“The visualization of information is enabling us to gain insight and understanding quickly and efficiently, utilizing the incredible processing power of the human visual system. Accessing and harnessing this power is not only valuable, but necessary, as we navigate the vast amounts of data presented to us daily.” 

Jason Lankow, Josh Ritchie & Ross Crooks, Infographics – The Power of Visual Storytelling

Why You Want Infographics for Your Business

Visual Storytelling: The Fast Track to Your Customer’s Heart

Brands that use visual content find that it triggers greater engagement with their customers and prospects. This isn’t a new discovery, however: visual storytelling goes back to prehistoric times with cave paintings, many of which still exist today all over the world.

Visual elements enable you to tell your story with greater impact than words alone. Visuals stir the emotions. And when the visual is a powerful one the effect is magnified.

Powerful visuals + evoke emotions = Deeper engagement

According to Getty Images, “Powerful visuals evoke emotions, driving a deeper engagement and more profound change in behavior.” This is true for your business because every buying decision is first and foremost an emotional one. Only once the emotional decision is made does the human mind provide the rationalization (or justification) of reason and logic.

This has powerful implications for how you interact with your customers, your prospects, and your potential leads. Visual elements such as images, video, and graphics can significantly impact engagement and the eventual buying decisions of your audience. Therefore, it makes sense that you will want to incorporate these elements into the design of your company website, social media platforms, and printed materials.

What Are Infographics and Why Use Them?

The term infographic is simply an abbreviation of “information graphic”. The term has gained popularity over the last few years and they have become increasingly common in online marketing.

At its most basic, an infographic is graphical representation of some type of data or information. The power of the infographic lies in the design and illustrative elements used. Otherwise dry and abstract information can be given powerful impact and be made far more compelling and memorable with a good infographic.

The benefits of good infographics for businesses is in their significantly greater effectiveness in creating appeal, reinforcing retention, and increasing comprehension. This is critical for your marketing efforts as well as for educating your audience with your company’s message. A well-designed infographic will boost the impact of your story with the power of having strong visual appeal, vivid clarity and a memorable message.

Website Designer or Web Developer: Do You Know the Difference?

The Role of the Website Designer

It’s helpful to think of the “designer” as the one who puts together what you and I see on a finished website. To accomplish this, a web designer will use graphics, fonts, and graphic design software to create the layout and appearance of a website. This design work also incorporates any interactive aspects of the site such as video, image sliders, and various links, etc.

The designer’s work is then brought to life, so to speak, online with the application of code.

Oftentimes, the designer may not be the person writing the code and, in some cases, may work together with the team or individual web developer whose task it is to take a website design live.

Good website designers have a strong grasp a variety of concepts such as color schemes, typography, layout, and the actual user experience. While coding is not actually required to be a competent web designer, many designers do learn code and few are adept at both design and coding.

Which brings us to…

The Web Developer

Web development, strictly speaking, is simply writing the code – various computer languages – that serve to create the visual interface we commonly refer to as our website. Without the code there is no website. With the code, you can have a site, but it may not be pretty!

This is not to say that web developers aren’t able to create sites that are visually appealing. But their primary objective is to create websites with good code and that are stable and technically sound. Their primary skillset rests in technical ability and process thinking.

Two Paths to One Web Goal

It can be said that, generally speaking, web designers are more “right-brained” in their abilities and approach to websites, while web developers are more “left-brained” and technically oriented. While this isn’t always true and, in fact, there are many talented web designers who also develop the websites, as well; it is usually a tag-team effort.

Ultimately, both designers and developers are working toward the same goal of creating a website that works well for its owner and its users.

Going Mobile: 6 Things You Need To Know About Your Mobile Design

While the world still relies on desktops and laptops for most of their Internet usage, we reached the “Mobile Tipping Point” last year when the number of actual mobile users surpassed the number of desktop users worldwide.

For any business owner with a website it has become quite apparent that everyone is accessing the Internet now with a smartphone or similar device. And this means your site must be functional and visually accessible on a wide variety of mobile devices.

The good news is that it doesn’t require rocket science to design a site that works well on both desktop computers and mobile devices. There are six essential principles to keep in mind to ensure that your site looks good, works well, and is not abandoned by mobile users:

Focus on the message

The old saying that “Less is more” certainly applies here. Avoid assorted apps, links, spinning graphics, and such. In the mobile visual environment these are simply clutter and distract the user from effectively seeing and grasping your central message. Whether your website serves as your online store, an information resource, or simply a virtual brochure, it must work to visually “stay on message.” Know what you want to say and make sure your site accomplishes that.

Brand it

Branding is more than a logo or a color scheme, although these are important, and you want to ensure yours is obvious. When designing your site to convey your brand message, one of the best ways is to tell a story. And for mobile, using graphics, video or visuals is often the most powerful and mobile-friendly approaches for your brand story.

Use one column design

Since almost all devices will automatically try to convert your site to a single-column layout, anticipate this with a clean, one column design and a logical hierarchy of content.

Cater to touch screen

In terms of layout and interactivity, your website should be designed for touchscreen devices. If at all possible, however, try to avoid requiring a user to access their virtual keyboard. And keep the required interactive buttons large and to a minimum.

Make it functional

Very little will cause a frustrated user on your site give up and move on than a lack of functionality. It may be visually stunning and have great images, but if your user finds it difficult to read or navigate through, they won’t!

Don’t be afraid of innovation

If you haven’t figured it out already, nothing ever stays the same in the realm of digital technology. Innovation is the rule and what worked great last year is already being forgotten this month. While it’s not necessary to constantly be on the forward edge of every digital breakthrough, embracing innovation will keep your website – and your brand message – ahead of the rest.