The Top 3 Business Graphic Mistakes
by Mike Parkinson

How many unattractive, unfocused, and downright confusing business graphics have you seen? Picture one in your head. How does it make you feel? Annoyed? Frustrated? Off balanced? Chances are it falls prey to one—or more—of the top three business graphic mistakes.

Assuming you have done your homework and know your P.A.Q.S. (Primary Objective, Audience, Questions, and the Subject Matter—get the new book to learn more), many business graphics still fail for three reasons: over complication, a lack of clarity, and poor rendering. A visual becomes overly complex when the author attempts to convey too many messages in one graphic or includes more detail than is necessary. Our target audience will lose interest and can become frustrated, if the graphic is too complicated.

An unclear graphic, due to lack of identification and/or explanation, happens when the author erroneously assumes that their target audience understands the subject matter on the same level that he/she does. Graphics should always identify key elements and explain their meaning and benefits. Lack of clarity can cause confusion in the audience or send the wrong message.

Poorly rendered graphics result in a host of negative outcomes such as miscommunication and the perception that the presenter (the person, place, or thing most associated with the graphic) is unprofessional and may not fully understand the topic.

If you avoid these traps, your business graphics will improve and your success rate will increase!

(Don't be a victim of the top three business graphic mistakes. Pick up a copy of Mike's new book, Do-It-Yourself Billion Dollar Business Graphics).

If you have any questions or need input, do not hesitate to email us at info@billiondollargraphics.com. We are happy to help you make your next visual communication project the best it can be.

"What are the best colors to use in my business graphics, presentations, proposals, and other client-facing materials?"

At almost every seminar, I am asked this question. It is an important question that, surprisingly, has an easy answer. However, before I share this answer, you need to have some basic knowledge about color and its role in design:

1. Color is the first thing that people notice; therefore, it sets the mood of your graphic or document.

2. Color preference is subjective. Although, if we focus on most western cultures, color has a generally accepted set of associated emotions and connotations as listed below:

• Red = empowering, bold (If used in large quantities studies show that red can have a physical effect, increasing the rate of respiration and raising blood pressure. This can negatively affect mood.)
• Orange = warmth, happiness
• Yellow = happiness, energy (excellent for highlighting)
• Green = balance, refreshing (usually makes a good secondary color)
• Blue = relaxing, cool (usually the safest/most appealing color to use for business graphic color schemes)
• Violet = comforting
• White = pure, associated with cleanliness
• Black = authoritative, shows discipline

3. The color wheel is a must-have reference when determining how the basic colors work together. It is also an important tool when communicating with anyone in the design or print field.

4. Color consists of three variables:

• Hue - where on the color wheel the color appears
• Saturation - the intensity or vibrancy of the color
• Value - the lightness or darkness of the color

5. There are two color “families” of which to be aware:

• Analogous - colors that appear next to one an other on the color wheel like blue, green, and yellow
• Complementary - colors that are across from one another on the color wheel like red and green (Complementary colors tend to vibrate when next to one another.)

Now to (finally) answer the question of choosing the best color for your design project. The shortest answer is that color choice depends on your goals. If your goal is to increase mindshare or brand your company, stick with your corporate colors. If your goal is to make sales or win new work, use your potential client's colors (i.e., green and beige for the U.S. Army, if you're presenting to the Army). If your goal is to play it safe and you're starting from scratch, I recommend blues and greens. They are calming colors. If you are creating a new color palette for your company or team, choose analogous colors. Also, keep in mind the associated, cultural meanings when you choose your palette and the inherent message you want to send about your business.

When creating color palettes, I pick three colors (usually my potential client’s colors). I specify which color is primary, which is secondary, and which is tertiary. I then create swatches of each color with different values (see the definition of value above) so that I have more flexibility without leaving the safety of my color palette.

Do you have a business graphics question? Visit http://billiondollargraphics.blogspot.com/ and post your question. Mike will be sure to answer or point you in the right direction.

Click on the following images to download your free PowerPoint Templates ...

Be sure to check out our new Billion Dollar Graphics Spectacular PowerPoint Template Collection. This DVD contains 125 unique, high-quality, professional PowerPoint templates (plus hundreds of color variations). You have over 1 gigabyte of templates to choose from. Click here to learn more.

It's official! The original Billion Dollar Graphics book set has sold out. (eBooks are still available for a limited time.) Congratulations to all those who got a copy of the first and only printing.

NEW BOOK! Check out Mike's new book, Do-It-Yourself Billion Dollar Business Graphics. This latest edition combines the original book set into one convenient reference tool with added information and techniques to show you how to quickly turn your text and ideas into graphics that increase your sales by 43%. The new hardback book also includes a virtual CD. Do not give your competition the advantage. Get Do-It-Yourself Billion Dollar Business Graphics before it's gone. (Shipping December 18th!)

Get this new tool now for your company or team for less and watch your success sky rocket!

10-19 books = 10% off
20-39 books = 15% off
40-79 books = 25% off
80-149 books = 50% off!
150 or more books = Call

In the last few months, Mike has presented his Fast Class Seminars to many different companies and organizations (Staubach, Northrop Grumman, Pragmatech, APMP, Horne International, Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, Hewlett-Packard, Boeing, and more). The feedback is extremely positive. Everyone in attendance was amazed with what they learned in such a small amount of time. Schedule your Fast Class Seminar now!

Mike writes a reoccurring article entitled "Ask the Graphics Guru" for the National Capital Area's business development newsletter, Executive Summary.

We now offer BDG DVD corporate licenses.

Do-It-Yourself Billion Dollar Business Graphics makes great a gift! Give them to your team as a bonus or the person in your life who needs or appreciates graphics and watch their success sky rocket.

Remember, there are free articles and templates available at Billion Dollar Graphics/Articles. Visit now for immediate download.

If you want to increase your revenue (company or personal), then read The Jelly Effect: How to make your communication stick. Communication is key for successful business professionals, and Andy Bounds gets it right! This fun and informative read gives easy-to-implement, practical tools and strategies that guarantee your success. I have applied his ideas to my graphics, presentations, writing, and business interactions—and the results have been tremendous.

Get more information on The Jelly Effect from Amazon.com and www.andybounds.com.

Andy is also a fabulous and experienced professional speaker, who has received a bevy of accolades from his peers and audiences. If you are looking for a great presenter who will motivate, inspire, and excite the attendees at your next business function, contact him. Every person will leave his presentation with simple steps to apply to their lives the very next day that will help them achieve more in their business and personal pursuits.

Do you need graphic design support? Do you need clear, communicative, compelling design for your presentations, proposals, marketing, website, and multimedia? Then contact the graphic experts at 24 Hour Company now for a free consultation!

If you are involved with business development and proposal creation, we recommend CapturePlanning.com. Click on the link to visit their site for a cornucopia of helpful tools. You will not be disappointed.

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