The art of getting the publication you want

Getting a publication be it a report, newsletter and so on may sound daunting, especially when you look online and see all the well designed publications there are out there, so to speak. It need not be the case.

It helps to start with the end in mind. This means, thinking of who you are writing for, and visualising what information you would like them to retain after reading your report. Clarifying who your stakeholders helps to refine and to clarify how to write your report.

This will determine the style of writing of your report. As a rule of thumb, the vocabulary that you use should be easy to read and understand. If there is simpler word to describe what you wish to convey, use the simpler one. For example ameliorate and improve have the same nuance. However, improve is a more accessible word to your audience. Use the simpler word so that your audience doesn’t have to keep pausing to figure out what a word means. This slows down their reading.

Second, visualise the sort of images that you would like your publication to have. Images are the sum of the photographs, maps, infographics. Be clear on what visual images would best visually represent what you are trying to convey. This is particularly important if your report is data rich. It helps to represent the figures visually so that it is easy to understand.

Thirdly, it helps to remember that publishing is both an art and a science. Your readers assimilate the information of your report when it has visual appeal, and the content presented in a clear and concise manner.

Editor’s note:
Originally published as “The art of getting what you want”
Updated on Wednesday 15th March 2023