Visuals are the antidote to complexity.
Our brains process, retain and understand images at lighting speed comparative to text
Visual metaphors supercharge that antidote, by marrying the unknown (your complicated idea) with the known (an image we already understand).
It’s a pictorial analogy. Use a metaphor that feels like a story, and you engage our emotional AND logical brains to understand the concept at hand.
For example, using the Harry Potter Hogwarts Houses to explain the difference & interactions between political parties, makes politics more emotionally engaging and accessible to a wider audience.
Here’s 9 visual metaphors for you to use when explaining that gnarly idea/concept in your next tweet, presentation or report.
Iceberg - use this to explain the unseen ideas - or ‘under the water’ - underlying a common assumption
Space - use the orbits of planets to show the relationship between entities
Journey - demonstrate a chronological step by step process
Engine - how parts of a system (cogs) work together to achieve an end goal
Flower - how different things or groups (petals) come together to achieve an end result (the centre or bud)
Mountain - demonstrate the challenges (uphill batle) that need to be overcome to reach a goal
Bricks - all the component parts that combine into one process, outcome or idea
Tree - Shows the foundations of a principle, team or process (the roots), the things that enable them to be successful (the trunk), and the outcomes of their implementation (the branches and leaves)
Map - demonstrate different or best routes to achieve a goal.