Graphic design; being founded on the sense of sight, focuses on enabling the perception of the intended message in two or three dimensions. Aside from conveying the message, the purpose of graphic design has historically been to flourish as a language communicating via an original, aesthetic, sustainable and universal notion of design. The intrinsic nature of design as a language which has been composed in order to reach bigger masses permits graphic design to have a greater involvement in everyday life. The design has thus been made accessible to a wider populace by enabling visually impaired individuals to perceive the message and interpret the design. In this context, the stimulation of the sense of touch apart from the sense of sight and the inclusion of design elements triggering the tactile senses has been a critical factor for the memorability of the message and the broadening of its target audience. The activation of the tactile sense is achieved through the utilization of the Braille alphabet, tactile diagrams and of embossed shapes and logos triggering the sense of touch. Designs involving this approach; while allowing non-impaired individuals to read the design in collaboration with their sense of touch and thus endorse the permanence of the message, also give the visually-impaired the opportunity of reading and perceiving the message. The fundamental aim of this study is to depict the elements of design that allow the activation of the sense of touch within the context of accessible design, to examine existing tactile graphic design models and to study the accessible design concept in the field of graphic design. Throughout the study, examples of design have been analyzed in recognition of design theories and the opinions of graphic designers.

Graphic design, Tactile sense, Braille, Embossed diagrams, Accessible design