If a presenter were to show you a string of amazing, bright, high quality images on a screen, how impressed would you be? Is it hard to answer this question? One could say it depends. Someone might say it depends on what the pictures are about. Another person perhaps states it depends on the reason he is being shown those images. So it might come down to the context, or in other words, the meaning behind the images.
There is no doubt we live in a visual age. People are constantly being bombarded with visual elements. We all seem to understand, even if implicitly how powerful image is.
1? Or that by including images in articles the article gets 94% more views than when there are no images2?
There is a countless number of programmes that help us manipulate pictures and images. Presenters went from using flipcharts to interactive white boards, overhead projectors and transparencies to using PowerPoint and other new sophisticated presentation software (Prezi, to name one example). The search for trendy and exciting tools to convey visually stunning messages seems to be unstoppable.
This brings me back to the beginning. How many of us have seen a visually appeling presentation but felt a bit confused, wondering what was the purpose or main message? Now, how many of us have had the pleasure to assist a brilliantly delivered speech? Maybe someone that spoke from the heart, told us a story, connected to us emotionally or moved us towards some kind of change. Might the secret ingredient be the visual element or the message itself?
We believe that when someone has a message to communicate with a clear goal and a structure that reinforces the main message or idea – when this message is so crystal clear to the person communicating it – he or she will be able to transform that message and easily create an image. It is at this moment that the person can decide what visual support will be most helpful in aiding him or her to create that image – and let us not forget – we might be our most sophisticated visual tool yet.
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1. Study conducted by Web Liquid
2. Study conducted by Skyword
