Building an Inclusive Brand: 6 Brand Guide Essentials for Inclusive Impact
- Amy Pedid
- Feb 10
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 20
Introduction: The Overlooked Gap in Inclusive Branding
A brand guide is the foundation of every successful brand—it dictates how you communicate, how you present yourself visually, and how customers experience your brand. But what if your brand guide is missing something crucial?
For many businesses, inclusive branding is a priority in their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, yet their brand guide doesn’t reflect it. Building an inclusive brand isn’t just about having diverse hiring practices or inclusive workplace policies—it’s about making sure your brand identity, messaging, and design are also welcoming and accessible to all.
The good news? Small changes in six key areas of your brand guide can make an immediate impact on accessibility, audience engagement, and long-term brand loyalty.
If you want to make sure your brand truly reflects your inclusive business initiatives, here’s where to start.
How a Brand Guide Helps Implement Your Business’ Inclusive Initiatives
Many businesses today have strong commitments to inclusion—whether through hiring practices, partnerships, or social impact efforts. However, if your branding and marketing don’t reflect those values, you risk creating a disconnect between what your business stands for and how your audience perceives it.
A brand guide is one of the most effective ways to bring inclusive initiatives to life because it serves as a blueprint for consistency. When updated with accessibility and inclusivity in mind, it ensures that every design, marketing piece, and customer interaction aligns with your commitment to inclusion—without leaving anyone out.
So, what should your inclusive brand guide include? These six key areas can make or break your brand’s accessibility and inclusivity.
The 6 Key Categories of an Inclusive Brand Guide (With Real-World Examples)
1. Tone of Voice
Are you speaking to everyone in your potential audience? Your brand’s voice isn’t just about what you say—it’s about who feels spoken to. Are you using clear, inclusive language that resonates with diverse audiences? Are you avoiding jargon, ableist language, or assumptions about identity? A small shift in words can make a big impact on connection and trust.
✅ Example: In 2020, Microsoft revised its internal and external communications to replace gender-specific terms like "chairman" with gender-neutral alternatives such as "chair" or "chairperson." This initiative aimed to foster a more inclusive environment and was part of a broader effort to update language across all company materials.
2. Logo
Can everyone recognize your brand no matter where they see or experience it? A strong logo is memorable, versatile, and legible for all audiences. But many logos fail when it comes to accessibility—low contrast, complex details, or small text can make them unreadable for people with low vision. Have you ever tested your logo’s visibility across different backgrounds, sizes, and assistive technologies?
✅ Example: In 2019, Google redesigned its accessibility icon (the figure in a circle) to be more human and universally recognizable. By simplifying the shape and increasing contrast, they made the icon easier to recognize and more inclusive of different mobility experiences. This small change increased adoption rates of accessibility settings across Google’s products.
3. Color Palette
Is your brand easy to see? Not everyone experiences color the same way. If your text and background don’t have enough contrast, or if your color choices don’t consider color blindness and visual impairments, your audience might struggle to engage with your brand. Would someone still understand your message if they couldn’t see color?
✅ Example: In 2021, Adobe integrated a built-in color contrast checker into Adobe Color and Adobe InDesign, making it easier for designers to ensure accessibility in branding and marketing materials. This feature allows creatives to test their designs in real-time for compliance with WCAG contrast standards, preventing low-visibility branding issues before they reach the public. By incorporating accessibility into everyday design workflows, Adobe set a new standard—helping businesses of all sizes create branding that works for more people.
4. Fonts & Typography
Readability = Reach. A trendy font might look great, but if people struggle to read it, it’s hurting your brand more than helping. Legibility matters. Do your fonts work across different screens, sizes, and accessibility settings? Could someone with dyslexia or low vision comfortably read your content?
✅ Example: BBC redesigned its digital platform using the Reith font, a custom typeface optimized for clarity and accessibility. The new font, designed by Dalton Maag, has larger letter openings, more spacing, and better weight distribution, making it easier to read on screens—especially for older adults and dyslexic readers.
5. Media & Representation
Who do you feature? Your photos, videos, and graphics shape how people see themselves in your brand. Are you using diverse representation, including different abilities, body types, cultures, and identities? Are your images and videos accessible, with alt text, captions, and transcripts for those who need them?
✅ Example: In 2016, Tommy Hilfiger launched the Tommy Adaptive line, offering stylish clothing designed with features like magnetic closures and adjustable hems to make dressing easier for people with disabilities. The brand's campaigns prominently feature individuals with various disabilities, showcasing the functionality and style of the adaptive clothing line. This initiative not only provides fashionable options for a previously underserved market but also promotes inclusivity by representing people with disabilities in mainstream fashion media.
6. User Experience (UX) Design
How easy is your brand to navigate? Every extra step or ignored preference adds barriers to purchase. From websites to social media to printed materials, accessibility should be built into every audience interaction. Are there barriers that make your brand harder to engage with for certain audiences? Accessibility isn’t just for websites—it’s part of every touchpoint.
✅ Example: Airbnb updated its booking process to accommodate screen readers and voice controls, ensuring that blind and visually impaired users could book accommodations without relying on sight. This change resulted in a 30% increase in successful bookings among disabled travelers.
What Now? Your First Step to Building an Inclusive Brand
If some of these questions left you wondering about your own brand guide, you’re not alone. Many brands—even those with strong DEI initiatives—haven’t fully integrated accessibility into their brand strategy.
That’s why The Sage Mages created the Inclusive Brand Guide Cheat Sheet—a simple, actionable resource to help you start making small, impactful improvements right away.
📥 Download the Cheat Sheet Here and start aligning your brand identity with your inclusive initiatives—because a brand that is truly inclusive can impact everyone.
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