Articles

Do we still read?

Yes, we do! Our reading habits might have changed through time, but we still read quite a lot. Among other things, we read to keep ourselves posted on the world around us, as entertainment and to learn something new. The amount of knowledge created has never been higher than now – knowledge that needs to be communicated.

In this article, you’ll see what it takes to communicate your company’s knowledge and information in an inspiring and comprehensible manner – and in that way make sure you catch the attention of your readers.

Who?

It’s always important to know who you want to reach with your communication. You need to define your target audience, and you need to think about how to reach them visually and using your tone of voice.

Sometimes, the target audience is quite wide, or your publication addresses several different target audiences. In cases like these it’s important that you decide who’s your main target and communicate especially to this group. And then you need to figure out how to also consider your other target audiences in your communication.

Once you have defined your target audience, you also need to think about which platforms to use in order to be most successful in getting their attention. For instance, are they on social media, do they visit scientific websites or somewhere else

What?

It’s also important to have a clear idea of what exactly you want to communicate with your publication. For instance, do you want to inform readers, do you want readers to use the publication as a work of reference, or do you want the publication to sell items or services? It’s vital that text, structure and design help make the purpose clear to the audience – that makes them want to read your text.

Does the content need a set structure, or is it a better idea with a lose structure in order to convey a lighter tone of voice? What needs to be highlighted, and what might benefit from being accompanied by boxes, images, graphs or infographic? These questions are relevant whether you’re working on a large publication or a small leaflet.

Where?

Today, we primarily publish online – often as PDFs. Some publications are also printed – for instance because the publication will be used at a conference, or because the handbook will be handed out to a specific group of employees. A publication has a longer life online, where everyone can find it at any time they want to, and it is no longer just stored in piles in basements. We only print the number of publications we need – that’s good for the environment.

Publishing online is easy, but there are many websites, publications and articles competing for the attention of the readers. And do we even read as well digitally as we do on printed material? We’re getting better at it, and we can help make sure your readers get a great reading experience in the digital universe – both in the way we communicate and the way we design.

How?

So how do we change the Word document into great, vivid communication?

The most important task for the design of a publication is to communicate the content in a logical and comprehensible manner, while also keeping it animated and meaningful. That is what design can do ­– communicate complex content that may have to reach a variety of target groups as well as communicate the quick, straightforward message. It’s about the layout of the text, the choice of images and the visual means. The visual experience should always go hand in hand with the key messages and the tone of voice of the content. And the design should most often have a connection to your company’s visual identity and your communication strategy.

Make it easy to read

The road may be filled with challenges before the result is perfect. We make sure that the text is easy to read – digitally as well as in print – and therefore font and font size matters greatly. The type face of a publication plays a huge part in how the readers are led through the text.

Manage for photos

Photos might also be a challenge. How many images or photos should be included, what do we want to show, are we even allowed to use photos with people on – and how do you find the perfect photo, when you’re not allowed to copy paste from Google?

The strength of infographic and other graphic measures

Furthermore, data presentation is often present in larger publications – usually in the shape of tables, a variety of graphs, maps, process diagrams etc. And often in many different styles. Design can really help make sure all material has the same, professional style which strengthens your communication.

Infographic is here to stay – and thank you for that. Because infographic is able to communicate special details or important results in a quick and easy manner. It can convey points from the complicated graph or the perplexing process diagram, or it can prove a point in a short and simple manner that replaces a large amount of text. Designed infographics are also suitable for messages on social media, where your messages are often in strong competition with purple unicorns and goofy family photos.

Furthermore, data presentation is often present in larger publications – usually in the shape of tables, a variety of graphs, maps, process diagrams etc. And often in many different styles. Design can really help make sure all material has the same, professional style which strengthens your communication.

Infographic is here to stay – and thank you for that. Because infographic is able to communicate special details or important results in a quick and easy manner. It can convey points from the complicated graph or the perplexing process diagram, or it can prove a point in a short and simple manner that replaces a large amount of text. Designed infographics are also suitable for messages on social media, where your messages are often in strong competition with purple unicorns and goofy family photos.

Text and design come together in one visual style, and this makes the publication complete and offers your target audience a great reading experience.

So, what do you need to focus on when developing a publication?

• Who is your target audience – and how do you reach them?
• What is the purpose of your publication?
• Which platforms do you use to reach your target audience?
• How do you optimise your publication by using design in order to reach your target audience, stand by your key messages and make sure it works perfectly on the right platforms?

We can help you with your communication – contact BGRAPHIC and let us help 🙂

PS: Accessibility online
Most public communication is required by law to be accessible. We can also help you with that 🙂