How to Create Inclusive Media

Inclusive design is more or less a newer concept. Only in the last decade or two, companies have started creating commercials, games, infographics, etc. with inclusive characters and accessibility in mind.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI, according to InclusionHub (2020), is defined as “the symbiotic relationship, philosophy, and culture of acknowledging, embracing, supporting, and accepting those of all racial, sexual, gender, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds, among other differentiators.”

In this article, I will be laying out why the need for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion outlines are becoming more prevalent and necessary as well as ways we can include those outlines in media production. Specific topics include color contrast, text styles, and choices, and keeping an open mind for growth.

Why is Inclusivity and Accessibility Important?

According to D.I.M.E.S. inclusive companies gain “2.3 times more cash flow per employee”. Companies that focus on Inclusivity and accessibility are becoming not only more common but are also more sought after in the larger job market.

Everyone consumes media every day, in one way or another. Reading the newspaper, looking at billboards, reading product packages, and using your phone are all examples of ways that we consume media every single day. In fact, you reading this blog post is media consumption. So, if this is so common, then why wouldn’t we make it available for a wider group of individuals? Over 20 million Individuals in the United States of America are visually impaired and 37.5 million are Hard of Hearing. These statistics show us how important it is to have proper subtitles and visuals in our media that everyone can consume.

Through the implementation of diversity, equity, and inclusion, companies and organizations can further show how much they care about their audience.

Text Choices

Some aspects of media, and even marketing, that people aren’t too aware a problem are color contrast and font choices. When you see a poster for a movie or a chart in a textbook, can you read the text? What if you were colorblind, or visually impaired? Choosing easy-to-read fonts and contrasting colors makes it more realistic for these individuals to consume the media just as you and I would.

Using tools such as a color analyzer platform helps make sure that social media graphics, infographics, subtitles, and even images are easy for everyone to see and read. Websites like this one are not only a good resource for learning about contrast and accessibility, but they will check the contrast for you when you enter a hex code for any color.

How do we choose a font? Having a set of easy-to-read fonts under your belt can be useful for making anything from posters to subtitles. According to SiteImprove (2023), some fonts that are accessible and generally safe to use are:

· Tahoma

· Calibri

· Helvetica

· Arial

· Verdana

· Times New Roman

Variables other than font and color contrast play a role in media accessibility. Keeping in mind things like line spacing, letter spacing, and appropriate capitalization can also help. For example: if you have a list of hashtags under a post, is it easier to read them if they’re capitalized ( #CanYouReadThis ) or if they’re all lowercase ( #canyoureadthis )?

example of good text choice

Example of bad text choice

Diverse Character Choices

Deciding who you represent in your chosen media is important for everyone to understand the importance of diversity and it shows how much your company or organization values it. Creating or choosing characters that represent differences in special needs, physical disabilities, races, ethnicities, and even religion are all great ways to start.

v.s.

Keeping an Open Mind

Having an open mind and accepting criticism is a necessary action to take when it comes to creating effective inclusive media. Some comments that could help us better our product include:

• “Why are all these characters [ ] what about those of us who aren’t!”

• “I can hardly hear them talk; the music is too loud.”

• “What does that say? The letters are really dark.”

• “Please make this text smaller, it’s hard to see the characters.”

When we gather feedback like this (or in similar ways), we can more effectively gather and put into effect ways we can improve our production and products.

There are so many ways to create media that make everyone feel seen. Whether that’s through easy-to-read subtitles, diverse characters, or just accepting criticism.

Written By: Emalie Hames, Collective 2

References

· Inclusive Media Solutions LLC. (n.d.). https://inclusivemediasolutions.com/

· The problem with “inclusive” media. Issue 249. (n.d.). https://www.thegazelle.org/issue/178/problem-inclusive-media

· Dei (diversity, equity, inclusion) in Media, Entertainment & Sport. D.I.M.E.S. (2023, April 10). https://www.wearedimes.org/en/d-i-m-e-s-companies/

· How is Dei portrayed in the media? Dignii. (2022a, September 20). https://dignii.com/2022/09/13/diversity-equity-inclusion-in-media/

· Contrast checker. WebAIM. (n.d.). https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/

· Accessible fonts: How to choose a font for web accessibility. Siteimprove. (n.d.). https://www.siteimprove.com/glossary/accessible-fonts/#:~:text=Top%20accessible%20fonts&text=The%20most%20accessible%20fonts%20are,rather%20than%20the%20body%20text

· Dunn, L. (n.d.). What is diversity, equity & inclusion (dei)? InclusionHub DigitalInclusion Resources. https://www.inclusionhub.com/articles/what-is-dei

· U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Quick statistics about hearing. National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/statistics/quick-statistics-hearing#:~:text=Approximately%2015%25%20of%20American%20adults,over%20report%20some%20trouble%20hearing

· Visual impairments. Health Policy Institute. (2019, February 13). https://hpi.georgetown.edu/visual/#:~:text=Almost%2020%20million%20Americans%20%E2%80%94%208,people%20age%2065%20and%20older