How to Create an Accessible Design

Unfortunately, this means that these design tools are not recommended for use in your courses. However, this does not mean you must stop using your favorite design software entirely. The following steps will show you how to turn your design into an accessible one. Using Microsoft, you can easily recreate templates that you love from Canva.

Step One: Find a Desired Template

• Avoid pro content – If you have a subscription to Canva, you gain access to pro templates. Because of copyright laws, it is not advisable to recreate these. It is recommended that free templates and designs be used instead.
• Ensure appropriate dimensions – On first glance, it is easy to misidentify the actual dimensions of the template you are using. Using a template with the correct dimensions for what you are trying to create is imperative.
• Use good color contrast – To confirm that every aspect of your design is visible, it is important to employ good color contrast.
• Easy-to-read fonts – Avoid script fonts and other inaccessible font types in your design, especially for the most important information.
• Unobstructed text – Avoid templates that obstruct parts of the text with other design elements.
• Comfortable spacing – Find designs that have appropriate spacing between letters, lines and paragraphs.

Step Two: Customize the Design (Optional)

You may want to adjust some design aspects; the following are helpful tips to help guide your process.

• Replace pro content with free content – If any layers or aspects of the design are pro-leveled, removing those in favor of free content is recommended.
• Do not use color alone to convey meaning – Color should not be the only aspect of your design that emphasizes the meaning of your creation.
• Fine-tune color contrast – You can use color contrast analyzers to ensure proper color contrast.
• Plan font replacements – If any inaccessible or hard-to-read fonts exist, plan on changing them. There may also be certain fonts that are not available on Microsoft’s services.

Step Three: Prepare Background Image

• Duplicate the template’s file
• Remove all text from the design
• Remove all important graphics
• Remove all shapes and graphics that were text backgrounds
• Now, download this as an image – this will become the background in Microsoft.

Step Four: Set Microsofts Paper/Slide Size

• Find the original dimensions of the template you are using.
• If using PowerPoint – Go to the design tab, select slide size, and then select custom slide size.
• If using Word – Go to the layout tab, then select the size menu. Word’s page size limit is 22 x 22 inches, so if your design exceeds this, you should use PowerPoint instead.

Step Five: Set Background Image

• If using PowerPoint – Select your image, click the Picture Format tab, select the Send Backward tab, and then select “Send to Back.”
• If using Word – Select your image > select the “Picture Format” tab, select “Wrap Text,” then select “Behind Text.”

Step Six: Add Text and Graphics Back

There is no specific process for how to do this, however, below are some tips to make it easier.

• Screenshots – You can take screenshots of aspects of the original design to insert into your new Microsoft file. Be careful of copyrights when doing so.
  • If using screenshots, zoom in on the element you aim to capture before screenshotting to ensure a higher quality image.
  • Also, avoid capturing texts aside from logos or headings that cannot be replicated.
• Putting Images in Shape Frames – If, for example, your design in Canva has an image inside of a circle rather than a square. The following process will allow you to replicate that circle.
  1. Insert an image, then open the “Picture Format” tab.
  2. Expand the “Crop” menu.
  3. Select “Crop to Shape” then select the desired shape.
  4. (As appropriate) Click “Crop” again to make further adjustments.
     • Drag the black bars to resize the shape.
     • Drag the white dots to resize the image.
     • Drag the image within the shape to adjust placement. 5. (As appropriate) Use “Shape Outline” and “Shape Effects” to customize.
• Editing Shapes (PowerPoint Only) – If a shape doesn’t match the original design follow this process to adjust it.
  • “Shape Format” tab, select “Edit Shape,” Select “Edit Points,” then drag the black squares.
• Remove Image Background – To easily remove the background of a desired image, follow these steps.
  1. Insert your image.
  2. Select the image, then click on the “Picture Format” tab.
  3. Click the “Remove Background” button.
  4. Automatically the program will highlight everything it assumes you want to remove. However, you can fine tune its selections by using the “Mark Areas to Keep” and “Mark Areas to Remove” tools.
  5. Select “Keep Changes” and it will remove everything you have selected.
• Format Size and Position – You may want to adjust certain elements of a design to match your Canva Design. Follow these steps to format the size of those elements.
  1. Right click on the element.
  2. Select “Format Shape.”
  3. Open the “Size and Properties” or “Layout and Properties” tab.
  4. Go into Canva and select the same element, then “Position” to find the information for proper dimensions and placement.
  5. Input these numbers into Microsoft.
• Text Spacing – You may want to adjust spacing between certain elements on your design.
  • Using the “AV” tool on PowerPoint allows you to adjust the spacing between letters. You should only use this to fix fonts, not create art.
    • In Word you can do the same through the “Advance Font Settings” tab.
  • Line spacing can be adjusted through the “Line Spacing” tool. For more advanced options you can select “Line Spacing Options,” here you can adjust spacing between lines of text and spacing between paragraphs. However, spacing between paragraphs does not work on the title box.
  • You can also select multiple boxes then select the “Arrange” tab, then select “Align” to space those boxes appropriately.

