Imagine for a moment that you’re sitting out on the patio of your favorite restaurant. You are discussing an important decision with your significant other. You’re mid-sentence when your server arrives with your order; the conductor of a train passing by gleefully blasts his horn; and, at the table next to you, a baby starts screaming and throws a sippy cup at your head. Now how effectively are you communicating with your partner? Just as with interpersonal communication, visual communication can be ineffective if executed using noisy and cluttered design.
Quality design aids us in conveying our message in confined spaces by organizing the components in a way that focuses on what is important. As with other areas of communication, speaking to your target audience clearly with your primary message is critical to developing projects that effectively meet your goals. Adding superfluous content or competing graphics and not providing a bit of space or relief means your visual communication may be peppered with rattling plates, loud trains and screaming babies.
Look at the materials you use to communicate with stakeholders and ask yourself these questions:
Is your primary message easily identified and understood?
Are the materials crafted in a way that attracts and holds the attention of your target audience?
Have you communicated a clear call-to-action and met your stated goals of communication?