There is no denying the importance of good imagery and design in your research. In fact, this is a key distinction between research for the business world and academic research.
Personally, the importance of imagery and design has been a gradual dawning for me. I’ve always been a ‘wordy’ person. However, since focusing on the visual aspect of communication I have found it far easier to communicate complex ideas.
For example, here is the A-Z of Modern Research that I designed to summarise the findings of a year-long study of research methods:
Typically, images can be used in the following ways:
- Processing fluency: photos and icons help the transmission and comprehension of ideas by activating the visual system
- Theatre: during a presentation, photos keep people engaged and entertained. Nothing is better than a funny image halfway through a talk
- Mood-boards: in the past, people would make clippings from magazines to communicate how they feel in a non-linguistic method. Today, we can use tools like Instagram and Pinterest to collect this data
- Atmosphere: if you want to communicate a mood for your research, images and design are central. Last year’s students that worked on the (dis)Connected Lives project created a range of moods from Black Mirror dystopia to Silicon Valley tech optimism
- Pattern: I would refer you to my collaborator Liv Taylor, who is an authority on the role pattern plays in spotting changes in the zeitgeist before they can be communicated in words check her out here: https://www.instagram.com/livtaylor17/
- Infographics: there are two stages to an infographic. First is the information design that develops structure, and then the visual design that breathes spirit
- Iconography - icon represent typologies, concepts and can be used in journey mapping (see The A-Z Modern Research above)
- Typography: Font matter, check out this lecture I found the other day http://coopertype.org/event/the_value_of_multi_typeface_design
- Prompts: the use of images in surveys can have an interesting effect on results, so should be used carefully. The same applies to presenting imagery in discussion groups.
- Artefact: An image can also be thought about as an artefact, using one particular image as an invitation for deep contemplation.
These are my first thoughts on the role of visual design — and is far from comprehensive. Visual culture and visual communication are both rich academic areas, and some of my favourite theorists spring from this discipline. The main thing to remember is that the visual aspect of research shouldn’t be an afterthought. Visual strategy is a central component of a good insight sprint.
Sources
There are plenty of image repositories, both free and paid. Of course, you need to keep an eye on the copyright, making sure you attribute where necessary.
Free
- Pexels/Unsplash/Freeimages/Stocksnap: Four sources for stylish and regularly updated photos
- Getrefe: Tech + Human photos
- Iconfinder: Icons for every concept
- New Old Stock: Vintage photos
- Superfamous: Great landscapes
- Wikipedia: Plenty of free images
- Google Image Search: can filter for free to use
- Duarte: an agency that share loads of presentation resources and templates
Paid
- Shutterstock
- Istock
- Getty
