Able has been on an incredible journey since our inception. Growing from TVNZ’s ‘Access Services’ Department into an independent charitable trust, we now provide media access services for all of Aotearoa’s leading broadcasters. We caption and audio describe a plethora of content, providing access to TV for the diverse communities of Aoteaora.

At the heart of our kaupapa is the belief that everybody should be able to access the news, stories and culture of the nation. Our brand identity has been designed to reflect this, and our passion for turning New Zealand content into the shared experience it was made to be. 

Our new logomark

We’ve evolved the ‘Able’ logomark to prioritise accessibility. Whilst our name, ‘Able’, continues to encapsulate our purpose, enabling all New Zealanders to access the world of media, we have moved towards a more clear and accessible logo, which is  bold, high-contrast, and highly legible. We use a braille logo as a part of our wayfinding and communication with braille readers.

Our new colour palette

We’ve expanded our colour palette, introducing warm tones, and prioritising a high colour contrast for clarity and visibility. The colour combinations have been selected to meet the WCAG 2.1AAA standards of colour contrast. The expanded tones of pale pink, vibrant orange, violet and seafoam green add warmth and depth, representing the diverse audiences we serve, and the diverse array of media we make accessible. Overlapping graphic shapes and colour blocks feature as brand elements, designed to portray the idea of connection and bring warm personality to our communications.

Our new website

As the digital home of our brand, our website has been designed with the WCAG 2.1 AA standards as the foundation; rather than an addition. It’s designed to be a launchpad to take you behind-the-screens to learn more about media accessibility, to meet our dedicated staff team and our Board, and to hear from the people and communities we serve. 

We’ve evolved our brand to prioritise simplicity, accessibility, and connection. The launch today, on Able’s eighth birthday, marks the next phase of our growth and impact. We hope you love it as much as we do.

Next in the journal:

A graphic image of an old-school TV with a scene of Pulp Fiction on it.

Blind people watch TV too

Audio description comes as standard on shows streaming on Netflix and other international services. So, Able Chief Executive…

Dan Buckingham, Jai Waite and Rachale Davis are on a stage together. Dan has brown hair, a white button-up shirt and is using a wheelchair, turned away from the camera. Jai is wearing a blue button-up top, using a wheelchair, and is in the middle of speaking. Rachale has blonde shoulder-length hair and a yellow top, looking over at Jai.

Navigating authentic representation of disability

During the annual SPADA conference this year, our CEO Dan Buckingham facilitated a panel with Jai Waite from…

Picture of Virginia Philp (who was part of AD's inception) smiling. She has shoulder length brown hair and brown eyes.

Decade of Able: Virginia Philp, team leader, audio describers

Virginia Philp leads our small crew of audio describers. She overseas everything audio description: recruiting, training and managing…

David wears glasses and a hearing aid, and smiles.

Decade of Able: David Kent, trustee

David Kent is a trustee on the Able board. Since 2005, David has chaired the Southern Hearing Charitable…

A photo of Clive Lansink, who has short grey hair and a grey moustache. He is wearing a blue, yellow and red checkered flannel button-up T shirt.

Decade of Able: Clive Lansink, Chair, Blind Low Vision NZ

Kia ora, Clive. I’ve heard that you were instrumental in audio description advocacy, prior to its introduction to…

A photo of Wendy Youens, who has straight brown hair just below her shoulders and blue eyes. She is smiling, wearing a bright blue top.

Decade of Able: Wendy Youens, founding CEO

Wendy Youens was the founding CEO of Able, having led its establishment as an independent organisation in 2013.…