Graphic Design for Health Professionals: What You Need to Know
Updated: Jan 3
Whether you are a dietetic intern or a seasoned nutrition educator, writing and graphic design are skills you will employ throughout your career. From patient education materials to professional presentations, creating effective communications is a key part of the job. For interns, developing education materials is a common assignment. Preceptors are responsible for making sure the final materials are appropriate for the clientele. As the leading experts in nutrition, dietitians are also frequent presenters at professional conferences, journal clubs, in-services, and other educational meetings. Whatever your design project, producing engaging materials requires more than a good design template.
Writing and graphic design are not extensively covered in nutrition coursework. However, there are some key concepts to apply in any communication piece. Health educators must further consider the health literacy of their audience. Budget and time constraints are also common challenges that require efficiency--from development time to production costs, resources are often limited in clinical and community settings. Practicing clinicians may not have access to a professional communications team to develop their materials. Therefore, applying the basics concepts of health communications is a skill worth developing.
Below is a checklist for creating effective health communications, including common errors to avoid.
Share this checklist with your colleagues, interns, and students.
Your Checklist for Creating Effective Health Communications
Determine the objective of your piece.
Consider your budget.
Identify and learn about your target audience.
Select your key message(s).
Write the content.
Include a call to action.
If applicable, incorporate behavior change strategies.
Select imagery with purpose.
Choose a design and color scheme.
Create your deliverable.
Proofread!
Test and evaluate.
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