凯特·西科尔斯基著

Note: This is Part One in a two-part series.

Communications may be only one of the many functions of your job, but it’s a critical one. Many articles give the same broad tips for creating effective content: keep 文本 clear and concise; avoid jargon; don’t overlook the importance of supporting visuals. Yet, these tips ignore a vital fact.

视觉就是信息. They are what drives your audience to engage with a piece of content. They are the communication that stays with your audience, long after they’ve forgotten the lines of 文本 they skimmed or skipped.

我们的大脑渴望图像

As humans, we are built to process visual cues. Many studies over the past 50 years in diverse fields such as neuroscience, 语言学, 教育, 市场营销证明了这一点.

• Edwin Dale discovered in a 1960s study that information presented visually allowed the participants to retain 80% of information after three hours and 65% over three days. Compare that to lectures and reading, where participants retained only 25% of the information after three hours and a bare 10% after three days.
• 在20世纪80年代, a joint study by 3M and the University of Minnesota found presentations using visuals to be 43% more persuasive and likely to result in action than 文本-based presentations.
• The same study found that the human brain processes images 60,比文本快1000倍, and visuals improved learning by up to 400%.
• A Massachusetts Institute of 技术 (MIT) study estimates that the brain can recognize even unfamiliar images in as little as 13 milliseconds. To put that in con文本, we blink at a speed of 100 to 400 milliseconds.

意象是一个强大的工具. It can evoke emotions, convey complex ideas, and engage an audience on a deeper level. While 文本 can provide greater con文本 and details, our brains process visual information faster and retain visual information longer.

当视觉和文字冲突时

We could argue that visuals are an important supporting player in content design, 但这忽略了一个至关重要的事实. If the supporting visual contradicts its lead content, 文本, 或音频, the message that the audience takes away will be the message the visual communicates.

在本页的示例中, it may seem obvious that these photos are incongruent with the 文本, but mistakes like this can happen when in a hurry or when resources are limited.

选择视觉效果的简要指南

Knowing that visuals can make or break your communications, how do we choose visuals that complement our content?

了解你的受众. Tailor your visuals to resonate with their interests, 人口统计资料, 文化背景, 总体偏好.

考虑可读性. Recognizing familiar objects or scenes allows us to connect with the content and understand its con文本. Choose images that are high resolution or quality, 构图强烈, 平衡的元素, 一个清晰的焦点.

保持真实. Look for images that capture genuine emotions, real-life situations, and candid moments. Avoid overly staged or retouched images that can feel artificial.

Align visuals with your core message. Take the time to identify the key message or emotion you want to convey, and choose imagery that supports and reinforces it.

结合视觉层次. Arrange elements in a way that guides the viewer’s attention and creates a logical path for the eye to follow. 

的外卖 

The visuals you choose will always dominate the message your audience takes away from your content. We may spend hours carefully selecting words that convey the right meaning, tone, and nuance. We check for spelling and readability. 但我们的大脑并不在意. 他们想要视觉效果.

Part Two in this series will go more in-depth into how our brains create meaning from images, and describe the magic formula for choosing visuals that enhance our intended messages rather than undermine them.

Kat Sikorski is strategic communications coordinator for the City of Minneapolis. 联系人: 凯特.sikorski@minneapolismn.稳定的十大彩票网站.