Placemats: The Single-Page Secret to Faster, Smarter Decisions

As a federal contractor, I worked on a team that produced over 500 placemats in a 3-year timespan. Our government clients used to joke, "If it's not on a placemat it doesn't exist."

A placemat, which is a 11x17 infographic, became the currency of decisionmaking. Whether we were explaining a program’s budget, a multi-year roadmap, or a complicated operational picture, the placemat distilled complexity into something leaders could absorb at a glance.

Why Placemats Work

Policymakers and senior leaders are juggling dozens of competing priorities, meetings, and crises every day. Cognitive overload is real. The average human attention span is now estimated at just eight seconds: which means if you can’t deliver the “so what” quickly, you risk losing the room.

A great placemat:

• Tells a clear story: One page forces prioritization.

• Guides the eye: Good design leads decision-makers through the logic without confusion.

• Supports conversation: It encourages questions and collaboration.

• Saves time: Every minute spent decoding a cluttered slide is a minute lost. In an environments where seconds matter, clarity isn't just "nice to have," it's mission critical.

Design Is Strategy

Too often, design is dismissed as “making it pretty.” But when you’re pitching products or services to the government, design is strategy. The right layout, intuitive flow, and carefully chosen visuals can turn a technical capability into a clear, compelling story that gets attention in a crowded field.

I’ve seen firsthand what works. Producing over 500 placemats taught me that design is fundamentally about respect — respect for leaders’ time, attention, and the gravity of the decisions they face. A well-crafted placemat removes friction, allowing decision-makers to grasp your value quickly and focus on what matters most: whether your solution moves the mission forward.