Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rochelle Ratkaj Moser. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Rochelle , we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
Making things beautiful has always been my goal as a designer. Designs that captivate, dazzle and delight have always appealed to me. However, I’ve found that a lot of these designs aren’t accessible. When aiming for a wider audience, they fall short, failing to take into consideration the obstacles that people in that audience face and prevent them from accessing the content. I am referring to much more than visible impediments. These obstacles may take the form of a visual impairment, learning disability, cognitive impairment, or even a language barrier. Not only are these obstacles imperceptible, but people are frequently expected to overcome them without assistance.
It would be foolish to deny these people space in the age of technology. E-readers facilitate learning for individuals who prefer auditory methods as well as those who struggle with fluency in reading a written language. Individuals with visual impairments, color blindness, or other visual hurdles can more easily view the content thanks to high contrast design. Additionally, tagging content gives people who are blind or otherwise unable to perceive the offered graphics a visual reference. These straightforward but frequently crucial components should be understood by designers as common practice, especially in a world where inclusivity is our goal, but they aren’t. Here’s where our agency can help. We are establishing accessibility as our norm. We’re creating designs that live up to these standards and keeping up the pressure to get more people to see our work.
There is power in design. We have the power to influence not just the lives of individuals but also those of entire communities. Through our purposeful design, we assist mission-driven organizations in overcoming obstacles and reaching the people who need it most.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’m Rochelle, owner and chief creative officer of Ratkaj Designs. I like to say I’m a design professional with a marketer’s brain — I make things look good, but it’s also incredibly important to me to make them as functional and accessible as possible.
With more than 15 years of experience, I’ve worked with every kind of client and company imaginable: scrappy start-ups, solopreneurs, enterprise corporations, nationally-known non-profits, and your favorite small business down the street. Bring on all the design challenges you have. I’m ready to meet them in my usual way — with full-on enthusiasm and a passion for the possible.
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Ratkaj Designs is a full-service advertising agency focused on our clients’ success. We create this through meaningful strategy, personal service and impactful work that turns heads – and prospects into customers. From our headquarters in the Midwest, we partner with the best talent across the country to serve as your one-stop advertising shop. No matter the size of your project, we assemble a customized team to deliver the solutions you want – while only paying for the services you need.
For nearly 10 years, Ratkaj Designs has been providing the expertise clients expect from a big agency, with the pick-up-the-phone experience of a small one. We’re the best of both worlds. And we’re ready to help when you need us.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I would have to say my most impactful qualities are my curiosity, need for variety, and my desire to do things my own way.
When I started Ratkaj Designs I was focused on the beauty of design. Everything I did was purposeful but focused on the visual. However, as time progressed, I developed a need to understand the end user and how my designs impact their perception of the information.
I was able to use my understanding of strategy to create impact in a different way through thoughtful infographics and targeted campaigns. My branding designs were more meaningful since they frequently had hidden details that strengthened the relationship to the target market, the company’s culture, or its history. My design was driven by the need for a more profound meaning.
It was recently that I realized how important accessibility is to design. Here is where I made another change in my approach to design, one that not only makes our work more inclusive but also keeps the field moving forward. We made accessibility a pillar of our agency and through continuous learning we’ve been able to help organizations come to the same realizations. We educate clients on best practices, offer alternatives to create more inclusive designs, and build our designs with accessibility in mind. By taking this action, we are contributing to the improvement of the world and making it more inclusive for all people, regardless of ability level.
My words of advice to others — always keep an open mind. Technology changes and needs change along with it.
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
Discovering our passion in purposeful design for accessibility has not only helped us stand out from the competition, but it has also enabled us to onboard more non-profits and organizations with a clear mission. Due to this surge of business, we have doubled in size and income for the past two years.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ratkajdesigns.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ratkajdesigns | https://www.instagram.com/ratkaj
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ratkaj/
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