Information design
When we talk about information design in contracts, we are not talking about aesthetics, branding, or making documents “look nicer.” Design, in this context, means ensuring that the information in a contract is structured, presented, and organised so that it is easy to navigate, easy to understand, and therefore easy to use in real business situations.
Information design often raises scepticism in legal and commercial teams. Some associate it with unnecessary visual elements. Others worry that introducing design into contracts risks undermining seriousness or creating documents that look less authoritative. These concerns are understandable, but they are based on a narrow view of what design actually does.
Information design focuses on how contractual information is made visible and accessible to its users.
It works with structure, hierarchy, sequencing and layout to support orientation and understanding, especially in complex documents. Rather than adding new content, information design helps users see what is already there: how obligations are connected, where responsibilities lie, and how different parts of the contract relate to one another.
Information design helps different users – legal teams, procurement, sustainability experts, suppliers – find the information they need without having to decode the document. Importantly, design works together with plain language: even well-written clauses lose much of their value if they are hard to locate or poorly organized.
Like plain language, information design does not need to be applied perfectly to deliver value. Even small, targeted design improvements can turn a contract from a static legal artefact into a practical coordination and communication tool. This matters especially in sustainability-related contracting, where obligations must be understood, monitored, and implemented across organisational and supply-chain boundaries.
Design makes contracts work better for business
Thoughtful information design:
-
Reduces implementation risk by making commitments and processes visible rather than hidden in dense document structures.
-
Makes expectations predictable for suppliers, especially where suppliers differ in size, legal capacity, or familiarity with complex contractual matters.
-
Strengthens sustainability outcomes, because well-designed contracts help translate abstract commitments into clear, navigable, and operational requirements that can actually be followed.