The Spice of Life for Strategic Communicators

Three years ago, I left Lebanon behind and relocated to Armenia, aiming to start a new chapter of my life. With my creative talents in tow, I joined Deem Communications as Art Director. Here, besides managing a team of creatives, I spearhead the production of visual aids for a variety of campaigns and platforms.   When Raffi informed me about the collaboration with Life in Armenia magazine, I knew I had to share something that transcends my personal journey in Armenia and captures the essence of Armenia within me, personally and professionally. In doing so, I hope to ignite a spark in those who are considering Armenia as an option for them. Whether you’ve been to Armenia or are considering traveling here, what comes to mind when you hear the word “Armenia?” It might be a landmark, a person, a street, restaurant, or a tree; it’s almost always connected to a visual element.   Although often considered as the sidekick of the strategic communicator, visual aids are incredibly powerful tools for getting the message across in a clear, and engaging way. They grasp attention, increase retention, simplify complexity, evoke emotions, and persuade action. Visual aids help create a unique identity and style for a brand or campaign.   Allow me to present this niche profession and my reflections on practicing it in Armenia and the impact it has had on my life.

Challenges of Creating Visual Aids For Strategic Communications 

Upon my arrival to Armenia to fulfill my role as Art Director, I was taken aback to find that our audiences were more complex than expected. In addition to the relatively small local population, Armenia hosts a significant international presence. Companies, including DeeM, work extensively with foreign partners and international organizations, making it essential to create visual aids that are both culturally sensitive yet impactful and effective.   The main challenge of creating visual aids for strategic communications is understanding the mindset of each audience segment. What ideas are acceptable in one culture may be rejected in another. It is important to study the market and psychology of the target audience, including natives, diasporans (or repats), expats or simply foreign incoming tourists in order to develop customized visualization of thoughts that are sensitive, heartfelt and memorable.    In more recent times, with the rapid tech evolution, I have noticed a decrease in quality of audio-visual content. As a professional who is meticulous not only about the storyline, but also the production value, I am faced with this challenge of offering high quality products within a diminishing budget in a demanding market that seeks to remain competitive. Nonetheless, along with DeeM, I’ve committed to maintaining the quality by utilizing some of the trending tools while remaining faithful to my camera and equipment. 

Trends and Formats in Visual Aids

Video and animation content have increasingly gained the upper hand as  most popular forms of visual aids. Viewers are busy and have lower attention spans, so choosing the right type of visual aid becomes critical for delivering the main messages. For example, when presenting numbers or data why not use infographic-style visuals? Why not add a video or photos to support that information? In other cases, when my objective is to build an awareness campaign visual content, my go-to format is static images, preferably photos I have conceived and captured. It allows to stay within budget yet deliver more original and customized content.  Also, the production of video or animation is more time consuming, something not always available in our field. Nonetheless, all visuals should remain within the campaign visual direction or brand tone of the client. 

Creating Visual Aid for The Armenian Market

After three years in Armenia, allow me to share some tips about the visuals that resonate with the local publics:

1. Armenians have a discerning eye for aesthetics, so use high-quality visuals while campaigning.
2. Armenia has a rich and complex culture, so be respectful of customs and values when creating visual aids.
3. Armenians have a distinct sense of humor, be cautious to use it sparingly, especially when tackling more traditional topics.
4. Test the visuals with a target audience before launching a campaign to ensure the effectiveness but also the culturally appropriateness.

Directing in Armenia

Is it that complicated to create visual aids for the Armenian market? Although a small market, Armenia is a microcosm of the international market. With DeeM, I have had the opportunity to direct some audio-visual productions and even full on campaigns for international as well as for a variety of segments in Armenia. In the following samples of projects I’ve directed in Armenia, I want to convey the complexity, diversity, and sophistication of the Armenian market:

ICRC’s 30th Anniversary

Working with ICRC Armenia was challenging given the subject matter they tackle. My task was to demonstrate the vigorous work conducted with the families of the missing while creating a tone of celebration of partnership with the Republic of Armenia. While creating inspirational visual aids we carefully considered the beneficiaries, the audience, the media and everything in between.  In one video, we conceived a minimalistic style utilizing engaging photographs to create an emotional connection between the work of the experts, the families and the general public. We threaded carefully and were sensitive and considerate. That was the only way we achieved a beautifully orchestrated campaign that included outdoor visuals, digital video and animation content, a formal event and media outputs. 

