Visual communication in public relations

AUT guest lecturer: Mikela Dennison (MCS)

Hi, nice to meet you

The Clarity Business

Master of Communications (First Class)

bFM, Homebrew, Core, Cassette, PRiNZ, AUT

Twitter: @mikelaPR

IG & Pinterest: mikelaprnz

Blog: Shape The Message

What we'll cover today

Visuals today

Infographics

Annual reports

Newsletters

Corporate publications

Social media

PR's role in project managing and expectations

Human instinctWe draw before we write

So, why visual? We recognise and process images faster than text

Different and new images keep your content fresh (and get people exploring)

Visual elements, when combined, keep people interested and the eye moving

Annual Reports

Visual ARsWarby Parker's 2012 AR was retweeted 2000 times and they had three days of their highest sales ever

Not just your financial reporting

Opportunity to showcase your people, stories, successes and milestones

Create a value-add approach i.e. data pullout

Infographics

Information graphics

Turn complex data and process into interesting visuals

Higher search engine rankings and click throughs

Use as a selling or advocacy tool

Newsletters

Photos still matter

Worth a thousand words

Images can make or break a story

Working with media = photos are a must

Headshots, products, concepts, properties

Let's get social

Working with media and visuals

Your role as a PR pro

PR is central to the design process

Message and concept

Project management

Client expectations

Content creation

Distribution and maximising reach

Some tips

Work with a range of graphic designers, photographers, web devs

Make sure your client understands timeframes, costs and outcomes

Allow time for sign offs, edits, printing and distribution

Useful extra reading

Warby Parker Annual Report 2013: http://blog.columnfivemedia.com/12-visual-content-lessons-from-warby-parkers-annual-report/

10 visual annual reports: https://zapier.com/blog/online-annual-reports/