Visual Summary for Climate Change Policy: UNDP and Chile’s Ministry of Finance

In 2023 I had the privilege of working with the United Nations Development Programe and Chile’s Ministry of Finance on one of the projects I remember most from that year. The brief was to transform the findings of seven technical reports on public climate expenditure into something that very different audiences could understand and use. The result was presented at COP28, circulated at forums, and earned a nomination at the Chile Design Awards 2024.

THE CHALLENGE

Chile has a rigorous methodology for measuring how the state allocates resources to address climate change. The problem was that this methodology lived inside seven information-dense technical reports that needed to be adapted into a more digestible format.

The brief also came with specific technical requirements: the piece had to be bilingual, modular, and work across very different formats. Horizontal for presentations and keynotes. Vertical for websites and digital documents. Decomposable into minimum units for social media. With resolution sufficient for large-format printing. All of that from a single set of drawings.

THE PROCESS

The work began by absorbing the content of all seven reports to identify what was truly essential and what could be omitted without losing rigor. That phase of analysis and synthesis is what determines whether a piece of visual communication for climate change policy actually communicates.

We used the comic format as the visual language: an accessible and familiar format that actively engages the reader without oversimplifying. Each panel was designed to work independently and as part of a continuous story. The process included live revision sessions with the UNDP and Ministry teams, where adjustments were made in real time.

THE RESULT

The piece was presented at COP28 and received praise and interest from attending countries. It was used in UNDP and Chile’s Ministry of Finance presentations, on the social media channels of UNDP Chile and DIPRES, and adapted to digital, print, and bilingual formats. From the visual summary drawings, an educational video in Spanish and English was developed, along with eight social media reels.

That level of reuse doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when the conceptualization is solid from the beginning.

“We contacted Fran to tackle the challenge of presenting our project’s progress and results in a friendlier and simpler way. The goal was not only met but exceeded, with an excellent reception from stakeholders. We value Fran’s dedication and commitment to achieving our objectives through a very personalized and professional approach”.

Fernando Cordova | Project Coordinator | United Nations Development Programe (UNDP)

Does your organization have technical content on sustainability or climate change that needs to reach further? Let’s talk about how to build a resource that lasts.

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