Making an Accessible Design

Things to consider when choosing your designs

Creating a brand guideline and design theme for your hackathon can be one of the most rewarding ways to get your hackers excited for your event.

Your design is only as impactful as how accessible and recognizable it is to your hackers. Coming up with your hackathon's website and brand identity always starts with accessibility. Fortunately, there are many public resources that streamline the process of checking for and implementing web and visual accessibility measures. We've compiled a list of some of the most relevant ones below.

• Web Accessibility

  • ADA Compliance Across the Web - https://www.ada.gov/resources/web-guidance/

  • How to Evaluate Web Accessibility - https://www.w3.org/WAI/test-evaluate/#initial

  • Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (v2.2) - https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG22/

• Visual Accessibility

  • Testing Text Size and Color - https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/

  • Accessibility 101: Color Contrast - https://cultureconnectme.com/color/

  • Color Contrast and Visual Design Guidelines - https://accessibility.digital.gov/visual-design/color-and-contrast/

  • Color Checker - https://coolors.co/contrast-checker

  • Another Color Contrast option - https://randoma11y.com/

A bonus of building your web and design foundations on top of accessibility considerations is avoiding common pitfalls later on. Simplifying your design by cutting out visually complex details and using contrasting colors will make swag production and publicity much cheaper and easier.

Finally, your design should express how memorable and unique your event is. Pick a visual motif and color palette that can be reused from year to year to maintain the continuity of your event! Using a fun mascot and cohesive gradient creates an engaging website that you can also tie in with your in person decorations.