Today, the Ministry of General Affairs’ Public Information and Communications Service (DPC) presented the bundle Diversiteit in beeld. Een verkenning van inzichten [Diversity in the picture. An exploration of insights]. In this bundle, different experts on the cutting edge of visual communication and inclusion share their insights on the complexity, challenges and opportunities of diverse imagery for inclusive communications by the government.
My reflections on the topic were also recorded in the bundle. I focused on the power of stereotypes and how they can both help and hinder a message that aims to communicate diversity and inclusion. I also warned against blindly taking over so-called best practices from others, and advised to apply best methods instead. This means there is no concrete checklist for inclusive communication, rather a list of questions that communication specialists should ask themselves before picking their visuals. These questions regard reflections as to how a visual message may be perceived, for instance by members of different groups, which images already speak to the target audience, and what existing stereotypes are.
