Part 1:
The one thing I found most influential in the way of my thinking while designing was the word “inclusion”. It made us design something as we originally would but with a conscious way of including a certain disabled group of people. There is a certain assumption about commercial design work like branding, restaurant, website UI, illustrations, social media posts that in the end it all has to “look” good. I found it quite interesting to use expressions of commercial touchpoints as a method of enquiry in designing for blind people. Through this we thought beyond just print and digital like plating norms, table layouts, space navigation, etc creating a more holistic way of designing.
Through the exploration I have gained new knowledge through research of how design can be adapted for inclusion (in our group’s case blind people). I realised most of the design solutions were really simple and easy to execute for example-high contrast colours, websites with multiple colour modes, text size variability, braille menus, plating systems, etc. I believe that as a designer even the knowledge or awareness of these existing adaptations in design for disability is really important to shape a more inclusive practice. As Roy (2025) gives various examples of design solutions originally for disabled people that went on to become useful for all people. With added constraints and designing for the extreme we as designers can think beyond the traditional way of focusing on visual appeal.
I believe there is something about the communal aspect of care and help that humans show to each other that transcends all design. Feedback from Harrison-Mann, A. (2025, pers. comm., 25 February) helped me realize my position as a designer in this context was to create design that amplifies an experience for visually impaired with or without the company of a sighted person.
Reference list
Roy, E. (2025) Elsie Roy: When We Design for Disability – We All Benefit. Available at: https://www.eliseroy.org/
Harrison-Mann, A. (2025, pers. comm., 25 February)
Annotated Bibliography :
Reference
Roy, E. (2025) Elsie Roy: When We Design for Disability – We All Benefit. Available at: https://www.eliseroy.org/
Roy, E. (2025) thoughts about design thinking and problem solving gave me a new way to empathise, think and push beyond traditional graphic design applications, especially in the branding context. A good example of this was the idea of creating pre-demarcated table mats with a clockwise plating system already in place to ensure the waiters and customers follow it and it becomes a standard norm of plating any dish in the restaurant. This solution emerged from the necessity to accommodate diverse users, reinforcing Roy’s (2025) belief that designing for accessibility is “a goldmine to think differently.” Throughout the project a new layer of strategic thinking was applied to my previous way of designing for branding and identity which gave me a fresh point of view and raised questions about accessibility in branding as a practice. Commercial branding work has certain assumptions – visually familiar, mass market, corporate etc. Can we use this medium as a method to research accessibility solutions?
Reference
Till, J (2009) Architecture Depends. Cambridge: MIT Press
The project outcomes heavily relied on research, insights, reading, interviews, conversations with prototyping with paper and embossing tactile design techniques. The book by Till (2009, p.45-61) made me reflect on the contingency of branding and its process. Just like a building, the process of an identity design starts with a few foundational principles and then is contingent on the ideas, research, time, client budget (if relevant) and later on it evolves as humans interact with it. It loses a few of its core principles, while new ones are formed with time. New meaning gets associated with shapes, type, colour depending on people and how they perceive it. Through every step of this project I identified feeling like a contingent researcher who is described as light footed and the journey of the project was non-linear and continuously evolving with every added insight and “intellectual rhizomes” as coined by Till (2009, p.45-61). The intent of the project is and will be shaped with luck of references, ideas through conversations. The text made me acknowledge the “contingency” of a project based on the designers engaging with it as a group.
Reference
Beirut, M (2015) How to Use Graphic Design to Sell Things, Explain Things, Make Things Look Better, Make People Laugh, Make People Cry, and (every Once in a While) Change the World. London: Thames & Hudson, Limited.
Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/UAL/detail.action?docID=6640563
Throughout the book Bierut (2015, pp. 307-313) talks about functional graphic design used to solve problems, similar to our approach of identifying barriers and trying to overcome them using graphic design. After working on our inquiry for the visually impaired and also engaging with work done by other groups about disability justice, I realised how most things are designed assuming human ability. I adopted this way of thinking and Bierut (2015, pp. 307-313) described it well in his book as; designers cannot change the world but provide inspiration, tools and the means to try. This project also aims at creating a dining experience with the tools of graphic design like the map, menu, signage, plating, etc that help people who participate in this experience (waiters, chefs, customers), abled or disabled, to help each other feel joy without discrimination. It actively seeks to spark a dialogue between people about disability and engage with designs that include the disabled.
Reference
Edman, P. (1992) Tactile graphics. USA: AFB Press.
