Five ways to make your report more accessible
By Sally Pritchett
CEO
Writing a great report is one thing. Making sure it’s accessible for your readers is another.
Accessibility goes beyond font size or colour contrast – it’s also about creating content that people can understand and engage with. And that starts with how we write, structure and design our reports.
Whether you’re creating an impact report, gender pay gap report, annual report, ESG report or something else, here are five practical ways to make your report more accessible and digestible.
Keep language simple
Complex language, overly long sentences, unfamiliar words all make writing more inaccessible. Using simpler language and keeping sentences clear and concise can make it easier for your audience to stay engaged as they read.
- Swap complex or long words for simpler alternatives (e.g. use ‘help’ instead of ‘assist’)
- Break up long sentences, and write the way you speak
Top tip: Read your content out loud. If it sounds unnatural or clunky, rework it until it flows in a similar way to how you’d speak.
If you’re looking for more ways to write in a clear, inclusive way – not just in reports but across all your channels – our guide to creating authentic, accessible and inclusive communications is a good place to start.
Don’t assume knowledge
Acronyms, industry terms and technical jargon can quickly alienate readers unfamiliar with the topic. If you must include them, always explain the term the first time you use it.
Writing in a way that assumes no prior knowledge isn’t patronising – it’s inclusive. It means anyone, whether they’re new to the subject or an expert, can follow your report without confusion.
Structure matters – break content down
No one wants to read pages of big blocks of text. Well-structured content is easier to scan, understand and remember. Think about what you’re trying to say – and how you can say it in fewer words or in an easier-to-digest way.
- Use clear headings and subheadings to break up text
- Make information easier to scan with bullet points and numbered lists
- Make key messages easy to find in the flow of the content, using callouts or visual elements to support them where useful
Use inclusive visuals
Not everyone processes information the same way. Visual elements like infographics, diagrams and charts can help bring your content to life. However, it’s important to ensure any visuals you use are accessible.
- Choose high-contrast colours and legible fonts
- Avoid using colour alone to differentiate data – also use patterns, labels, symbols or shapes for each section of a chart or graph
- Add meaningful alt text to all informative images for screen reader users
- Avoid overuse of decorative visuals that distract from your message, and mark them as decorative rather than describing unnecessarily
Top tip: Consider whether the message would still be clear if the image didn’t load.
Make it keyboard and screen reader friendly
If your report is digital, it should be easy to navigate with a keyboard and work properly with screen readers.
- Use proper heading styles (H1, H2, etc.) rather than relying on visual formatting alone
- Make sure PDFs are properly tagged and follow a logical reading order
- Keep important information as real text rather than embedding it in images or scanned pages
- Use descriptive links, such as ‘Download the 2026 Report’ instead of ‘Click here’
- Keep tables simple and make sure headings and data are structured properly
Where possible, it can also be worth providing an HTML version alongside a PDF, particularly if the report is being published online for a wide audience.
Top tip: Use built-in accessibility checkers, such as those in Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat, as a starting point. If possible, ask real users to test your report and provide feedback.
A report that’s easy to navigate and understand gives more people the chance to engage with what you’re sharing. Thinking about accessibility from the start can make it easier for readers to find the information they need and use it.
Want to make your next report stronger?
If you already have a report and want to understand where it could be improved, our Report Reviewer gives you an expert review of its storytelling, structure, accessibility and design.
If you’re starting from data, evidence or source material and need support turning it into a finished report, our Report Builder can support the process from structure and content through to design and production.
Or, if you’d like to talk through what you need, get in touch.
FAQs about accessible report design
An accessible report is easy for people to read, navigate and understand. That means using clear language, logical structure, legible design, accessible colour contrast, descriptive links, meaningful alt text and formatting that works for screen readers and keyboard navigation.
Accessibility matters because reports are often created to inform, influence or build trust with important audiences. If a report is difficult to read, navigate or understand, people are less likely to engage with the content, remember the key messages or act on the insight.
Your report may need improving if it feels too long, hard to navigate, overly technical, visually cluttered or difficult to use as a digital document. It may also need a review if the content is strong, but the story, structure, accessibility or design are making it harder for audiences to engage with.
Our Report Reviewer product is designed for organisations with an existing report that is live, in draft or ready to refresh. We review your report across storytelling, structure, accessibility and design, then provide practical recommendations to make it more engaging, easier to navigate and more useful for your audience.
Something Big can support with different stages of report creation, from reviewing what you already have to designing, producing and launching a new report. Depending on what you need, we can help improve an existing draft, turn agreed content and data into a polished report, build the story and structure from the start, or create campaign assets that help your insight reach the right audiences. And if you have a report brief ready to go, then use our report briefing tool to get started.
Introducing the B Corp Agency Alliance
By Sally Pritchett
CEO
Making it easier to find (and work with) agencies doing great work
The B Corp Agency Alliance is a new collective of like-minded independent agencies with a broad range of skills and strengths, working together to make it easier for you to find the right partner.
If you’re looking for an agency, the Alliance gives you a starting point you can trust. A group of agencies that not only bring different specialisms, but are also already working together, sharing knowledge and collaborating to deliver stronger outcomes.
What unites these agencies is their foundations in ethical practice, sustainability and commitment to being better businesses.
This collaboration isn’t just a directory of agencies; it’s an active community working together to raise standards. Tackling the changing nature and expectations of the industry, and some of the toughest challenges businesses are facing, from responsible AI use and reducing digital waste to making sure communication not only cuts through the noise but doesn’t add to it.
Finding the right agency starts with shared values
In a crowded, noisy agency landscape, finding the right partner shouldn’t feel as hard as it does. And yet for many marketing, internal comms and corporate comms teams, we know it does.
There are thousands of agencies to choose between (with around 25,500 independent agencies operating in the UK alone), all with different strengths, specialist experience and ways of working. Alongside those differences in specialism, agencies also have different values, and when you’re picking a partner, that really matters.
The best work happens when the relationship is good – chemistry and trust power creativity and performance. Choosing the right agency goes beyond size, location and services; it’s highly personal.
Needs and challenges are also moving fast. As we all use AI more each day, in-house skills are evolving and along with it the capacity and capability needed from agencies is changing.
The B Corp Agency Alliance brings together a connected group of agencies you can explore with confidence, knowing they share values and a commitment to doing good work, in the right way.
Explore the B Corp Agency Alliance
Website and digital marketing specialists
Creative events
Strategic branding, internal communications & advertising
Strategy, paid Search, paid social, SEO & GEO
Translation and localisation partner
Digital studio
Digital marketing
Purpose driven communications
Personal branding advisors
Creative technology delivering digital tools & platforms
Digital products
B2B growth consultancy
Strategic design
Media partner
Multimedia production
Strategic people & culture communications
Creative design
Video, photography and social content production company
Presentation and infographic design
Web experience design & development
All members of the Alliance are certified B Corps and therefore meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability, and share a commitment to creating a positive impact for workers, communities, customers and the planet. Find out more about the B Corp movement here.