The persistent media guff and corporate puff that has laden the pages of our (increasingly free) press this year has, at least, been pretty consistent.

Amongst the phrases likely to have featured most often in the business pages and in quotes by business spokespeople this year are:
- Challenging economic climate
- Worsening economic outlook
- Unprecedented market conditions
- Tough trading environment
- Unpredictable cash forecasts

It’s grim, it’s real, but when we look back at 2009 in years to come, what content will really enable us to look through the lens at one of the worst years in corporate history and get a true perspective on how things were?

Cartoons could well be a useful ally. If you think packing something into a press release, media statement or 140 Twitter characters is challenging, doth thy cap to cartoonists, who often have to sum up global economic mood in a single hand-drawn image. And make us all laugh to boot.

This was something that particularly sprang to mind when press cartoonist Royston Robertson took on the challenge of conveying my family life for a bespoke Christmas card, abetted only by a short email from me with what my kids and wife are like and a snap from Google StreetView.

The result is a highly accurate insight into the Earl family home ahead of Christmas, preserved forever in black and white:

PRs still commission far too few cartoons for clients. At a time when so much news is similar, it’s a great way to make a point poignantly and rise above the clutter.