.....and what's a corporation?

So what is a corporation?  The Oxford English Dictionary rather poetically describes it as: a united body of persons. Essentially it is a group of people who act together to achieve something.

Their aim could be to sell things, as in a small business or a multi-national corporation. A large company will have a lot of people in many departments undertaking different tasks. These tasks have to be coordinated to make sales, keep customers happy, produce goods, maintain financial records etc. Therefore there is a fundamental need for good communication.

Other types of organisations or communities can benefit from cartoons as a means of communication. Take the archetypal Rock Band. They are unlikely to need much in the way of cartoons for internal communication but a successful band will have a large following and communication with them is crucial.

The band Gorillaz has taken this to extremes. Gorillaz is a virtual band. It consists of four instantly recognisable cartoon band members, and their successsful music videos are cartoon animations. Other bands use cartoons to enhance their brand image, illustrate videos and CD covers, sell merchandise (T-shirts, posters, watches etc.).

.....so what's a cartoon?

What I’m talking about are funny pictures.  They may or may not have words and a punchline, and there are a range of different formats. The types I'm considering primarily are single panel gag cartoons, strip cartoons and humorous illustrations.

Single panel gag cartoons

This is an example of a single panel gag cartoon. They are found everywhere, from newspapers and magazines with mass appeal to science journals and trade magazines with a more restricted readership.

The format is straightforward, a single box of a size that suits the publication. The joke depicted provides a one-off humor hit as there is little space for building up a story.

This format can be used for a series of cartoons on a related theme, but it is often used for one-off jokes.

This example was drawn to commemorate the appointment of the former head of brewing giant Carlsberg, as chief executive of the huge shipping company Moller-Maersk.

Strip Cartoons

Apart from the obvious shape of a strip cartoon, the main thing distinguishing it from a single panel gag is the fact that you have room to build up a story within it. This story telling property allows the cartoonist to tell a different kind of joke that has a beginning, a middle, and an end.

In turn this makes it easier to develop a cast of characters with recognisable behaviour and to create a series of strips that tell stories about them.

Humorous illustration

Humorous illustration is exactly what it says it is - a funny picture describing a scene, object, event etc. They are most often used to illlustrate a piece of writing and tend not to be used on their own.

Humorous illustrations are often used to enliven a story or provide emphasis to a point being made in the text.

The illustration below was drawn to illustrate an article in the Cartoonists Club of Great Britain magazine - Jester. The CCGB members are being led to an assignation at the Black Sheep brewery by the Club Piper in full regalia.

The cartoon debate

The word cartoon means different things to different people and there are constant (often vigorous) discussions about what’s what.  However, all cartoons are communication devices and as such they have the potential to assist corporate communications.  Everyone knows what a cartoon is, but when you start to think about it in depth you can identify distinct types.  Here is a list of just some of the kinds you may routinely come across:

• Marvel type superhero comics

• Children’s cartoons as seen in the British stalwarts: The Beano and The Dandy

• Japanese style cartoons referred to as manga

• Graphic novels

• Single panel gag cartoons

• Strip cartoons

These last two can be found in magazines, newspapers, circulars, advertising material, websites - in fact just about anywhere!

It is also worth pointing out that some cartoons are humorous, others (quite deliberately) are not. There is another entire genre of animated cartoons.

All these types (and others) have great potential for corporate use, but I am going to concentrate here on non-animated illustration in the form of single panel gags, short comic strips and humorous illustrations.

To recap: Corporate Cartoons enhance communication

Which is more memorable, an entry in the monthly office bulletin:

In the next section I look in more detail at why it's a good idea to use Corporate Cartoons.

Why?

Why should you use Corporate Cartoons?

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