[CEUD-ICT] WCAG 2.0 "Images of Text" guidelines, and text in logos

[Alan M. Dalton]

Hi all,

I'd appreciate your opinions on text in logos, and the Web Content
Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0. WCAG 2.0 has 2 guidelines that discuss
using images of text. They are:
- 1.4.5 Images of Text [1];
- 1.4.9 Images of Text (No Exception) [2].

As Jeffrey Veen said in "The Art and Science of Web Design" (10 years ago),
"Text is text. Graphics are graphics" [3]. WCAG 2.0 guideline 1.4.5
basically says that webpages should have text instead of images of text,
but that webpages can have images of text if the user will be able to
change the appearance of that text, and that webpages can have images, such
as logos, if the presentation of the text is essential. WCAG 2.0 guideline
1.4.9 is stricter, and basically says that webpages should have text
instead of images of text, but that webpages can have images of text, such
as logos, if the presentation of the text is essential.

I'm wondering about the text in logos such as ours (in the National
Disability Authority) [4]. The top two-thirds of our logo has "n", "D", and
"A" as large letters, in an unusual sans-serif font. The bottom thirds of
our logo has the words "National Disability Authority" in a bold,
sans-serif font, and the words "Údarás Náisiúnta Míchumais" in a sans-serif
font. We use that logo on our headed paper, and in our publications and
presentations. I think our website conforms to guidelines 1.4.5 and 1.4.9,
even though there is text in our logo. I know a huge number of Irish
websites have the same issue.

Has anybody any thoughts on that? I'd be interested to hear your opinions.

[1]
http://www.w3.org/TR/UNDERSTANDING-WCAG20/visual-audio-contrast-text-presentation.html
[2]
http://www.w3.org/TR/UNDERSTANDING-WCAG20/visual-audio-contrast-text-images.html
[3] http://thefarawayplaces.com/class/layout/1.html
[4] http://www.nda.ie/resourcenew.nsf/images/ndalogo.gif

Regards,
Alan.
_
Alan Dalton
Accessibility Development Advisor for EtA http://www.nda.ie/eta
Access Officer for NDA http://www.nda.ie

Address: National Disability Authority, 25 Clyde Road, Dublin 4.
_


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