How can you make your illustrations more inclusive?

2 Choose your colors wisely

Color is a powerful tool for conveying meaning, emotion, and contrast in your illustrations. However, color can also have different associations and interpretations depending on the cultural, historical, or personal context of your audience. For example, red can mean danger, love, or luck depending on the situation. To make your illustrations more inclusive, you should avoid using colors that are offensive, stereotypical, or misleading for your audience. You should also consider the accessibility and readability of your color choices, especially for people with color vision deficiencies or low vision.

3 Vary your shapes and sizes

Another way to make your illustrations more inclusive is to vary the shapes and sizes of your elements. This can help you create more realistic, diverse, and dynamic representations of your data and your characters. For example, you can use different body shapes, facial features, hairstyles, and clothing styles to show the diversity of your human characters. You can also use different shapes and sizes to show the variation, distribution, or hierarchy of your data points. By varying your shapes and sizes, you can avoid creating monotonous, uniform, or biased illustrations that exclude or marginalize some groups or aspects of your data.

4 Use symbols and icons carefully

Symbols and icons are useful for simplifying complex information, creating visual metaphors, or adding context to your illustrations. However, symbols and icons can also be ambiguous, confusing, or inappropriate for some audiences. For example, a star can mean a rating, a religion, or a country depending on the context. To make your illustrations more inclusive, you should use symbols and icons that are clear, relevant, and respectful for your audience. You should also explain the meaning and purpose of your symbols and icons if they are not obvious or familiar to your audience.

5 Add captions and labels

Captions and labels are essential for making your illustrations more inclusive and accessible. They can help you provide additional information, context, or explanation for your illustrations. They can also help you make your illustrations more understandable and searchable for people who use screen readers or other assistive technologies. To make your captions and labels more inclusive, you should use clear, concise, and accurate language that matches the tone and style of your illustrations. You should also use fonts, sizes, and colors that are legible and contrast well with your illustrations.

6 Test and iterate

The final tip for making your illustrations more inclusive is to test and iterate your designs. You can use feedback, analytics, or usability testing to evaluate how well your illustrations communicate with your audience, how they feel about your illustrations, and how they interact with your illustrations. You can then use the results to improve, refine, or change your illustrations to make them more inclusive, effective, and engaging.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?