There’s a great article on the BBC web site about diagrams that changed the world. It shows how complex ideas have been explained through pictures that transformed the way people looked at things. From Copernicus’ diagram that visually put the sun at the centre of the universe – a revolutionary idea at the time, to Florence Nightingale’s pie diagrams showing that deaths in the Crimean war were due more to poor sanitation than casualties. That one led to the birth of modern nursing.
Other examples are Harry Beck’s iconic map of the London Underground and the Periodic Table created by Dmitri Mendeleev.
It’s the ability to take something complex and visually represent it in a way that transcends language. None of the diagrams were created overnight by someone doodling on a jotter pad and many have been improved over the years. But their conception triggered a step change in people’s understanding of something.
It’s like the holy grail of marketing communication as, in a small way, we try and communicate our brand value proposition in a simple, clear way.
Just a thought.
Tim
Read this post on the value of timeliness in marketing communication.
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Very interesting … this article actually PROVES a picture really CAN be worth a thousand words!
Thanks Mike. I am still working on my Picasso!
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