Deb Arnold, ink.

Volume 1, Number 2

The Visuals Edition

Time flies. Leaves are turning crimson and canary, prompting thoughts on the power of color and form - in life, in print and onscreen. Visuals help words and ideas pop, especially reports, presentations and other potentially underwhelming congregations of jargon. So here's some info dedicated to the business communicator's best friend.

And as always, for regular snacking, visit my blog.

Thanks and happy reading,

deb
Links I Like: 7 Flavors of Infographics (aka You Got Your Data in My Pictures! You Got Your Pictures on My Data!)

I recently happened upon a treasure trove of infographics Web sites (it's so good, I'll say it again: infographics Web sites) on AllTop. See what inspires you. Think about how you'd rate each, and why.

  1. Navel Contemplation

  2. Social Media
    3.

  3. Chile Mine Rescue: Which do you find most effective? Why?

    4. P.S. There are a few more days to see the rescue capsule replica at Expo 2010.

  4. Economics
    • Burgernomics: Imagine our GDP without them
    • Death and Taxes: And you think your job is tough - check out the President's Discretionary Budget (brought to you by, um, Americans for Infographics) However you vote, remember to vote!

  5. Women in Business (warning: outrage ahead)

  6. Human Nature

  7. Design

    8. *Fact: I once pranced and trilled on a high school stage in ruby slippers (which my mom still has)
  • Further Reading
    • The Enterprise 2.0 Locomotion, Gathering Steam
     E20--that is, businesses using social networking platforms to improve internal collaboration and performance--is also about visuals, in a sense. It's simply more interesting and engaging to see documents in, say, a YouTube-like format than a My Documents folder, especially if you could click to see the author's profile, then add that person to your Facebook-like contacts page. Just some of the many reasons E20 is building momentum.

    Another? Microsoft crowing about the enterprise collaboration features in Office 2010. With the world's largest software company on board, this train has left the station.

    I'll be attending the Enterprise 2.0 Conference in Santa Clara in November. Watch my blog and Twitter for updates.

    Going to See The Man
     One ought not discuss visuals without bringing into the picture infographics guru Edward Tufte. I gathered some folks to join me for his one-day course in Seattle. Takeaways include Tufte's six "grand principles":
    1. Comparisons: Make it easier to draw conclusions about data; use thickness, color, weight, etc.
    2. Causality: In other words, let the data explain what happened
    3. Multivariate Data: Three or more factors - because life has multiple variables
    4. Integration: "A diversity of evidence" - words, numbers, images, diagrams
    5. Documentation: Show credibility with detail
    6. Content Counts Most of All: Quality, relevance and integrity

    Some simpler advice: don't use legends on graphs; don't use boxes on org charts; avoid optical clutter (you would think that would be obvious, but alas); and, my favorite, find good examples and copy them (see Links I Like, above).

    Tufte has famously disparaged PowerPoint for years as "corrupting statistical analysis" and worse. I tend to side with Tufte's detractors who say that .PPT is just a tool, thus will only ever be as effective as the person wielding it. No matter, The Man has much to teach.

    Extra credit: Revisit the infographics above, using the lens of Tufte's principles.

    5 Reasons to Hire an Awards Inside/Outsider
     As many of you gentle readers know, I've been helping companies win (a lot of) industry awards. Now, why would a company hire an outsider to complete award applications on programs they know nothing about? Easy - to get:

    1. An outsider's perspective - so someone can see the forest for the trees
    2. Dedicated resources with no competing priorities
    3. Few requirements from, or distractions for, lean and busy teams (and managers)
    4. Minimal interruption to scheduled work and business-driven priorities
    5. And most importantly, specialized expertise they may not have in house:
      • Crisp, spot-on writing - to make it easy for the judges to like (and understand) your entry
      • Effective interviewing skills - to get the details judges want
      • Sixth sense for story telling - finding the angle, the drama that makes you stand out
      • Strong track record winning awards (20 to date, but who's counting?)

                    It also helps if you love to win.

    Success begets success, and free time: The more applications I complete, the better I know the company, and the easier future applications become, for everyone. What might have been nightmarish for the client, or just a pain in the derriere, becomes a piece of cake.

    Delicious, delicious cake.

    But of course, nothing is as sweet as victory.

    If you or someone you care about wants to win industry and internal recognition for their team/division/company, check out my award offerings, and start with me.


     
    "All perceiving is also thinking, all reasoning is also intuition,
    all observation is also invention."     - Rudoph Arnheim, 1974

    Read the last issue of BRAINSNACKS.

     
    deb@debarnoldink.com  t +1 206 734.9899  f +1 877 540.8808 PO Box 9492, Seattle WA 98109 USA


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    Deb Arnold, Ink. | PO Box 9492 | Seattle | WA | 98109