goal was to make the information easy to scan and navigate while still giving each spread a sense of energy and personality.
Art Directing the Photography
Photography presented another challenge.
The reports needed to represent a broad range of people and experiences, including different disabilities and a diverse range of racial and cultural backgrounds. At the same time, the photography needed to feel like it belonged to a single publication rather than looking like a collection of unrelated stock images.
I curated the imagery with both representation and visual consistency in mind, looking beyond whether an individual image technically met the brief. Composition, lighting, colour, subject matter and overall tone all had to work together across the publications.
This meant sometimes passing on an otherwise suitable image because it didn't fit the visual language of the project, and continuing the search until the right combination of representation and aesthetic consistency was there.
Designing Accessibility Into the Experience
Throughout the reports, accessibility informed decisions around spacing, contrast, information density and navigation.
Rather than simplifying the design until it became visually neutral, I looked for opportunities to create interest within the accessibility requirements.
That meant asking the same question throughout the project: How can this be easier to read and navigate without making it less interesting to look at?
The result was a design system where accessibility and visual expression supported each other rather than competing.
The resulting reports combined the clarity required by the Clear Print Guidelines with a more contemporary editorial approach.
The publications were well received by the clients and demonstrated that accessible communication doesn't have to come at the expense of personality, creativity or strong art direction.
For me, the project also reinforced something I bring to my design work more broadly: accessibility is not an optional layer that gets added after the creative work is finished. It is an opportunity to make the work better for more people from the outset.
The Takeaway
Accessible design doesn't have to be boring.
When accessibility is considered from the beginning, it can become part of the creative challenge—and can lead to smarter typography, clearer hierarchy, stronger information design and a better overall experience for everyone.
