Simplicity does not necessarily mean skimping out on the meat of your presentation. When handled correctly, complex scenarios and data can still be included while being transformed into something that is easily comprehensible to the average audience member.
No, this does not mean packing seemingly endless charts, tables, and graphs onto every slide. What it does mean is that with the right finessing, even incredibly complex data can be picked apart and rearranged in a simple and engaging way.
“The Power Gap” (a new animated infographic by Airside) is a great example of making a complex story look effortless…
“Demos came to us with an intensely detailed statistical study, which rated every single constituency in Britain according to a number of different social and economic aspects. Each of these aspects has an effect on the power held by the individuals in each area, and by the constituencies as a whole. For Demos, this survey explained theoretical concepts about power as well as showing its practical implementation in 21st century Britain. For us, it was a lot of multi-layered information to squeeze into a short animation.
Over the course of several meetings with Demos, Airside wrote a script that communicated the main concepts behind Demos’ survey, as well as showing the practical significance of the survey results. We set the problem in a historical context in order to create a narrative that would help ordinary members of the public understand these concepts.”
–Airside
This “epic spreadsheet of numbers” is the data that Airside received. Ouch!
Airside’s Nat Hunter speaking at Design Event 09 in Newcastle
Check out the project’s process at Airslides’s Blog: http://www.airside.co.uk/blog/?p=420
But wait! There’s more! If you have not seen Jonathan Jarvis’s “The Crisis of Credit Visualized”, you really are missing out! Seriously– is there anything more complicated to explain than the credit crisis?
The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.
“The Crisis of Credit Visualized distills the economic crisis into a short and simple story by giving it form. It is also argues that designers have the ability to see a complex situation, then turn around and communicate it to others. By giving graphic form to the credit crisis, it becomes comprehensible. Not only do economic activities take shape, but new relationships can emerge between these shapes.”
–Jonathan Jarvis
Everything great starts with a sketch!
Jarvis’s storyboards–look like something?
Print spreads made from the same assets as the video
Check out the project’s process at Jarvis’s site: http://jonathanjarvis.com/crisis-of-credit
How would you explain your story to a friend who knows nothing about it? How would you get your grandmother to understand and be moved by your message? Before jumping into your next presentation, take a deep breath and remember that for an audience to comprehend your message, you’d have better luck by making it comprehensible.