Visual Messaging

Visual Messaging

Photographs, charts, cartoons, artwork, emojis, infographics and even color and font choices contribute to public relations and strategic messaging in a major way. Visual elements complement or even replace text in much of the messaging sent by brands on many platforms. Like other types of messaging, visuals must be consistent with the brand and focused on intended audiences and objectives to be effective.

Allie and Adam Lehman own The Wonder Jam, an agency that builds brands by supporting design, websites, logos, branding and photography needs.

Allie and Adam Lehman, founders of The Wonder Jam, an agency specializing in branding, design and photography.

With a strong commitment to community, The Wonder Jam also offers classes and education to empower clients in these areas. Even with the agency's strong focus on design, Allie Lehman is quick to note that "words and copy are so important". She says the goal is to pair text with visual graphics and branding so that it stays consistent – if someone encounters that brand it seems recognizable and familiar. "Your brand is an idea that sticks in someone's head. If something that you produce for a client gets put out months down the road, it still has that connection to what consumers saw months ago".

In the video below, Allie Lehman talks about the most important considerations when creating and selecting visuals to send strategic messages.

Source: Mary Sterenberg, https://ohiostate.pressbooks.pub/writelikeapro/part/chapter-13-visual-messaging/
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License.

Practical Details Matter

For graphics, the capabilities and needs of those producing the visuals also play a primary role. Allie Lehman says, "I like to ask the question of who's going to be managing this work – who's going to be posting it. Does it need to be duplicated for future months or years?" This dictates the type of visual produced and the programs used to create it.

The Wonder Jam worked with a real estate group with multiple realtors who needed to create the same documents regularly. Complex designs originally created in the desktop publishing software Adobe Photoshop or InDesign were replicated in the user-friendly and free online site Canva so the realtors could duplicate them or populate ready-made designs month after month.

"We had talked about their goals, created things in our own programs and then created something that empowered them to own their brand," says Allie Lehman. This protected the group from disjointed graphics that chipped away at the larger brand image.

How the Pros Do It: Changes to Visual Packaging Drive Sales

In the video, Allie talks about working with simple syrup company Root 23 and using market research to analyze competitors on the shelf next to Root 23. After considering differences such as how the different brands "talked" to customers and how ingredients were listed, The Wonder Jam chose to focus much of its efforts on the label design to make it really pop when customers saw it on the shelf. The agency recommended that the client invest in metallic ink. Within the first few months of this visual change, the simple syrups were in 10 different grocery stores.

The Wonder Jam also worked with Primally Pure, which produces natural skincare products, on a rebrand. The client wanted its products to be so beautiful customers would want to leave it out on the bathroom sink rather than stash it in a cabinet. When the new brand launched, Primally Pure saw a large spike in sales but the label quality also inspired consumers to take pictures of the product and it created a lot of content for the brand and a strong conversation about the brand on social media channels.

Primally Pure packaging before the rebrand.

Primally Pure packaging after the rebrand.

Photography Tips

Professional communicators use photography in many forms to share information: publicity photos in an ad, Instagram images and filters, environmental or headshot photos for a news release or website. Photos add interest and people often "read" photos more than words, especially in formats like social media. Media outlets also need visuals, so including photography can increase the likelihood that your news will be published.

The photos below, taken by The Wonder Jam team, come from the same photo shoot for Otto Skin Goods, but each photo has a different strategic purpose and use. The goal of the first photo is to demonstrate how the products are made on a website landing page.

The second photo was intended to show texture and the final products on a large scale because it appears on a large display pillar for in-person trade shows.

Considerations for amateur photographers:

• Technical quality matters. Take and share photos at the highest possible resolution to achieve good contrast and sharp details. Know when the needed photographs require professional-grade equipment or a trained photographer.
• There are different photos for different purposes. Be clear whether the goal is a head shot photo for a website biography, a grip-and-grin photo of award winners receiving their awards or Instagram-worthy behind-the-scenes candid images. In general, avoid photos of large groups of people and seek to show activity in the photos.
• Keep composition in mind. Think about how to frame the picture and give yourself some options. Lehman says to get closer and get more angles. Get a really wide image or a square image. Or take a wider shot and crop it in later. Take photos from unusual angles to generate interest. If the size or shape of something in the photo is important, compose the shot with something in the scene that helps show the scale.
• Lighting can make or break the photo. Natural light is a friend to amateur photographers. Lehman recommends seeking out natural light, especially on a phone camera, to make images feel bright, real and authentic. It also eliminates indoor shadows. Keep in mind that outdoor light is very different based on time of day and location. Noon sun is very bright and flat. Photos shot in the early morning or especially late in the day just before sunset can have dramatic shadows and highlighted areas.
• Rein in the filter selection. Lehman says consistency is key with photographs for a brand, and this extends to the use of filters. If you choose to apply a filter in Instagram or another program, stick with that filter so the images look familiar over time and don't shift from warmer to cooler.

Telling Stories with Infographics

Infographics use visuals to make information easy to understand. They can present complex information quickly and clearly, or tell a more compelling story by fusing graphics and text.

To create a strong infographic:

• Have a planning process to determine the overall purpose and message
• Select strong details and data to support the primary message
• Find a relevant hook for your infographic: is something significant or new?
• Create a branded design with colors and font that connect to brand and/or topic. But make sure style never overwhelms substance.
• Use graphics and visuals that make information easier to understand. An infographic is not just an illustration and needs to tell a story.
• Treat the infographic as visual journalism: no factual or grammatical errors and be sure to include proper citation of all included information

There are many potential infographic angles and messages based on the same pool of information. Both infographics below are about the Olympics, but they send different messages and so select different facts and visuals to support each message.

Message #1: USA Athlete Performance

Message #2: Olympic Games Fuel Economy

Even two infographics on the same topic might look very different based on the visuals used.

If you follow the process above and need help with the graphic design, the free online tool Canva provides templates and other support for infographic design.

PR Pro Advice

It's really important for students to be comfortable with writing. We talk a lot about how writing is the basis for a lot of what we do. When we design a website we need text and to have intentional words behind it. Another skillset is having an idea of what looks good. Surround yourself by visuals that are interesting and start asking yourself why they are interesting. Have a reason for what makes it unique and apply that toward your projects or client work. Also, consider the art of asking questions. Being interested in what your peers are doing, what your professors are doing, what your clients are doing. Do not be afraid to ask why.

One of the best pieces of advice I got in college was from a professor. Even if you're a great designer or writer or communicator if you don't meet deadlines, you will not get as much work as the person next to you does even if they're mediocre. The biggest indicator of a great worker, whether you're more creative or more of a writer, is communicating it all effectively and meeting deadlines.