In the current edition of IABC’s Communication World, Paula Cassin of Cut Through Communications discusses how visuals make it easier and faster for readers to absorb information.
I’ve summarized her suggestions here ...
1. Tag clouds
Tag clouds are a popular feature found on blogs and many online news sites. They list the top words used on the site and give the reader a quick overview of what the main content is about. Online tools like www.wordle.net or www.tagcrowd.com make it easy for you to generate a tag cloud from a file, URL or pasted text. Capture a screenshot of your tag cloud and save it as a JPG, or use the HTML code to embed it in a web page or any other HTML-based communication.
2. Image as metaphor
A simple way to incorporate visuals into your communications is to find image metaphors for your main ideas—ones that go beyond the obvious. Most of your publications and intranets will contain photos or images that align with particular stories. Consider taking these images to the next level by using symbolic photos to convey your key message.
To do this you must first determine the most important idea in your newsletter, report, e-mail, etc., that you’d like your audience to understand and remember. Brainstorm possible ways to represent the concept as an image by conducting Google keyword searches, doodling, asking other people for their ideas or by using stock photo sites.
Pair your image with a good, strong caption that conveys the essence of your photo and message.
3. Charts and graphs
Don’t overlook diagrams and charts—they quickly convey comparisons, status reports, health checks and even strategic initiatives. Free online tools like OnlineChartTool offer outside-the-box options. Standard programs such as Excel and PowerPoint can provide robust graphs, too.
4. Visuals for lists, processes and hierarchies
If you use PowerPoint, have a look at the SmartArt feature (available in Microsoft Office 2007). Use it to create visuals to convey information on processes, hierarchies, lists or relationships. Many templates include image details. After converting an image to a JPG, it’s easy to embed it in an e-mail or document.
5. Color, icons and layout
You can improve the readability of even the simplest message by using color, icons or a consistent layout, all of which provide visual cues to readers and help them process information faster.
Paula Cassin also links to an article by Dustin Wax over at Stepcase Lifehack, who provides several additional tips.
What Dustin says is that with today’s built-in computer design tools being put in the hands of non-designers, we’re seeing “a mish-mash of difficult-to-read fonts, seemingly random italics and boldfaced text, extraneous sidebars, and awkward layouts. In unskilled hands, the tools available to us can very quickly produce messy, over-designed documents that are far less readable than the plain typewritten documents of old.”
Badly designed PowerPoint presentations and Word documents are two examples that come immediately to my mind.
But not all is lost. Using what he calls the CRAP principles (Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, and Proximity) can go a long way towards reducing the visual nightmares all too often seen in today’s corporate communications.
Bottom line: Research shows that in today’s information-overloaded world, you need to communicate visually to cut through the clutter and get your message across. You don’t need to be a designer, but you can improve your design skills by following the basic principles mentioned by Dustin. He also recommends The Non-Designer’s Design Book; another is Chuck Green's Design-it-Yourself Graphic Workshop: The Step-by-Step Guide.
Photo: Lam Bui
