Reading Reflection: Chapter 11

In broadcast journalism, every word you say must be exemplified in the visuals you show.  For example, if I'm talking about a maple tree in my script, the viewers should see a maple tree on the screen.  What you how visually should enhance the words you say.  This same principle applies when designing in business.

When designing graphics for TV, simplicity is key.  It will only be up for a few moments and it needs to be easy to comprehend.  Viewers will ignore complicated graphics that require a lot of explanation.  You don't want graphics to become a distraction from your story.  Most viewers will also pay more attention to what you put on the screen than what you say, so if your graphic is complicated and requires a lot of concentration, they will ignore you and try and interpret your graphic.

I used the graphic below in a story about conflicted poll results in a House of Representatives race.

One of the key parts of this graphic is how easy it is to read right off the bat.  You can immediately tell that this poll result has Mia Love getting the same amount of votes as Owens and other combined.  It doesn't have many words, either, to keep it simple and easy to read.  The words give enough context without being overwhelming.   

Also notice the colors; Love's bar is red because she's a Republican, Owen's bar is blue because he is a Democrat, and the other bar is yellow because it is unaffiliated with a party.