An Example of How Graphics Enhance Your Message

Graphics such as clip art, colors and text can turn a boring message or chart into something visually interesting that people remember.  When your viewers walk out of the room or surf to a new Web page, will they remember what they learned?  Graphics can help increase the chance they will if done right.

I was on-line the other day and I came across a graphic from this post that was noteworthy for all the wrong reasons.  Take a look below.  The aesthetic is not too bad and you see a nice style to the art work.  But if you’re like me, you had to do a few double-takes before the core message revealed itself.

I just didn’t pick up the the purpose of the graphic from this image.  If not for this post about graphics, I would never have taken the time to think about the message let alone remember it for later.  The actual intent was to represent what is essentially a bar chart like the one below.  Take a moment yourself and see what elements from above communicate this chart.  You can ignore the chickens as I did when I first saw this.

Most artists rely on the fact that the eye, in conjunction with the brain, does inherent pattern recognition.  They introduce graphics to make images more interesting while trying not to obscure the patterns the eye must see to appreciate the primary message of the image.

What happened in this case?  The pattern the viewer is expected to recognize is that the hill and trees represent increasing values over time.  This didn’t work so well for me probably because there is too much noise on the image and too many changes from left to right.  The eye needs similarities and some level of consistency to make the desired connections.

Let me demonstrate what I mean with an example you may have seen before.  Look at the silhouette of a face below.  You notice a head, hair, eyes and lips as elements of a face even though you can’t see the actual person.  Your brain easily recognizes the pattern of a face.

Now look at two people facing each other using the same exact image.  Is this two people in black or is it a white vase on a black background?  The more you stare at this, the more you will notice that some times you see people and some times you see a vase.  The dual image creates a challenge for pattern recognition because the image equally represents both two faces and a vase.

Graphics can provide the visual clues people need to see the right pattern.  For example, depth, color and secondary graphics such as flowers push the eye toward the vase pattern as with this next image.  Most people would not even see the original faces.

Back to our graphic, the artist could help the viewer make the right connections while creating something aesthetically pleasing with just a few small changes.  The following version of the original image preserves much of the aesthetic, but introduces some consistency and effects to help the viewer register the core message.

Here’s what was changed:

• The background is one color so it stays in the background and the eye is not distracted moving left to right.  The hill is one color as well.
• The trees are more similar in shape and color to help the viewer see they are related. The left tree is unchanged though to keep some playfulness and because it didn’t impact the overall message.
• The font of the amount increases left to right and the last tree is thinner to make it appear taller.  These changes, along with the previous two, help the viewer’s eye connect to the pattern of increasing amounts or values over time leading up to the 1.2 billion dollar amount.
• The white text is now a single title at the top to clarify the purpose of the chart.  The labels at the bottom are in a similar font to make them more noticeable.
• There are far less paths and rocks and bushes and markers.  In fact, I didn’t even realize the coloration on the hills represented paths until I started making changes!
• And finally, I put in a jogger and a family on bikes.  A family out for a weekend ride creates a nice image, and the active people reinforces the message this chart is about walking and biking programs.

Interesting and playful graphics definitely create a nice aesthetic.  Pleasing imagery increases the chance your viewers will remember your message provided you don’t over power the message.