Design for all: Inclusivity in the creative process
Inclusivity in branding and design has grown in awareness in recent years as many brands look to more accurately represent and cater to the amazing diverse nature of our society. There are some great examples of brands who have (finally) included groups that have traditionally been underrepresented in brand communications and NPD. A few that spring to mind include Gillette’s moving video of a father helping his transgender son shave for the first time, and Tesco being the first UK retailer to offer plasters in a variety of skin tones (only 4 years ago!). As a person with hearing loss and knowing the impact this has on my everyday life, Cadbury’s partnership with the National Deaf Children’s Society in 2023 struck a chord with me. In a lovely tie-in that bought new meaning to Cadbury ‘Fingers’, the brand raised awareness of British Sign Language through bite-size videos encouraging people to communicate with the deaf community, who often feel left out of conversations.
Perhaps there's a misconception that inclusivity needs to involve new technologies, or bespoke structural or product innovation which can require bigger CapEx investment. While technology certainly has a big role to play (look at Kelloggs adoption of NaviLens, considered colour choice, font, messaging and architecture during the design process can also have a big impact.
Campbell’s redesigned their iconic soup range in 2021 to modernise the VIS, and in doing so, enhanced accessibility of the packaging. The drop shadow was removed from the identity and the kerning increased, making the brandmark more legible (especially in the digital environment). The product designator copy was moved from a serif to sans serif font, and an ingredient illustration added to highlight each flavour. Sales of Campbell’s soup have since increased 12%.
In 2022, beauty brand Tropic Skincare introduced a new typeface to help people with dyslexia navigate their website, after gaining insights that 1 in 7 people have difficulty reading. Rather than default to a sans serif, the brand wanted to retain a handwritten feel and expressive font to deliver the brand personality. A custom typeface 'Susie's Script', was design to be more legible for a D2C online channel and ensures the brand retains inclusivity as a core value.
The growing awareness of neurodiversity and how some consumers process information has been recognised by Britvic, who worked with the National Autistic Society earlier this year. Fruit Shoot have just introduced new structural packaging (a cap made of less components and plastic), and to help support families with children who may struggle with change, the brand created a short video and cartoon story to explain what has changed and what remains the same. This is a powerful example of a business that identified then proactively addressed an audience need to make their brand more inclusive.
Inclusivity isn’t just about catering to people with disabilities, it’s about making conscious design choices to make brands accessible to all. Unisex design (particularly in fashion) has been around for decades, but what’s interesting are the brands driving inclusivity in categories that have traditionally been gender specific, such as personal care and cosmetics. Brands such as The Ordinary, Humanrace and Aesop avoid labelling their products for men or women. Instead, they highlight their philosophy in providing skincare for all, and use a clean simple design aesthetic. Revlon Colorsilk digitones (hair colour) launched in the US last year, and featured both men and women models across the packaging range. However the claim “9 out of 10 women tested found Revlon ColorSilk Digitones™ left their hair looking healthier” was disappointing - it feels like a missed opportunity not to have also tested the product with men to make this range truly inclusive.
There’s plenty of exciting progress taking place when brands consider inclusivity during the design process, and still plenty more to do. We all need to hold ourselves accountable in the creative industry to proactively look for opportunities to show our commitment to inclusion and diversity. And as we strive for a design output that is accessible for all, we can’t forget the need to involve diverse audiences along the creative journey. Gaining insights and perspectives across gender, ethnic, disabled and neurodivergent groups will help ensure that we design for all, all the time.