The American Marketing Association in Chicago hosted an event today on market research infographics that featured a “how-to presentation” by Joseph Hopper, president of Versta Research. The event brought together over 40 marketing and advertising professionals, graphic designers, researchers, and academics from throughout the Chicago area to explore new and better ways of communicating and visualizing research data for non-research audiences.

Hopper offered an in-depth discussion of Versta Research’s eight guiding principles in designing research reports and infographics for clients. These guiding principles have been widely cited at research industry conferences (such as LIMRA and the IA’s Corporate Researchers Conference) and published in multiple forms by print and online media outlets such as Quirk’s. The AMA event offered an opportunity to bring market research closer to non-research audiences who need to work closely with research professionals in their companies.

“These are people who need and want research,” said Hopper. “They truly value insights that we can share. But they often struggle to turn data into stories for the audiences they want to reach. That’s where we come in. The best researchers are those who focus as much on the back-end communication of findings, as on the front-end design of research.”

The presentation was illustrated with multiple examples of Versta Research’s work that clients have published for both internal business units and public-facing media. These included insights and data stories from financial services, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, and professional services. With over 25 years of research experience, Versta Research has developed expertise in a wide range of industries, and has consistently helped clients communicate and leverage their research in innovative ways.