| Most large and small businesses have their own | | | | titlepage dominated by the vendor's logo. It |
| uniquebrand. This includes their logo, packaging or | | | | comes across asself centered and obnoxious. |
| any otherkind of graphic. Writing a good business | | | | ¡è If the customer has a "company |
| proposal oftenrequires some thought whether to | | | | color," incorporate itinto your design. For example, |
| use graphics and color. | | | | using a line at the top ofthe page in their color to |
| Research recommends using color and graphics | | | | separate the header from bodytext, or putting |
| except forthose rare situations where the | | | | major headings in their color, are subtleways of |
| customer explicitly forbidsit. Government bids are | | | | communicating to them. |
| less common than it used to be. | | | | ¡è Avoid using clip art. It usually |
| But, they need to be used with some judgment. | | | | doesn't enhance yourdocument. It's not smart to |
| Throwing inclip art or colorful logos will probably do | | | | throw something into thedocument just because |
| more damagethan good. | | | | it's available. Your goal is toinclude appropriate |
| There are several factors that contribute to a | | | | graphics that reinforce your message. |
| goodpackage: page layout, legibility of the font, | | | | ¡è Avoid highly technical graphics, |
| use of whitespace. But, two of the more | | | | complex diagrams andcharts. Simple graphics are |
| important tools you can use arecolor and graphics. | | | | better. They will attract moreattention and they |
| Research indicates that using color and graphics | | | | will be easier to understand. If youmust include |
| canincrease the reader's interest, enhance | | | | schematics, drawings, network diagrams, orsimilar |
| retention, andimprove comprehension. In fact, the | | | | technical visuals, consider putting them in |
| results showed thefollowing impact from color: | | | | atechnical appendix or providing them as |
| 1. Increases comprehension up to 73% 2. | | | | attachments. |
| Increases retentionand recall 55% to 78% 3. | | | | ¡è Graphics should be oriented |
| Increases motivation up to 80% 4. | | | | horizontally on the page,just like the text. The |
| Sells products and ideas 55% to 85% more | | | | reader should never need to turnyour document |
| effectively | | | | sideways to look at your graphic. |
| If there's any bad, it's the fact that the research | | | | ¡è Write an active caption that not |
| wassponsored by Hewlett Packard. They just | | | | only explains what thegraphic is showing but also |
| might have a vestedinterest in getting business | | | | emphasizes a customer benefit. |
| people to use more colorprinters. | | | | In long documents, it's a good idea to number the |
| But the group that actually did the research was | | | | graphics,too. |
| anindependent, third party, with good credibility. | | | | ¡è Discussing an idea in the text and |
| And thosefigures are consistent with other | | | | then illustrating itgraphically is more effective than |
| research done bypublishers and educators. | | | | showing the graphic andthen discussing it. Never |
| A study conducted by the University of | | | | put all the graphics at the endof the document. If |
| Minnesota found thatthe use of simple graphics | | | | people have to flip back and forthbetween the |
| increased the persuasiveness ofa message by | | | | text and the graphics, they won't get the fullvalue |
| 47%. To measure the effect, they had a groupof | | | | of either. |
| people read a passage of text and rate it | | | | ¡è Use the kinds of graphics that |
| forpersuasiveness. Then they had another group | | | | are appropriate to therole of the audience. For |
| rate the exactsame text, only this time it included | | | | example: |
| a graphic. The scorejumped by 47%! | | | | CEOs, CFOs, COOs, and other senior executives |
| Why does this work? One factor is that some | | | | are likely tolook at payback calculations, ROI |
| people learnmore easily through graphics than | | | | charts, or gap analyses |
| they do through words. | | | | Technical evaluators will appreciate a compliance |
| They are right-brain oriented. Also, some people | | | | matrixmore than any other kind of graphic. A |
| areskimmers, and graphics are more likely to slow | | | | compliance matrixlists each requirement, shows |
| down theskimming process so that they absorb | | | | your level of compliance withit, and references |
| the content. Finally,sometimes graphics, particularly | | | | where in the document the evaluator canfind |
| those based on statisticalanalysis or other | | | | detailed information. |
| quantified data, seem to carry moreauthority than | | | | The "business beneficiaries" of your solution- that |
| mere words: for more people a bar chartshowing | | | | is, thepeople who will use it or maintain it will be |
| the average annual temperature in three cities | | | | mostinterested in graphics showing the cycle of |
| willbe more convincing than similar data presented | | | | operation, workflow, escalation policies for handling |
| only inwords. | | | | problems, and soforth. |
| Here are some ideas for using color and graphics | | | | Think about graphics while you're outlining or |
| to enhanceyour document: | | | | organizingyour document, before you have |
| ¡è Use your customer's logo on the | | | | written any text. Graphicsthat are thrown in as an |
| title page of yourproposal and balance it in terms | | | | afterthought typically look likeafter thoughts. |
| of size and impact withyour own logo. If you | | | | By following these tips, your documents will be |
| know that the customer absolutelyhates having | | | | morecolorful, more interesting, and will probably |
| their logo used by outsiders, obviously don'tdo this. | | | | have moreimpact. |
| Too many proposals go out with a cover and | | | | |