Edman (1992 pp 471) provides a technical rational methodology to create and adapt graphic design for the visually impaired which heavily influenced our design decisions. He reveals factual information and a guide for beginners and the importance of user testing referring to Charlon (1998) titled “nothing about us without us.” He gives examples of deconstructed mathematics, drawings, charts, biology diagrams, signage, etc revealing how consumable each thing can be made with deconstructing media. He also concludes the book by listing factors that might change one’s experience like direction of light, a person’s mental state, the distance and the degree of vision a person has. Similarly, our project iterates with menu layouts and their functionality on one side and optimizes for a communal experience curated by people on the other. For instance we decided to add colour to the relief to not just include partially sighted but also make it easier for sighted people to help the blind.
Reference:
Benjamin, W. (1969) Illuminations. Edited and with an introduction by Arendt, H. and translated by Zohn, H.(1986). New York: Schocken Books
The epilogue of this essay by Benjamin (1969, pp. 1–26) questions about functionality of art were raised. The starting point of the “joyful experiences” made us realise how much joy we get consuming art and visual graphics. While researching and looking at approaches while designing for disabled people I realised heavy focus on functional accessibility – maps, navigation, hearing aid, guides, etc to be more independent. We find joy in non-functional things like looking at art, admiring nature, etc. Is one more important than the other? As Benjamin (1969, pp. 1–26) calls for “the politicization of aesthetics,” in which he wants art to be functional and answers to politics. Our project related to this message by using art (our menu design) to serve social disability needs rather than just being beautiful. Benjamin (1969, pp. 1–26) discusses how photography and film introduced new ways of perceiving art beyond traditional forms. Our project tries to reimagine a dining experience to be functional, actively engaging with political realities, empowering the masses, and challenging oppressive structures that discriminate against the visually impaired.
Reference:
Takahashi, K. (2017) Braille New Typeface. Available at: https://ootori.co/works/brailleneue
Braille Neue typeface design project informed our project at various points. Takahashi (2017) describes the font to be “truly universal,” to which I disagree with as accessibility changes with context and people of engagement. Which led me to question the concept of accessibility. Can a design ever be truly universal? The project challenged my thoughts about creating something separate from the original to create accessibility. Like a lot of restaurants have a separate large print and braille menu enforcing a clear power dynamic between visually impaired and sighted people. The project by Takahashi (2017) served as inspiration (not to create a typeface) but to create seamless integration of the same content for all people. To eliminate any discrimination and enable visual comprehension of braille for sighted people.
Other References :
Hamraie, A. (2017) Designing Disability: Symbols, Space, and Society. Durham: Duke University Press.
V&A Dundee (2019) ‘Design meets disability at V&A Dundee’, V&A Dundee, 27 June. Available at: https://www.vam.ac.uk/dundee/info/design-meets-disability-at-va-dundee
Design Spectrum (n.d.) ‘Feeling the Colors’, Design Spectrum. Available at: https://www.designspectrum.hk/project/feeling-the-colors/
Reynolds, C. (n.d.) ‘Clarke Reynolds’, Windows of the Soul. Available at: https://www.windowsofthesoul.art/clarke-reynolds
Mothes, K. (2025) ‘Turn-of-the-Century Tactile Graphics Illustrate Nature for People Who Are Blind’, Colossal, 23 January. Available at: https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2025/01/martin-kunz-tactile-graphics/
Tosani, P. (1985) ‘Portraits’, Patrick Tosani. Available at: https://www.patricktosani.com/projects/photographies/1985/portraits
Canon Europe (n.d.) ‘Menna Fitzpatrick and Samo Vidic: Photography Beyond Sight’, Canon UK. Available at: https://www.canon.co.uk/view/menna-fitzpatrick-samo-vidic-photography/
Yorgo Co. (n.d.) ’27/4: Visual Identity and Signage’. Available at: https://www.yorgo.co/work_client_27-4_visual-identity-and-signage-342
Paul Belford Ltd. (n.d.) ‘Soap Co. Branding and Packaging’. Available at: https://paulbelford.com/project/soap-co-brand-packaging/
Hingley, O. (2024) ‘“The key is irregularity”: This Arabic font is made to accommodate dyslexic readers’, It’s Nice That, 11 April. Available at: https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/maqroo-leo-burnett-omantel-dubai-graphic-design-110424
Shannon, F. (2019) ‘Finnegan Shannon: Art for Disabled People, Discovering New Spaces’, It’s Nice That, 24 August. Available at: https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/finnegan-shannon-art-discover-190824
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