A famous American theatrical producer and director once said, “If you can’t write your idea on the back of my calling card, you don’t have a clear idea.” The complex information you present may not ever lend itself to being written on the back of a calling card, but it does not have to overwhelm your buyers either. I came across a brilliant example of how one firm used what I call “Visual Algebra” to simplify the complexity of what is arguably one of today’s most convoluted industries to understand. See how you can do the same for your business.
Problem
In pre-digital days, life in the advertising world was simple. There were three players:
- The sellers of advertising (magazines, newspapers, TV, and outdoor billboards),
- The buyers of advertising (brands like Nike, Estee Lauder, and IBM) and
- The advertising agencies who helped buyers create and place ads in the most appropriate media to help them reach their targeted buyers.
Today, the Internet has many, many more players and the buying and selling of media has become much more complex. 
In fact, the folks at Luma Partners* created these famous Lumascapes to reflect that complexity.
How in the world do you explain this collection of services and platforms in an intelligible way?
Solution: Visual Algebra
Mark Dye at Bizo.com* does it with what I call ‘Visual Algebra.” Instead of “X” and “Y” standing for different quantities, Mark’s “X” and “Y” are shape, size and color. They stand for the different players, their positions in the digital world and the roles they play.
Take a look at this video. You do not need to be in the media business or to even watch the video to the end to appreciate the elegance of how Mark transforms messy and confusing information into a meaningful and clear picture of that world.
Simplify Complexity in Your World
Whenever you find yourself getting lost in explanations of what something is and how it works and who does what to whom and when and how, use shapes, size, and color to make what you are saying easy to understand for your buyers.
A confused mind says “No.” Visual Algebra clears up confusion and gets a “Yes.”
Anne Miller
*LUMA Partners is an investment bank that provides strategic advice to companies at the intersection of media and technology.
*Bizo helps B2B marketers identify and reach their target audiences online
To get others to see what you are saying when they just don’t get it. Check out “The Tall Lady With the Iceberg: the power of metaphors to sell, persuade, & explain anything to anyone.” Now available in Audio, 
as well as Print and on Kindle.