First Step: Analysis of the Data
When I am faced with a cognitive art problem the initial action is the dissection of the data. The primary examination breaks down into three attributes:
1. The quantity of information: data density
2. The quality of information: data hierarchy
3. The value of the information: data virtue and data characteristics

With infographics it is imperative to narrow the information down to only mandatory components. You must take into consideration the level of expertise of the audience while eliminating any superfluous information. This strict filtering will lead to clarity, accuracy, and efficiency.

A Few Tips to Enhance Clarity, Accuracy, and Efficiency
Beyond good design, techniques can be employed to optimize communication. Here are a few.

1. Assume Your Audience Knows Nothing
One of the most primary forms of infographics is the direction map. What holds true for developing a good map holds true for the most complex of graphics. Approach the problem as if the viewer has never traveled to this location, both literally and figuratively. Below is a map I did for a wedding announcement. Even though the map was accompanied by written directions, the goal for any map is to be attentively executed and written instructions become supplementary. What information you select to include, and not include, is critical. Give the viewer major landmarks, but leave out the small arteries of the voyage. If you give the audience too much information, they become overwhelmed and overly occupied in the processing of the information. If you give them too little information, they will become lost and mentally adrift.

This map needed to show a vast area while still conveying certain details. That problem was solved by displaying both a macro view and a micro view of the location in one plat by using a “bubble” to deliver the micro information. This technique allowed for major arteries to be displayed in the macro map, while simultaneously presenting key landmarks within the micro bubble. This efficiency results in a clear, compact solution.

2. Apply Symbology that is Universal
Using universal themes assists people in processing the information, as well as engaging and relating to the graphic. This past month I worked with Green Empowerment on their fall newsletter. They needed an infographic on biodigesters; simple enough for the novice to understand while pleasantly representing a chemical process that begins with that tricky subject of animal manure. By employing familiar and friendly icons of the pig and cow the source of the manure is immediately recognizable, but in a lighthearted way. By using amiable symbols the graphic becomes approachable and welcoming.

3. Unity Leads to Clarity
In the Analysis of the Data graphic shown below, “data” is represented consistently throughout the image with the same symbol, a square. By presenting the square in a uniform fashion it allows the individual to focus solely on deciphering the characteristic changes of the symbol and the meaning of those contrasting attributes. An efficient implementation of the design elements simplifies the content for the viewer to process.

Editing, That Very Important Stage
Eliminate all of the excess information that clogs the arteries of delivering the message. You want to engage your viewer, but too much frosting is not a good thing. There is time to use color, and there are times when the message is more powerful when delivered in black and white. Bringing the content down to its bare essentials doesn’t make it dull, it enables clear and effective communication. Clarity always trumps adornment.

In evaluating future marketing needs, a client may want to move some projects internally to save on costs. This is perfectly logical. I respect the fact that people have limited budgets and can’t always hire me to do all of their marketing materials. Frequently this is solved by me setting up a design template for an internal non-design person to follow. I’m a stickler on brand consistency, so by first having the initial sovereignty over the design template, and then hand it off to the client for internal use, assures brand guides are implemented properly. Examples of templates for internally produced collateral would be: a newsletter, an e-newsletter, or a product handout for a the sales team. In addition to actual templates, I frequently I create a mini brand guide for the internal non-designers to have some sort of guidelines to follow to help keep the branding consistent and not go off course.

With the choice to save money and bring jobs internally, clients often are unaware that there are certain aspects of overhead costs that come with creating a “design station” in-house. It’s obvious to most clients that they need a computer and the proper design software to create the documents internally, but the most commonly overlooked item is the need to purchase fonts. To keep the brand consistent, using the typeface(s) chosen for company identity is a critical prerequisite. If not discussed and planned for in the design phase, it is at this moment that a client often becomes surprised at the cost of purchasing fonts for internal use and their need to licenses fonts on their operating system. For small companies already on a tight budget, this can come as a surprise.

When building a project budget, the purchasing of fonts should be part of the design budget. Ideally this includes all immediate and future licenses that will be needed; for the design studio as well as for a future in-house design station. Mid-to-larger size companies might want to create multiple in-house design stations, therefore needing to plan for licenses for each desired station.

Setting aside a budget for purchasing fonts is often either left out or not understood by the client. For non-designers, typefaces are so transcendental that they really don’t understand what they are paying for. And to make things even more confusing, fonts vary in price so greatly, it’s difficult to quickly educate a client on the difference between a good typeface and a bad typeface, why one font costs more than another, and why it should possibly be worth their budget to invest in a good typeface.