U.S. Ambassador’s Fund in Armenia

Producing this video piece was truly a pleasure! My task was to compile all the achievements and impacts of the U.S. Ambassador’s Fund in Armenia, that had restored historical and cultural sites in Armenia. My vision was to illustrate an aesthetic that captivates the viewers. The heritage sites and their breathtaking natural environment were demonstrated with aerial captures combined with interviews with the Ambassador and others.  I used extreme close ups of the exquisite detailed restoration work conducted adding value to the results. B-rolls or panorama, and architecture heightened the emotional connection between history, culture and humanity. To package the imagery, a cinematic music, a voice-over narration, and subtitles was also implemented, making it accessible to more segments. 

Remaining Authentic and Ethical 

To know who we are going to make the visual content for, I encourage my team to set aside some time and study the target segments, their likes and behaviors. I advise them to look into trending design or editing activities going on around the world. I myself feel like I am constantly in a research mode. One of our daily preferred activities is the brainstorming sessions. This is where we let go of everything and just pour in one idea after another. Once we hone in on the concept, we do a second round of research to ensure that our ideas are not in violation or replicating existing ones. We all know it is hard to always create new ideas, but to be inspired and build on successful trends is how many creatives thrive. Once developed, we regularly test the visual direction with peers and if budget or time permits, with focus groups. This approach allows us to remain ethical in our creative process.    Given that DeeM works on a variety of sensitive topics, we are careful with the choices of visuals we use. We try to be honest, authentic and original in our work. We avoid using clichés, stereotypes, or false claims. We make use of real stories, testimonials, or data whenever possible. We also respect the intellectual property rights of others and give credit where it is due. As part of our team is also freelancers, we have conceived of policies not to impede their ownership without compromising the agency’s. A very delicate and a highly important matter.  For three years now in Armenia, I have seen a lot of work being copied from other artists, designers, or producers. If we want to succeed, then we need to be original and innovative.

Measuring The Impact of Visual Aids

The internet penetration rate in Armenia was 78.6% earlier this year. It means that more than 2.000.000 of Armenia’s population is connected to the internet. Due to the country’s small size and high internet penetration rate, it is relatively easy to measure the impact and effectiveness of visual content in Armenia when targeting the local market.   On a wider scale in international markets, there are different ways to measure the impact and effectiveness of visual aids. Different tools and methods are used depending on the type of project, platform, and objectives that are being measured.   Some of the common ways we use:

1. Tracking the number of views, likes, shares, comments, or downloads of the visual aids on social media, websites, or other platforms.
2. Conducting surveys, interviews, focus groups, or feedback sessions with the target audience or the client to get their opinions and reactions.
3. Comparing the results of the visual aids with the predefined goals and indicators, such as awareness, engagement, conversion, retention, satisfaction, etc.
4. Analyzing the qualitative and quantitative data collected from the above methods to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the visual aids and to make recommendations for improvement.

Armenia Welcomes Creativity

Despite not yet being a popular destination for remote workers and digital nomads, the Armenian professional community surprised me, and I know it will surprise anyone visiting the country. The experience I have had here has exceeded my expectations, and the level of professionalism I have seen has been challenging at times. From Armenia, I have targeted audiences worldwide and have been responsible for projects that have had an impact.  As a photographer and experienced production manager back in Lebanon, I am happy to be adding more spice to this otherwise multi-faceted country. The landscape, the kind of work and the people I do the work with have been nothing short of life changing for me. From my remote site working trips to delving into some real and challenging issues, I have grown and broadened my horizons beyond expectation. More than ever, I have a growing feeling to create more – more visual communications that will allow me to share my experience.