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Re: Decorative Logos [WebAIM-Forum Digest, Vol 208, Issue 24]

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From: David Engebretson Jr.
Date: Jul 27, 2022 2:36PM

I agree with Glen (mostly). As a screen reader user I am alerted that something is a "graphic". I don't need to know it's a photo of, image of, portrait of,etc. because that is built in to screen reader technology. It just becomes cognitive overload for assistive technology users to add that extra verbiage in alt text.

However, regarding a "logo", I think that it's possible to describe logo images in a meaningful way. Personally I think that the designers who create logo's should be the folks responsible for creating the alt text of the image; they know what their intent was when they created the logo. I've seen some really meaningful alt text on logo's.

If the designer is no longer available to create the alt text, or someone else is responsible for the copy, then "Company XYZ logo" is enough alt text for me. I tend to skip over the graphic of the logo and wonder what is visually intriguing but I, even though I might try, can't control their workflow.

Basically, if someone doesn't care enough to describe their logo then I let it go. I'm not in control.

Cheers,
David