Not all, but some people have a misconception that all fonts are free. I’m sure this stems from the fact that there are system fonts pre-installed on computers, and many don’t realize that these fonts are pre-licensed for the computer operation system. A lot of clients don’t realize that when designing a logo and identity the designer has to either already own the font, or needs to purchase the font specifically for the design project.

The first thing to understand is that typefaces are intellectual property. Like any artists creative work, typefaces are works of art, they just happen to be extremely utilitarian. In our digital world, typefaces are ever-present and fonts are easily shared among computer users. Because of the use of sharing of fonts is so easy, the moral issues of font use are often overlooked or unknown. The time and creativity of the typographer has value. Basically, making sure you pay for a font is honoring the typographer, both legally and ethically, not to mention creatively.

Establishing a font budget in the beginning, as part of the logo and branding creation, will help the designer set parameters on what fonts are on the list for possible branding solutions. The font budget all depends on long term needs, and this will need to be addressed with each business individually. If a business has basic necessities of a logo, simple stationery, and a web presence, then the font budget can be humble. If the need of marketing materials encompasses product handouts, packaging, trade show and exhibit applications, all of these future needs need to be taken into account when developing type choices within the brand.

There are well designed fonts and poorly designed fonts out there, and putting an investment for a well designed full-functioning font for your branding will pay off in the long run. The absolute low-budget solution would be to use a font that came pre-licensed for your use on your computer, as you already have the authorization to use it. But do you really want to chose a font that everyone else could be using? The importance of creating your companies unique personality in the marketplace is so important and by using a font implemented to be uniquely your own can help achieve this.

If a business has no intent on bringing some of the creative services in-house, then the font budget can be simplified and limited to the licensing needs of a design agency performing the creative services. But this crucial aspect of brand development needs to be part of the budget in the beginning. It will greatly expanded design solution options in the brand development, therefore a more solid brand presence, and a eventually a better product for future marketing.

This willingness to take risks is a big part of growing a business. In the beginning, yes, you’ve got to have a foundation and a solid plan, but moving forward you have got to take risks. Without risks your company and your product will fall into the mundane, and be subject to mediocrity.

One of my past clients was a great inventor, always thinking beyond the typical and coming up with extraordinary products. For the sake of story-telling we’ll call him Brad. So, I was in the process of developing an marketing campaign and new product packaging for Brad, and in the first meeting, Brad exuberantly stressed that he wanted to stand out from his competitors. He wanted to make sure what ever I came up with in the new marketing campaign that it reflected that awesome innovative quality of his company.

About a week or so later, Brad and I met again for me to reveal the new marketing campaign. As I did, he stood there motionless. “We can’t do this”, he said, “No one has done this before. This is so different.” Immediately I realized that fear had set in. We had entered a realm that Brad was not familiar with. This was not the innovation and reveal of his new product. This was the marketing campaign for his new product. This was unfamiliar territory.

When it comes to a client’s personal product, they know how to push the envelope. They know their industry well, and they know how to take risks pushing their product to new levels. This same new energy needs to be applied in marketing. Risks in marketing are just as important as risks in product development.

So, here I was standing next to Brad the great inventor who was frozen like a deer in the headlights. This new marketing campaign was a risk. It was visually totally different from anything his competitors had put forth in the marketplace. Exactly what he wanted and what his product needed. But, this thought of being different filled Brad with uneasiness.

When you are stepping outside the box, this uneasiness can not be helped. This uneasiness is part of the excitement of innovation. In the jungle, this uneasiness is part of the hunt, part of the risk of the hunt. If we turn risk into calculated risk are we snuffing out the vibrant energy of the imaginative qualities that are present with new products and new campaigns?

Questions to ask when creating a new marketing approach that feels outside the comfort zone, yet necessary for growth:
1. Does it still represent the true essence (mission) of the company while still moving forward?
2. Is the personality (branding) of the company still present in the campaign?
3. Does it approach your target audience?
4. Will it set you apart from your competitors? Don’t be afraid to be distinct.
5. Does it create an emotional response leading to either a dialog between you and your consumer or response to action?

You can’t be a lion in the marketplace and still play it safe. It’s a jungle out there. Be the lion. Don’t be afraid to roar, they might actually hear you. Roar!

When advising clients on which choice to make when I am developing and designing a label for a product that demands shelf longevity, I have found that as of yet, there is no faultless answer to the question “Is plastic or glass the better solution for food packaging?”

When thinking of mother earth first, the initial reaction is to use glass and avoid plastic and the problems it has created all together. Glass is 100% recyclable and provides an excellent shelf life due to its impermeable quality. But glass is heavy and comes with it own set of manufacturing and user hazards. As a society we have come to expect the convenience that plastics contribute in our everyday lives, and that convenience is continually insisted upon by the end user. Those advantages that plastic has to offer has created the a tug-of-war between finding the balance of the benefits of glass and the convenience of plastic in food packaging.

