Rebranding a white-label workbook or slide deck usually means new colors, new fonts and new images. Each of those changes can quietly make a product harder to use for people with low vision or who rely on screen readers. A few checks during rebranding help keep your PDFs and slides usable for more of your customers.
Check Color Contrast After Recoloring
Brand colors are often chosen for looks, not legibility. The W3C’s explanation of WCAG contrast requirements sets a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text at Level AA, with large text defined as at least 18 point, or 14 point bold. Run your main text and background color pairs through a contrast checker before applying them across a whole product, and pay special attention to text placed on top of photos or light brand tints.
Keep Headings Real Headings
Screen readers use document structure to help people navigate. In Canva, the PDF accessibility help page explains that heading text types map to heading tags in exported PDFs, and that leaving Flatten PDF unchecked keeps those tags. In slide software, Microsoft’s PowerPoint accessibility guide recommends giving every slide a unique title, even if you hide it visually.
Add or Update Alt Text
- When you replace an image, write new alt text for it; old descriptions will not match.
- Describe what the image contributes, briefly, without starting with “image of.”
- Mark purely decorative shapes and backgrounds as decorative where the tool allows it.
- If your tool generates alt text automatically, review it. Microsoft’s guide notes that PowerPoint may leave phrases such as “Description automatically generated” that should be removed.
Check Reading Order
Screen readers follow an object order that may not match what you see on the page. Microsoft explains that in PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 on Windows, the Reading Order pane lists objects in the order they will be read, while on Mac and the web the Selection Pane lists them in reverse order. Canva calculates reading order automatically on export and offers an option to match reading order to layers for more complex layouts. Rebranding often adds new elements on top of old ones, so recheck the order afterward.
Make Text and Links Easy to Read
- Microsoft recommends at least 18 point text in slides, sans serif fonts, and avoiding all caps and heavy use of italics or underlining.
- Don’t use color alone to convey meaning, such as marking correct answers in green.
- Replace “click here” links with text that names the destination.
Run the Built-In Checker, Then Check Manually
In PowerPoint, Microsoft’s guide points to Review > Check Accessibility. Canva notes that its Design Accessibility Checker covers visual issues only, so headings and reading order still need a manual check. No automated tool catches everything, so open the final file and review it page by page.
The details above reflect Microsoft’s and Canva’s help pages as of October 2026 and may change; follow the linked pages for current steps in your version.