Simply put, data comics involve the use of cartoon characters and comic strips to simplify complex data. They convey key information in a manner that can be easily understood by even a layperson. Besides, all such information is presented in a humorous and entertaining way. The use of data comics also helps decision-makers in the organization to understands the insights better.  

In the near future, the data analysts may take on the additional responsibility of delivering insights as stories. This means they’ll become the new-age corporate storytellers. One of the major functions of their job might involve looking for innovative ways to engage their audience.

Big help for the decision-makers

A sales dashboard of a company shows its trend of sales for a certain period. It often explains the sales trends with some colourful charts, bars, and curves. What it doesn’t generally show is the explanation of the hidden insights. They include the rate of growth and performance of each business unit. Such insights are always crucial for decision-makers of a business organization. 

When data comics is brought into the picture, it narrates how much the sales have increased. They also identify the business unit or units that have done well. It is clear from both these scenarios that the second dashboard saves a lot of time for the decision-maker. Any decision-maker would prefer the dashboard with the comic narrative.  

Functions of data comics

Data comics tells the entire story of the data to be presented. They basically serve the crucial insights and findings on a plate. Now, the decision-maker just has to take a look at the comics to understand the findings. He or she won’t have to spend a good amount of time analyzing the charts. The decision-makers of business organizations are always busy with some crucial works. 

They don’t usually have the time to go through the data and analyses. Data comics would help them in getting all the important insights instantly. They perform three important functions. The first is focusing on the right problem. The second is providing solutions to the problem, and the third is communicating insights in the right manner to decision-makers.

No need for graphs and charts

Data comics convey only important and relevant information. They may or may not need graphs and charts for communicating the key insights. Graphs and charts may be needed when the decision-maker wants to look at certain numbers. Sometimes they may be required as support for the insights given through the comic visuals. 

Most of the time, charts and graphs are not required while providing important insights to the decision-maker. The main purpose of using data comics is to simplify all the complex data for the benefit of users. It leads to the better judgment of data and makes the decision-making process quicker.

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In order to communicate the insights to an individual, a story must be told along with the data. The only medium that has been used for many decades to tell stories graphically is comics. Everyone is familiar with comics, yet they’re rarely used for data-driven storytelling. This is where the need for data comics arises.

Data comics explained

Comics are an excellent combination of visual artistry, design, and narrative techniques. Their creation, therefore, requires certain skills that an average individual may not possess. Data comics are often added for giving a visual effect and driving engagement. They are created by combining multiple visualizations and involves the use of comic strips. 

Such layouts comprise a sequence of panels and each of them has both textual and graphical elements. When arranged in a sequence, they form a story. Using this story, complex data is presented in a way that’s interesting as well as entertaining.

The key aspects of data comics

A data comic won’t be truly comic unless it leverages the visual language of the comics effectively. Designers can make data comics effective by including certain aspects that drive engagement:

1. Rendering and layout: Using cartoon-style rendering, clipped content can be redrawn by the designer to emphasize the comic medium. This would bring the audience into a comic state of mind. A pre-existing knowledge of comics would certainly help in this regard.

2. Comic characters: In a data comic, it is important to include characters that complement the visualization of data. Designers can refer a visual library of the characters. They can also make use of the best artistic talents to create the characters. The benefit of giving the story a human face is that it makes the narrative more personal and engaging.

3. Visual elements: The common visual elements utilized in comics can also be used to propel the narrative. Examples of this are highlights and motion lines. With the use of such elements, the attention of the audience is directed to specific parts of the visualization.

4. Thoughts, captions, and speech: In sequential art, the visuals are complemented by captions, speech balloons, and thought balloons. A data comic must also follow a similar format. This is extremely important in driving the story and guiding the reader.

Measuring the success of data comics

The ultimate purpose of creating a data comic is to convey the story to the audience. When it is finally presented, all of its panels must be visible. A single-panel navigation mode on the screen would serve this purpose. It helps the viewer to navigate backwards and forwards sequentially in the comic. The data comic thus created can be shared through social media or email lists. 

Responses from the users would be crucial in understanding whether it was a success or a failure. If it fails, the teams involved in creating the data comic must try to understand where they went wrong. This would help them learn from their mistakes and make the necessary improvements.

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Rarely does anyone miss a comic strip while browsing through a newspaper, magazine, or website? Businesses can utilize it in the right manner to effortlessly grab the attention of their prospective customers.

A powerful tool for customer engagement

How engagement happens with the use of comic strips can be explained by a simple process. First, the comic characters draw the attention of people who can be potential customers for the business. Next, the concerns of customers are addressed by incorporating some humour. 

At this stage, the comic strip can also explain how the product or service can solve the customers’ concerns. In the next stage of the process, the customers’ interest in the product or service increases. Additionally, the business can also justify the price of the product or service through the comic strip. 

Most of the brands fail at the first stage, which is drawing the attention of potential customers. If there’s nothing substantial to catch their attention, the marketing strategy would be a failure. A highly effective comic strip can prove to be a powerful visual tool in marketing. 

One of the major reasons for this is that simplicity sells. Usually, the comic characters are quite engaging. If the prospective customers have understood the product and its benefits instantly, they’ll not hesitate to buy it. The use of comic strips can make the most complicated concept easy to understand.

Benefits of using comic characters

Most of the individuals in this world can relate to a comic character. They can be much more visually appealing and may even spark nostalgic feelings in people. They would instantly remember their childhood and all the happy memories associated with it. Such characters can also be incredibly entertaining. Strong emotions and humour can be easily expressed through them in a comic strip. 

One good example here would be the highly expressive emoticons used in messaging apps. Sometimes, these emoticons can express the individual’s feelings better than plain text. One of the biggest benefits of using comic characters is that they make the product or service more recognizable. 

They evoke feelings of friendliness and trust in the potential customers. Even the most boring ads can be made more interesting with these characters. 

Comic characters as brand mascots

Businesses can create a comic character and use it as a brand mascot for their products and services. If used in an effective way, a brand mascot can create a lasting impression on the target audience. As a result, the product or service becomes highly recognizable. With the help of a brand mascot, a business can stand out among its competitors. This can translate into increased sales and revenues for the business.

If the brand mascot is created and marketed poorly, it would affect the brand negatively. Using one of the famous comic characters can lead to a lawsuit, even if done unknowingly. It is, therefore, absolutely necessary for a business to use only an original character as its brand mascot.

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