We all know that a picture is worth a thousand words. That’s as true in
proposals as in any other document. Graphics can help you get across a complex set of
ideas in a very compressed space. Evaluators like graphics that let help them see the
points you are trying to make instead of making them work too hard to get the point on
their own.
But maybe the biggest reason for using
graphics in your proposal is that at least one of your competitors will use graphics in
their proposal.
| What sorts of graphics are
appropriate in a proposal? It depends on the message you want to send. Take a look
at this list of typical proposal messages and the corresponding graphics that can best
convey them.
|
If you haven’t begun using graphics
beyond the org chart, the project schedule or the standard photos of the buildings you
have designed in the last five years, here are some things to think about:
Readers understand graphics more quickly
than they do words.
Readers remember concrete images better
than they do abstract concepts.
Graphics lure the reader to the page.
Graphics bring the abstract and the
concrete together.
Readers expect to see graphics in
proposals.
Graphics require less energy to understand
than abstract ideas.
Graphics help you structure and present
thoughts, ideas and concepts.
Just about any sort of graphic you would put
in other technical documents would work in a proposal. You need to remember, however, to
make sure the graphic is relevant to the point you are making.
