We are bombarded with 174 newspapers worth of information each day and in order to get your message to cut through the noise, you need to be simple to understand, provide value, and if possible, evoke an emotional response. By combining hard data with beautiful visuals, you have a fighting chance to stand out. As my good friend Joe Chernov likes to say: "The secret to breaking through a noisy landscape isn't more noise. It is sounding different."

What's more, there is a high likelihood that you will have a lot of fun in the process. Heck, I would even argue you will feel actual JOY. Why? By returning to the basics of storytelling, you are tapping into the origins of how you learned to communicate as a child -- from using colors and shapes, to employing mixed media. Just because you are a grown up doesn't mean you shouldn't still draw about these early stage arts.