The Pursuit of
Introducing Inclusive Design
The Pursuit of Barrier-Free Brand Experience has one very simple goal: to create great experiences that work for as many people as possible, for as long as possible.
Outdated ideals, apathy and historic fear of disability have led to a ‘design divide’. In prioritising the needs of nondisabled people, the majority of experiences have been built to exclude a substantial section of society.
Brands have been unwittingly instrumental in perpetuating this divide, resulting in widespread inaccessibility, diminished opportunity, discrimination and stigma.
We want to help break down this divide by working to make more experiences equitable and seamless.
When combined with friends and family, disability touches 73% of consumers.
Together, this market controls over $13 trillion in disposable income.
But currently, 75 – 80% of disabled people consider their experiences to be a failure.
It’s time this changed.
Image courtesy of Zebedee Management
Interbrand’s Inclusive Design mission is to work with its talent, partners and clients to break down the design divide, by embedding inclusive design at the heart of every brand experience.
Every touchpoint of a customer journey has the potential to make life better. Because their reach and influence, global brands hold the key to accelerating positive change.
The key to achieving this is working with disabled and older consumers in order to understand what needs to change.
With increased population longevity and universal celebration of the value of diversity, brands now need to do more.
Businesses in every sector must take action by identifying and addressing barriers to participation across their touchpoints.
As a result of their efforts, brands who champion a wider spectrum of human need are starting to experience some key benefits.
So, with a view to future-proofing ourselves, our societies, and our economies, we want to help our Clients move from ‘passive’ to ‘purposeful’ in their inclusivity efforts.
Interbrand brings a unique perspective and skillset to the practice of inclusive design.
Our global reach, coupled with our partnerships with local experts, enables us to facilitate disability-led brand experience exploration across the world.
Through
transformation
A brand’s iconic status is determined by its relationship to cultural, social and economic transformation.
We’re not interested in concept pieces or PR stunts. We are interested in pursuing and identifying continuous, scalable changes that lead to the growth of individuals, businesses and economies.
We strive for iconic, inclusive moves that have the power to alter the competitive landscape, capture people’s imaginations and promote more progressive brand experiences.
Through
coalition
Delivering barrier-free experiences depends on the convening power of experts across the world.
In order to respond to diverse needs and perspectives, we combine our global brand and customer experience capabilities with local inclusivity expertise.
Our alliances with external and internal specialists allow us to work with disabled and older consumers across the entire process of definition, design, implementation and ongoing assessment.
Through
purpose-led inclusivity
Purpose and ambition are crucial in how we define brands.
By identifying a business’ north star, we can determine the reason for its existence, what it aims to achieve in the world, and more specifically, what it aims to do for people.
Purpose-led inclusivity efforts enable brands to root accessibility deep within their business strategy and functions. This helps ensure that inclusivity is an inherent part of the entire brand experience.
Our Work
Read our full guide
You can read more about the benefits of inclusivity, as well as Interbrand’s approach to Inclusive Design in our introduction guide “The Pursuit of Barrier-Free Brand Experience.”
Fill in the form below to download your copy now.
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Get in touch
We love feedback
We are always on the hunt for barriers across our own touchpoints, so if you run into any access issues, please let us know. Our PDF guide has been remediated for accessibility and works with screen readers, but if you need this information in an alternative format, just ask.
Marianne Waite
Director of Inclusive Design
Our commitment to accessibility
We’re doing everything we can to maintain accessibility standards across our website and channels. Our accessibility ambition is to go beyond this to find new and even better ways of creating inspiring content for all. This is important not just for those of us with different cognitive, sensory and physical capabilities, but for all users.
Our commitment to removing access barriers goes beyond digital environments. We know we will require honest input and feedback from you. So, if you experience any access issues, please let us know.