Getting started with visual communication
Table of contents for Visual Communication 101
- Getting started with visual communication
Written communication has captured for centuries the lion share of communication. From the memo to the sales letter, to the meeting minutes, most interactions at work are initiated, supported or summarized through words. Yet, there are things that words can hardly convey. And as subtle, coherent, comprehensive and precise words can be, they remain a slow, selective means of communication. It is slow because the reader needs to follow the arrangement of the text predetermined by the author to grasp the message in its entirety. It is selective because one needs to know the language to understand the message, and take action if need be.
At times, you may need a more immediate or accessible means of communication. Actually, these situations have always existed and have exploded over the course of the last decades. Examples include consumer electronics and furniture installation manuals, that have dramatically shrunk from dozens of pages in multiple languages to slim illustrated leaflets, or traffic signs, which in Europe are symbols that enable clear (most of the time) understanding of what one should do, despite the language diversity.
There is no doubt that visual communication is important today. Yet, we still spend very little time learning the required skills. If it takes learning ABCs then words - later further distinguished between nouns, verbs, adjectives, then forming sentences, to communicate well in written form, what does it take to communicate visually? This is what we will see in this series.
We will identify patterns for visual communication: needs, tools, audiences, situations, etc. These will provide you with a better sense of how you could communicate visually a message to an audience in a given context.
Deeper than the ocean - The world that lives in us: the ingredients of the ‘champion mindset’
I found this book when I was in Singapore with Ting and Tara. Once back in the US, I could not find it, even on Amazon. It seems that it was released only in Asia, Australia and Europe, but not in the US. Nothing astonishing here. In the US, trying to “breed a champion” from a child would get laughs or on the contrary, very animated push backs. Such is not the case in Singapore.
Looking at this simple fact reminds me the bewilderment that filled me when I saw how busy these kids were, there. From direct experience in the US, Europe and Singapore, I feel that the US are the more lenient with, with less hours, shorter classes, less pressure to perform. Even more serious of consequences, the range of attitudes includes dedication as an exception to the general disinterest and the other peer pressures that come in the way. This probably comes from the fact that education is not seen as an element of success. People succeed without it, all around their eyes. And be it a Paris Hilton, who keeps “talking stupid” and making millions (at this point, her inheritance will probably not even matter), or the drug dealer around the corner, there is a certain disillusion in our kids minds, and this might waste a generation. To some extent, this despair has propagated to Europe, with the disappearance of the middle class and the consternation that even the kings highways like engineering schools only lead you at the bottom of ladder.
Such is not what I saw in Singapore.
at least till the bachelor (after there is competitive pressure from foreign students). My personal experience of school in France would set Europe as second, as I clearly remember longer days, longer classes, more homework, more abstraction, more demands in general (but less creativity and pragmatic discovery as a flip side). Now comes Singapore, heavy weight champion of education. I felt they bred champions like chicken lay eggs when I met Ting and her brother. She was accepted at Wellesley College after completing high school in Singapore, and decided to go to Brown for her MS, and her brother finished his MBA at MIT in a year or so… But now I understand. Kids are literally driven from school to after school, to artistic activities, to sport, to… well, that was a tad too much for me.
I guess this book aligns with this trend of intensity. but adds a dimension of humanity to this frenzy, which, in all honesty, does not seem to freak out the kids, because all these activities are made fun, entertaining, and as engaging as could be.
In a nutshell, I need to read this book, and you might want to as well. It covers not only the intellectual, but also moral and emotional development of a kid, inspires through great quotes, is well illustrated. I regret not buying it after reading it at the Singapore National Library.
On my search, I found MindChamps, which refers to the book, and could be full of good ideas for Tara. I also found a link at Singapore Polytechnic Library. It gives the publisher and ISBN 10 (9812613854) and 13 (9789812613851), which should be enough to place an order on Amazon Australia or something.
Quality > Immediacy (in communication, at least)
Early 2004, Meg Whitman, eBay’s CEO took the drastic decision to banish all wireless devices from her Monday staff headquarters meetings. She then reported some push back from the eight top executives who regular attended. But she argued that “personal interaction is much important than instantly answering emails”.
What we can learn from our children
I have recently taken the habit of frequenting daily the wonderful Singapore’s National Library, which by the way is a top notch facility in a beautiful building.
And I recently came across an interesting book: Lessons from the sandbox. Besides the funny title and style, this book is full of insights.
We all have many teachers in our lives. Some we choose, some are imposed onto us. Some are events, some are people. Despite their diversity, there are patterns that allow to identify our teachers: one of them is, they mostly come in a form that changes our lives. One of these teachers came to Ting and I a while ago, in the shape of a beautiful, fragile little girl.
An early November morning, this little girl decided to wake up her mommy, at 5:30am, so much so that Papa and Mama prepared swiftly and went to the hospital. It was only at 8:26pm, that the marvel would show her face, not after numerous knocks on the door, and subsequent silences.
And this was but the first of many lessons: “Some things, you can define a schedule for, but for the important things in life, you have say, but you can’t do it alone.“
Tara brought me, and her mommy I am sure, many lessons. As I want to remember and ponder them, I will take the time to share them with you.