It’s a magical time for business documents everywhere.
Let’s face it: they’ve had a crazy couple of decades. They must look back on those zen years — when an empty typewriter ribbon was the most of their worries — and chuckle nostalgically. “Why,” they laugh, “It feels like just yesterday computers got color screens. Just minutes since Word took over the world.”
But then the big change hits — the one that alters the course of business documents forevermore. It’s the SaaS-ification of business tools, the rise of the web app ever-open on the laptop, the constant whirr of email notifications and requests to share files.
With the advent of infinitely shareable, brilliantly collaborative tools like Google Drive, SlideShare, and Dropbox, a few special things happened to the boring docs we all know but have only recently learned to love.
Namely, the lines between docs began to blur. Once everything is online anyways, who’s to say that a business proposal can’t double as a presentation deck to show investors? Or that your press release and pinnable infographic can’t be one in the same?
More importantly, who’s to say everything can’t be beautiful, powerful, shareable? Why shouldn’t every single document — work-centric or otherwise — be its own little work of art?
So without further ado, we present to you 8 tips on using visuals to change up those boring docs and make the most of this business doc renaissance we’ve (wonderfully!) got going on.
1. Mix it up. Variety is the spice of life, right? It’s also the spice of — let’s say — slide decks and Word docs. Keep conscious tabs on the subjects, color schemes, shapes, and sizes of your images. You may even want to start a tracker of sorts to see what images you’re using to rep your brand and make sure you’re working towards a recipe that feels right.
6. Shoot for emotion. Before you drop that next photo in place, ask yourself: “How does this image make me feel?” If your answer’s, “Not much,” then pick again. You want a definite heartstring tug of some sort if your business documents are to be as powerful as possible.
