Our Design Philosophy
At VisualBloom, thoughtful design is about more than how a visual support looks. Our products are designed to provide consistency, reduce unnecessary distraction and create resources that can adapt and grow alongside the individual using them.
Consistent by design
VisualBloom's green and cream colour scheme has been intentionally kept consistent across our products. We use a calm, subtle palette to reduce unnecessary visual distraction and allow the symbols, information and purpose of each resource to remain the focus.
Keeping this familiar appearance across different VisualBloom products also means that a new resource does not have to look completely unfamiliar simply because it's purpose is different.
Designed to grow and adapt
VisualBloom products are designed with flexibility in mind. Needs, interests, routines and environments can change, so wherever possible our resources can be added to, removed from or adapted over time.
Communication folder pages, can be added or removed according to what is currently relevant to the individual. ALD/Topic Boards and Learning & Reference Boards can be introduced as and when they are useful, while modular Rapid Access Portable symbol packs can be added or removed as needs change.
Designed to work together
Rather than viewing each VisualBloom product as an isolated resource, we have designed our range so that compatible supports can complement one another.
Consistent symbol sizing across compatible resources means loose symbols can be used across different VisualBloom products where specified, helping resources work together and reducing unnecessary duplication.
Our Rapid Access Portable symbol packs use openable rings, and a compatible lanyard and keyring options also allow packs to be added or removed, so the vocabulary being carried can change according to the situation or individuals needs.
Choosing the right cell size
VisualBloom offers three cell variants across our Communication Folders, ALD/Topic Boards and Learning & Reference Boards:
ESSENTIAL
12 cells
BROAD
20 cells
ROBUST
32 cells
These are not levels, stages, age ranges or measures of ability. A higher number of cells does not mean that someone is more advanced, and a lower number does not mean that someone is at an earlier developmental stage.
Different layouts allow you to consider the individual's visual, processing and scanning needs and how much information is useful to have available at one time.
Someone who benefits from larger visuals, finds busy pages overwhelming or finds scanning many options difficult may benefit from fewer, larger cells. Another individual may comfortably scan more, smaller visuals and benefit from having additional vocabulary or information immediately available.
There is no universally 'better' cell size. The right choice is the one that makes the resource accessible, useful and manageable for the individual.
A5 or A4
The same principle applies when choosing between A5 and A4 Communication Folders. Size is not an indication of age or ability. Consider visual accessibility, preferred symbol size, scanning and processing needs, portability and where the folder will be used.
How Communication Folders are organised
Topic page (with tab) > Page 1 + Page 2 > Next Topic page (with tab)
Essential: Up to 24 cells
Broad: Up to 40 cells
Robust: Up to 64 cells
How Communication Folder topic pages work
Each topic begins with a tabbed topic page, helping the individual or their communication partner locate relevant vocabulary and providing a consistent way of navigating the folder.
Each topic uses the selected cell size - Essential 12, Broad 20 or Robust 32 - but topics are not necessarily restricted to one page. Where additional relevant vocabulary is useful, a topic can extend across a two-page spread, allowing both pages to be viewed together.
This provides up to 24 cells for Essential, 40 for Broad and 64 for Robust within a topic.
Not every topic needs two full pages. Some topics may use one page, some two, and where appropriate cells may intentionally remain empty.
Purpose before filling space
We prioritise relevant and useful vocabulary over filling every available cell.
Adding unnecessary symbols simply comply to complete a grid can make a resource busier without making to more useful and can increase the amount of visual information the individual needs to scan and process.
For this reason, an empty cell does not mean that a symbol is missing or that a resource is unfinished. It allows us to maintain a consistent grid and symbol sizing while including vocabulary that is relevant to that particular topic.
only include vocabulary or information that is relevant and useful to the purpose of a resource. This means that some VisualBloom products may intentionally contain empty cells rather than unnecessary symbols being added simply to fill the available space. Maintaining a consistent grid also helps preserve consistent symbol sizing and layout across related resources.