Coronavirus has had an impact on every aspect of our lives, in a way unprecedented in modern memory. It’s a complex topic, subjected to frequent change and misinformation. Our talented creative team have used their storytelling and visual thinking skills to distill important information and context into an infographic perfect for social media.

What is visual thinking?

Visual thinking is the process we use to translate complex or dry information into rich imagery which makes the subject accessible, memorable and engaging. We use several tools to help us apply this:

• Visual metaphors are very powerful, allowing us to bring an idea into an entirely new frame of reference. This can make it accessible to a much larger audience

• Cultural and relatable references allow us to make ideas engaging, memorable and relevant. Not only can they provide context and added depth to an idea, but they are great vehicles for meaning, humour and charm

• Icons are perfect at emphasizing specific and important details, often used to add further impact and meaning to text or voiceovers

• Set pieces bring our visual storytelling to the fore, setting the stage for our illustrations and other visual devices to bring an idea to life

• None of these would be anything without clear and communicative illustration, the explanatory bedrock of visual thinking. It builds relevance, relatability and charm into our work; whether it’s a location, a key figure or evocative mis-en-scene

How did we use visual thinking to create our coronavirus explainer infographic?

We used visual thinking to tell the story - covering key points like where, how, who and when. After research, our creative team considered the visual concepts that would bring this important information to viewers in a clear and lasting way.

Clarity

Given the nature of the subject and the misinformation that has developed, clarity was essential. For us this meant capturing the likeness of key elements like the appearance of coronavirus, the geographic location of Wuhan and the portrait our quoted expert.

Icons

When it came to delivering essential information on symptoms and safety guidance, icons allowed us to draw the viewer’s focus to exactly what was important. The images inside these icons followed the same pattern, using only the most relevant and concise visual information to communicate with the audience. To further emphasise these, we used onscreen text.

Relatable illustration

This virus affects everyone, but there are high risk groups. To make this point clear, one of our central illustrations was of an elderly man being checked for coronavirus. Drawn with an element of charm, this not only highlighted the point but brought it more into our own realities. Many of us have elderly relatives and need to be particularly careful.

Visual metaphors

Some topics are more suited to metaphors than others, but there was some room to add creative visual thinking. We did this by placing two of the animals experts believe transmitted the coronavirus to humans in a police line-up. The set-up of a police line-up allowed us to use it’s connotations to make the point more memorably.

Applying visual thinking to important information, big ideas and complex messages is our passion. Contact us if we can supercharge your story.

Cognitive are award-winning pioneers of whiteboard animation, and the creators behind the RSA Animates series. We help corporate, academic and charitable organisations like the BBC, TED, Coca Cola and Sanofi to tell their stories more powerfully. Find out more about us here.