Step Seven: Run the Accessibility Checker

Microsoft has a built-in accessibility checker to help you determine how accessible your designs are. To access this, select the Review tab and then choose Check Accessibility. PowerPoint has a dedicated accessibility tab with more options to ensure accessibility within your designs. To ensure that text-to-speech programs read your PowerPoint designs correctly, use the Reading Order tool and drag-and-drop elements.

Step Eight: Export to PDF

To ensure your design is ready to be finalized, make sure to check over your design and ensure you have followed all previous steps.

• There are two ways to export to PDF
  • For PowerPoint, use the Save As function.
  • For Word, use the Acrobat Add-on.

Step Nine: Make the PDF Accessible

• Follow the Clemson University PDF Accessibility guide – This resource can help you ensure your PDF is fully accessible.
• Reminder – Always keep the Microsoft copy of your design in case you need to update it.
• Tip – You might consider distributing the Microsoft file instead of a PDF if ensuring accessibility is a problem.

Are you confused about any of these steps? You can get an in depth look at this process in the recorded video training below.

Accessible Design with Canva, Adobe Express, and Friends

Quality Matters Workshop Opportunity

Improving Your Online Course (IYOC)

October 9 – November 20

This 6-week asynchronous workshop explores the QM Rubric and provides a framework to improve the quality of online courses. Participants use the QM Rubric to review their own online courses and develop a course improvement plan. Participants come away with a plan for course improvement, so enrolling in the workshop with a pre-developed online or hybrid course is required. 

Complete this form to register for IYOC

Upcoming Events

Increasing Instructor-Student Communication and Connection in the Online Classroom

September 24, 1:30-2:30 PM

Effective communication and connection between instructors and students can be a challenge in online courses, but is an important part of building community and successful learning. This training will provide practical tips, tricks, and tools to help increase communication and connection between you and your online students.

This training session will be held over Zoom. After completing the registration form, you will receive an Outlook calendar invitation, including the Zoom link. All registrants will be sent a copy of the recorded training.

Click here to register and receive the Zoom link!

Facilitated by Millie Tullis, Digital Learning Strategist.

Quick Hits: Introduction to Academic Integrity Tools

October 2, 3:00-4:00 PM

This Quick Hit will cover using Lockdown Browser and Respondus Monitor for online quizzes and using Turnitin to check for possible plagiarism in your students’ written work. 

Whether you’re new to these tools, want to see their features demonstrated, or have a specific question about using these tools in your class, this training has you covered. When registering, please include any questions you have about this training topic.

This training session will be held over Zoom. After completing the registration form, you will receive an Outlook calendar invitation, including the Zoom link. All registrants will be sent a copy of the recorded training.

Click here to register and receive the Zoom link!

Facilitated by John Dickinson, IT Services Specialist.Upcoming Events

Clemson Online Fall 2025 Events Calendar

Review our Fall 2025 Events Calendar to see what Online Instruction Development opportunities await!

We have a robust lineup of topics and live training formats to support your use of Canvas and other e-learning tools. Topics cover demonstrations of using Kaltura, engaging your students, and workshops to get your Canvas site ready to teach!

All of our live training is recorded. Registrants will automatically receive a link to that day’s video after it has been processed.

Contact Millie Tullis with any questions regarding these sessions.

Clemson Online – Where Tech and Teaching Meet