This ad intends to apply human-centered design aspects when revising an existing ad. The existing ad was analyzed with a focus on human-centered typography and color. The specific focus was on font use, text readability, legibility, and color use. Layout, information architecture, and content were also considered in the revision. The audience is senior citizens aged 65 and older. To be effective, the ad needed highly legible, readable text in a font size friendly to aging eyesight. It also required a clear design with a straightforward hierarchy and flow, avoiding clutter and having good contrast.
The concept was to improve on what was already there. The main faults with the provided design were low contrast, a difficult-to-read font, and a lack of clear hierarchy. The new ad has increased contrast and readability, and a more concise ad copy, to reduce cognitive load.
The main background color was lightened up to #EFEFEC, with the text set in #24441D and #53406D.
This results in WCAG contrast ratios of 9.49:1 and 7.85:1, respectively. The background behind the
ad copy was darkened to a 75% tint of #53406D, while the text is set in #EFF0ED, resulting in a WCAG
contrast ratio of 7.9:1 (WebAIM).
Additional revisions include increasing the point size of the ad copy and increasing the logo’s size to add importance. I also swapped the placement of the logo and the ad copy. The initial ad copy placement made it appear like “fine print” rather than content.
The revised ad is a great improvement over the previous ad. It shows an ability to make appropriate
changes to an existing design that improve its accessibility, without removing brand identity or
substantially changing the message.
