• Understand the rules for using images and visual media in business
• Understand the basic principles of visual design

The Impact of Visual Media

As a rule, in all business communications, we should follow the seven principles of business communication. Now we are going to add visual media to our communication toolbox because visual media can increase the impact of your message.

How does a visual element give your message more impact? Think about the last time you needed directions to a friend’s house. You may find it hard to remember turn-by-turn verbal instructions but think of how helpful it is when someone draws you a map. It’s a simple visual aid that takes the place of all of those words in the directions. That map makes your directions easier to remember. There are examples of this representation all around you. For example, the weather report shows you a rain cloud, and you know to grab your umbrella. 

To incorporate visuals effectively, you will still follow all seven principles of business communication but pay particular attention to these:

• Clarity: your visuals should be clear, clean, and simple
• Consistency: your visuals should all maintain a uniform style
• Relevancy: your visuals should make sense as a part of the whole communication and be on-brand

In addition, your visuals should be persuasive. They should inspire an emotional reaction or a new level of understanding.

Clarity

When considering the use of visual media, make sure that it’s easy for readers to glean the information they need. Here are some general rules to keep in mind:

• Use bold, contrasting colors. If you have a pie chart or a graph, it helps to make each piece a contrasting color, e.g. one piece is red, another yellow, and yet another blue. This makes the chart easier to read than if each piece is a different shade of the same color. Make sure your chart pops with color, and there will be no question about which piece is which.
• Use easy-to-read fonts. Loopy letters and heavy calligraphy strokes slow your reader down. Choose a font that’s easy to read.
• Use headings. A heading is a title or label in a document that marks the beginning of a new section. Using headings in documents organizes information into digestible sections, making it easier for readers to find specific topics or understand the overall structure. This allows the reader to quickly grasp the main points and navigate the document efficiently.
• Use only pertinent information. If the point of your communication is to show that sales have gone up 22 percent over last year, your graph should feature that information—and nothing else. If you throw expenses, employee turnover, and gross margin on that same chart, your reader will miss your message. 

Consistency

Uniformity helps the reader understand what to expect and better prepares them to take in your message. Here are a few things you can do to establish consistency:

• Use the format of charts and graphs wherever you’re able. If you start with a bar chart showing annual sales, don’t make change it to a line graph in the next section and then a stacked bar chart in the section after that. Using different charts to show the same information slows your reader down unnecessarily. If you found the best visual scheme to explain the data in the first place, there’s no reason to change it to a less effective one just for the sake of variety.
• Use a uniform color scheme and fonts. If you show sales on your graphs in red, always show them in red. If you’ve chosen one easy-to-read font for all your tables, or a similar style of photo for all the sections of your annual report, there’s no need to deviate.
• Use pictures that are visually similar. If you’re using a series of headshots, the heads should all be about the same size. If four of the pictures show a person’s head and shoulders, the fifth one should not show a person from the waist up.
• Use icons that are universally recognized.  An icon is a small, symbolic image or graphic used to represent an object, action, or idea. Using icons consistently across a document or platform establishes a visual language that enhances comprehension and navigation. Readers quickly learn to associate specific symbols with certain actions or content. Originality with icon choices can confuse the reader if the symbol is not well known.

Relevancy

If your message is communicating annual sales, your charts and graphs shouldn’t be dealing with employee turnover rates. If your message is about your company’s efforts to reduce waste, that message should not feature a photo of a cute puppy. That’s relevancy at a very basic level.

Keeping communication on-brand takes relevancy to a whole new level. Companies rely on visual media as much as the written word to deliver their brand message. As a communicator, you need to keep your choices in visual media relevant to your company’s mission and promise to its customers.

Colors in Branding: Target and Disney

If you ever visit Target’s website, you may notice there’s a whole lot of red and white. That didn’t happen by accident. Target has a series of colors and images that coincide with the way it identifies itself as a company and the promises it makes to its customers. You see a lot of crisp clean backgrounds with vivid pictures showing style and value—and a lot of red fonts and bullseyes.

Conversely, Disney’s main color is blue. Their characters such as Mickey Mouse, Simba, and Elsa are closely associated with the company’s mission and promise to customers. Disney photos always depict happy families interacting with characters and enjoying the entertainment.

Large companies usually have a set of brand guidelines or a brand style guide that communicators can consult to familiarize themselves with the company’s preferred color palette, fonts, and image standards. All of your business communications represent an opportunity to reinforce and reflect your company’s brand, and it’s your duty as a communicator to do so.

Persuasiveness

Your visual media choice should help you tell your story. Even if your data is perfect, it’s no guarantee your audience is going to jump on board with you. Your use of an image, chart, diagram, or video should indicate it is from a reliable source, be simple to read, and allow you to show the audience exactly how you drew the conclusion you’ve drawn. If you’re communicating in aid of a cause, it doesn’t hurt to choose an image that invokes a little emotion.

This doesn’t mean that you should sacrifice the principle of objectivity when you employ persuasiveness in your visual media. But your communication strategy on the whole is an engagement tool, and your choice of visuals should strengthen that engagement.