A Perspective on Visual Communication
 by: Mike Dewitt


Ever get so lost in thought, while driving a familiar route, that you don’t remember the last few miles? If you live near a busy street or freeway, you probably don’t ever hear the cars anymore. But you do hear when the occasional police siren pulls a motorist over.

Maybe you’ve learned to live with the pain of a bad knee, or you’ve been around a particular smell so long you don’t notice it while others do.

Our brains have this amazing ability to block out the mundane and commonplace events in our lives.

Here’s the thing, our vision is just as susceptible to this phenomenon! Think about it, when is the last time you stopped and read a poster in a store window? A friend told me he remembered reading a poster at the movie theater. He wanted to see what the coming attractions were (he noted he would’ve preferred video trailers).

The technology is available today to get rid of this “white noise” effect. You will be stopping people in their tracks!

But first let’s see what the current messaging environment is like.

Two years ago Plasma Displays got everyone’s attention. Now they are beginning to become quite commonplace. As more and more people purchase the 42” flat panel displays to use in their homes, they are becoming less noticeable and effective as a messaging system.

After all, what is so different about watching a commercial on your flat panel TV and reading a message or advertisement on a Plasma Display in a store or public venue?

The good news for us is Plasma Displays are coming down in price, but this is bad news for people needing to communicate visually. The increasing affordability and popularity is causing our brains to “TIVO” out the commercials and information.

How many people do you think notice a 42” Plasma Display if they watch the nightly news on a 50” Plasma?

Here’s the thing, communicating with people effectively has been changing rapidly over the past few years, and it has become extremely more difficult. People are installing Digital Video Recorders to block out commercials.

Print media is losing readers and revenue to the internet. Just look at the earnings of companies like Google and Yahoo these days. Even calling a person has turned into a never ending saga of voice mails and answering machines.

Email is a great tool, but it has taken the emotion out of our interrelationships. Emails don’t allow for the communication of your happiness or sadness in the message. “Just the facts please.”

Wouldn’t it be great to be able to reach people in such a way that your message could not be ignored? In fact, what if people wanted to read your message and were emotionally motivated by it. What if it was presented in such an exciting way that people stopped to notice and crowds gathered?

As I said before, the technology is available. You can do this today!

Let me explain, to get people’s attention in today’s world you need 3 things – Big, Bright, and Location. Only projection display systems can meet these requirements at a reasonable cost.

Can you think of a time when you ignored a big, bright display you could see even from a distance? It’s almost impossible not to look. Now, when you add great “content” an irresistible visual experience is created.

Experts will tell you how important it is to have good contrast, and we agree.

Our company spent 3 years promoting great contrast, but we can say from our personal experience people respond to brightness much more than contrast. As long as there is adequate contrast – brightness is king. Besides, how many content creators work with blacks and grays?

Great content is based on exhilarating colors and motion. How many advertisers or communicators want their products to be seen in black and white? No doubt you’ve heard real estate people talk about “location, location, location.” To maximize your value they suggest you buy the least expensive home in the best neighborhood.

The same concept is true in visual communications. When you think about it this is probably the most important aspect of visual messaging. Regardless of the technology you’re using, if the vast majority of people don’t see your message you won’t be maximizing its effectiveness.

Take billboards for example. They can’t even be classified as high technology, and yet they continue to be used effectively. Why? They are a large display right in the path of many people and are nearly impossible to ignore.

Small LCD displays positioned at a check-out counter in a grocery store will surely be viewed by those people standing in line. The problem is that you’re only reaching those people in that particular line. Consequently you will need to install displays at each counter. This can get expensive. A large display positioned overhead will be seen by all the check-out lines and cost considerably less.

So how do you minimize your costs, avoid the “white noise” affect, and maximize your viewers?

While all technologies have their ideal usage application, there is only one that consistently delivers big, bright and location in an affordable package – a video projection system utilizing specialty projection displays.

If you haven’t considered such a system, you’re probably missing a fantastic opportunity to lower your investment cost while increasing your impact and customer awareness.

Imagine what could be when you move from a 24” x 32” display to a 60” x 80” display and place it right in front of your targeted audience.

About The Author
Michael DeWitt and Dave Benedict are founding partners of TRaC Associates, the worlds largest single source for ultra high performance and specialty digital projection screens. TraC Associates leverages their extensive digital projection screen experience and market knowledge to offer truly creative designs and marketing solutions. Visit their website at http://www.tracassociates.com.