BY LK HANSEN : : DO PICTURES REALLY COMMUNICATE BETTER? For hundreds of new Chrome users, the answer is a resounding ‘yes’. Google released its new web browser ‘Chrome’ last week, complete with a comic book to illustrate the launch.
Click here to see the comic book.
Being married to an engineer, I have a special soft spot in my heart for the more technically inclined. And, being a right-brained creative, I can appreciate the work it takes to distill hugely complex processes down into simple, bite-sized graphics. So, the Chrome comic book is like a dream come true for me.
The most pressing question in my mind—can I really learn about all the complexities that went into this internet browser via pictures? Will it even be enjoyable? And lastly, will I have any idea what I’ve just read at all when I’m finished?
© 2008 Google
I started off enthusiastically. Page by page I gave my best shot to understand what was being illustrated for me.
Page by page I realized how lucky the world is that I’m not an engineer.
(And that I’m not an engineer at Google.)
After working through a few self-bouts of depression and wishing I had been a better math student (the characters in this book are SMART!), I came to this hugely deep appreciation for what they have created. And I realized what I was holding in my hands could serve as a valuable road map for me here at work.
You see, we strive to engage our clients with our ‘analytical creative’ process. And when we meet with prospective clients, we illustrate what it’s like to work with us via process-based case studies (which is a fancy way of saying we’ve solved problems just like yours before).
A great group of people here at br + c work together to take hugely complex client projects and efficiently boil the summary down to just a few pages, which can quickly be presented to our potential clients. Having an example like Google Chrome’s comic book for reference will prove to be a helpful tool when brainstorming new and better ways to clearly present our ideas.
After all, our case studies illustrate that we practice what we preach—the best communication is often driven by the simplest solution. Maybe the Google engineers of the world aren’t actually that different from me—we’re all working to design elegant solutions to complex problems. Problems that we solve to make our clients lives better. Problems that I know we are good at solving.
Come to think of it, the world is lucky that I’m not an engineer at Google. The world is lucky that I’m a designer at brandt ronat + company.
Brandt Ronat + Company (br+c) is a mature consulting/design firm specializing in creating brand and business sector positioning strategies, along with high-quality communications solutions, advertising and collateral systems that sustain. The core strength of br+c can be described by three words: analytical, balanced, creative. Through ANALYTICAL CREATIVE™, a proprietary process, br+c senior strategists bring the big picture on client opportunities into focus. A/C™ works to achieve a strong, rational, evidence-based set of variables to inform planning and development.
copyright 2008 brandt ronat + co.
Comments (1)
I read it when it first came out. I thought they did a really good job of explaining not only what they've done to make Chrome different and better than other browsers, but also why it should matter to the user.
I've adopted the browser for personal use, but at work I use Firefox because it's already broken in with my favorites organized, history, passwords, etc...
At work, it's a pleasant surprise when I try to scroll up and it works.
Posted by Jay | September 26, 2008 10:45 PM
Posted on September 26, 2008 22:45