Most of us will have to create visuals sometime in our career, but what makes a great visual versus a bad one? Inserting a random picture makes my visual more effective, right? Should I use a bulleted list or infographic? Do visuals really make a difference?
Most of us have probably asked ourselves some of these questions or similar ones. If you are like me, you might get nervous when creating visuals for new clients or might not know where to even start.
Luckily, SHIFT E-Learning has created a checklist to help avoid common mistakes when creating visuals. Most people associate the “4 Cs” with diamonds, but this checklist is the “5 Cs”… not as exciting as diamonds, but this will probably end up being more useful to you in the long run.
Here is what I took away from the checklist:
Clear: Make sure the message you are trying to convey is clear. Use images with a purpose, if the image doesn’t help the user understand the content better, DON’T USE IT!
Concise: Visuals should represent information related to the content, if it doesn’t get the point across, doesn’t make sense, or makes the content more confusing, DON’T USE IT!
Connected: Make sure all elements on your graphic relate to the information you are explaining. Learners shouldn’t have to make the connection themselves, it should be understood.
Compelling: When working with visuals make sure they are both eye-catching and related to the topic at hand. Visuals should reiterate the information presented.
Consistent: Make sure the visuals have the same feel and look throughout your entire presentation or course. Staying consistent in the visuals will help brand your course.
Hope these “5 Cs” will help you when creating visuals in the future. Do you have a certain set of rules you follow? Do you agree with this checklist? Do you think there should be more or less rules?
Here is a link to the article if you are interested:
http://www.learndash.com/tips-for-creating-elearning-visuals/
Source: J. Ferriman. (2015, January 14). Tips For Creating ELearning Visuals. Retrieved from http://www.learndash.com/tips-for-creating-elearning-visuals/
After reading your 5 C's, I interpret 1 over-arching theme: Images should compliment (a "C" word!) the text. There should be a reason for it, it should flow not only with the text but the overall visual content of the piece.
ReplyDeleteThat is exactly what I got from the post as well! Pretty much everything should be there for a reason.
ReplyDeleteI love this checklist because I know for me, creating visuals and knowing the best way to do so is a struggle. I believe I had always realized that images should be relevant somehow to the text, but not to this extent. It makes sense though! From this information, I have gained the knowledge that not only should a visual be relevant to whatever the content is, but the visuals should always remain consistent throughout - something I had not realized before.
ReplyDeleteMakes sense to me! No need to add flare simply for the purpose of adding flare! I know I generally feel obligated to add some sort of visual to my work assignments, which generally leads me down a long path of googling images. But I learned pretty quick that if I can't find a worthy and appropriate image in 5 minutes then there simply isn't a perfect fit and the email or assignment will just have to stand on its own! I'm hoping this course will teach me some new resources on how to effectively and quickly communicate my messages on both fronts!
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