There are so many different types of plastics available, code #1 (PET or PETE) and code #2 (HDPE) plastics have become our most frequently used plastics, and therefore relatively commonplace in our recycling programs. So, there is good environmental sense to look towards PET or HDPE plastics for packaging because of the wide acceptance in curbside recycling programs. But lack of shelf life is plastics greatest downfall. Air can travel through the plastic, and this permeation means oxidation of the contents within. As we go up the plastic ladder, the uses expand, but the ability to recycle greatly decreases.

Some products are perfectly acceptable in plastic. Milk for example works great in HDPE containers, because it is consumed within a short duration, evading a long sit on the shelf. But what about a food product that requires a longer shelf life? Unfortunately, we have yet to create a plastic that is a trouble-free recycleable as well as provides a long shelf life, leaving the food industry craved for the newest multi-layer polymer that will keep products as fresh as glass.

Pro-active companies like wine bottle manufacturer Portavin are trying to combat plastic bottle permeability by adding techniques and qualities to the packaging process that “scavenge oxygen from the environment outside the bottle and the environment inside the bottle.” In this case study at Portavin, wine oxidized within 8 to 12 months depending on the packaging and/or the packaging process. The was acceptable in a few instances where the end user was going to consume the product within this time frame., but not acceptable for most purveyors. So, even in this valiant effort at Portacin, plastics have fallen short to the the superiority of glass.

So, weighing a quick list of the pro’s and con’s of glass and plastic leaves us stymied.

Until we develop a better plastic, or ideally a completely new material for food packaging from a renewable source (for example possibly hemp for plastics, but that is a future Design Talk article) that can compete with the structural impermeability of glass, glass is still on the list as a viable option despite its few downfalls. And we still need to currently keep plastic on the list for its convenience, despite the hardship it creates on the environment. When shelf life is the prominate need, we have yet to find the ideal solution that combines convenience and impermeability while not adding to the burden of our landfills.

A logo is more than a random icon, it has a serious function, power-packed into a very small package. It is the foundation of your company identity, and with that it will effect how your future customer perceives you and your companies product & services.

A logo serves a much broader function than some people realize.

What a logo can do for a company:

1. Initiate a Presence. A logo establishes solidity. Your future clients will be more willing to work with you if you have the presence that you have been and are going to be around for the long haul. A logo can actually make your company look bigger than it really is, especially for a new business. This is important when you are establishing a young company up against competitors that have long-term recognition in your industry.
2. Communicate Professionalism. A refined logo and branding can communicate that you have been meticulous and comprehensive with your own company, and you are ready to pass-on that expertise to your customers
3. Establish Consistency. This is where we go beyond the logo, and where the branding comes in. Making sure that your brand is implemented consistently across the board in all avenues of media; print, packaging, exhibit, billboards, the web, etc. is key. Having a professional design a logo and implement a simple brand platform can make the difference in your visibility and company recognition.

Different Businesses Have Different Logo Needs

Different types and different size companies have varying identity needs, including available budgets. Not every company needs a full-blown branding system established. Some companies can get away with a simple solution. Maybe you are a dentist, a massage therapist, a photographer, a house painter. These straightforward service industries can get away with having a simple effective logotype.

Horwitz Photography is an example of an effective but simple solution for a small service business. The logotype is still unique to the business and clearly reflects the personality of the Horwitz Photography studio, but the design was designed and budgeted to fit the needs of the business.

The performance requirements for a logo is not the same for all company-types. When a company steps into: 1. creating a product and not just a service, 2. providing a niche service that needs to be clearly distinguish in the market place (i.e. your not just a “realtor” but a realtor that focuses solely on green real estate), and 3. having more of a global presence and not just a local presence, then the need for a company identity and strong company branding becomes a requirement for success.

When a logo will be associated with a product and not just a service, it needs to be able to stand alone on billboards, advertisements, and the multitude of other deliverable media. This stand alone prerequisite, demands more information to be power-packed into the logo. The echinashield logo shows how it has more visual clues contained within the logo than the Horwitz logo, allowing the first-time viewer to immediately ascertain knowledge of what products and services that company provides.

When developing a logo, both the current and future needs of the business should be kept in mind. Not only in function of use, but in function of the types of media and therefore exposure that a logo will be required to perform. This visual representation of your company should deliver a voice that is uniquely yours. So, next time you see Eddie the Entrepreneur on the street excited about his new company logo that shouts, “I’ve arrived!”, you know Eddie won’t get lost in the crowd, or behind the window trimming.