There is a skill that almost everyone in business has no clue about. A skill mostly ignored in business, even though it is a critical factor in whether information is understood and remembered. One that only needs a little learning to put into practice, but makes a huge difference to how information is communicated.
That skill is Information Design.
Design is often seen as purely aesthetic, a nice to have. Yet design is so much more than the way something looks. It enhances writing by drawing the reader in and providing order and structure, helping people navigate through and find information quickly.
Information only has value if communicated successfully
Given the emphasis on communication skills in business, why isn’t design an expected business skill? The problem is we fit it into a tiny box labelled “creative” - I’m not creative so design isn’t my job. So while it’s expected everyone is able to write at work, how that writing is presented is never given a second thought. This attitude is costing businesses a lot of time. Time writing content that never gets read and time searching through poorly presented information.
Ultimately information only has value if communicated successfully. It doesn't matter how well you write, if you can't present that information well then it will not stand out (and possibly not noticed or read at all) and the reader will find it hard to follow and locate information. I'm not saying everyone needs to become an amazing designer but, just like writing, you should know the basics. So if you are interested in making your work to stand out, be used and understood maybe pick up a design book or two - see which one I recommend here.
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