The world is awash in information, swirling around in an ever-increasing ocean of communication channels. To be seen and heard, your content must stand out in the eyes of your intended audience. That’s where Information by Design comes into play.
Information by Design requires weaving words, numbers and images into a coherent and compelling whole. One component is not more important than another. The goal is to leverage their collective strength to deliver a message powerfully and effectively.
CFM has been applying Information by Design principles for years and now we are sharing our insights in a new Ebook. The CFM Information by Design Ebook is divided into five sections:
- Information Design Principles
- Writing with Purpose
- Visual Communications
- Presentations that Pop
- Advocacy by Design
Following a short explanation, each section includes relevant CFM Managing Issues Blogs that we have posted. We will keep enhancing the content with new blogs in the future. Each section also features some of our own work examples.
The CFM Information by Design Ebook is the firm’s second online publication. The first was the CFM Crisis Ebook, which includes our first-hand experience and expert counsel on Crisis Response, Crisis Preparation, Reputation Management and Cautionary Tales. The CFM Crisis Ebook has been viewed for free by thousands of visitors to the CFM Advocates website and used as valuable resource by organizations and individuals plunged into a crisis situation – or who are preparing to avoid one.
“Information Design has been a personal passion since I began my career in journalism editing copy and laying out pages,” explains Gary Conkling, CFM’s cofounder and author of the Ebook. “Over the years, I’ve realized how well information is designed plays a critical role in how well the information is received. You can’t reach people’s hearts if you can’t appeal to their eyes.”
Information design involves much more than slapping a pretty picture into a batch of words. “The intelligent and intentional interaction of words, numbers and imagery to capture attention and convey a message is the point of information design,” Conkling says. “It requires mastering your subject matter, knowing your audience intimately, zeroing in on your main point and getting from A to B as briefly, accurately and efficiently as possible.”
Over the years, I’ve realized how well information is designed plays a critical role in how well the information is received. You can’t reach people’s hearts if you can’t appeal to their eyes.
“Information design is elegant communication,” he adds. “It is designed to delight, inform, engage and satisfy an audience. It’s hard creative work. But it’s worth the effort.”
You can find the CFM Information by Design Ebook link under Public Affairs in the CFM Advocates website navigation bar.
[Thanks to CFM’s Cindy Brown for helping to organize the Ebook and to graphic designer Amy Miller who designed and formatted it.]
