Stories that Move Mountains: Storytelling and Visual Design for Persuasive Presentations

COMPOSITION

As you build up the layout on the page, the core of your content will come from the information, relationships, and timeline defined in the Why-What-How timeline from Chapter 6. Remember to also include the options and alternatives you identified in Chapter 7.

In Chapter 9, you identified the balance needed in your story between learning and decision styles. Use this now to help allocate proportions for educational content and recommendations. Drill deeper into the specific learning and decision styles to consider the balance between material that is abstract or concrete, data driven or emotive, following a single logical flow or multiple threads.

Now it's time to jump into some design lessons!

Note: Most of the lessons can be applied equally well to all visualizations, not just the one-page visual story.

Know that when it comes to composition and design, the variables are sometimes difficult to separate, but you do need to get beyond bullet points in your presentation. You will start to see how the big picture concepts relate to the details, creating a bit of a “push and pull” as you jump between these when you examine your layout. It's a strong skill to cultivate — so make the jump often. After reviewing this chapter, you may find yourself frequently moving between the Squint Test, Content Coding, and the Gestalt Test, all of which you will learn about shortly. When it comes to visual stories, apply the “less is more” concept as often as possible, especially since ...