Discover the foundation, power, and necessity of visual communication with this essential guide
Visual communication has changed. It’s gone from being an optional medium for relaying information to an important method for building connections and increasing understanding. We now use visual storytelling to help us establish and strengthen relationships, engage distracted audiences, and bring clarity to complexity. Killer Visual Strategies examines how visual communication has transformed how brands connect with their customers and colleagues alike. It looks at the growing audience demand for quality visual content and how organizations must meet this demand or risk being left behind.
Killer Visual Strategies traces the history of visual communication and explores why it now plays an integral role in our daily lives. As Amy Balliett tells the story of this evolving medium, she naturally incorporates visuals, such as timelines and data visualizations throughout. In addition to providing actionable rules to follow for creating high-impact visual content, Balliett also explores the latest trends, including visual search, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR). Then, she looks forward to what lies ahead in this dynamic field. The book’s topics can benefit readers in a range of professions where visual content is now vital to sharing a message.
- Learn best practices for visual communication
- Gain inspiration from countless visual examples
- Stay on top of the latest trends in visual communication
- Understand visual communication for marketing, sales, design, HR, and more
Killer Visual Strategies provides a clearer picture of the evolution of visual communication as a fundamental part of how a story is told.
Table of Contents
Forward 7
Introduction 11
How To Read This Book 13
The Accidental Agency 17
Part One: Visual Content Is King 25
Chapter 1 Environmental Influences And The Rise Of Visual Content 27
Chapter 2 Visual Content And Human Nature 37
Chapter 3 Quality Visual Content Reigns Supreme 45
Part Two: 8 Rules Of Visual Communication 53
Chapter 4 Rule 1: Always Think About Con-Text 57
Chapter 5 Rule 2: Small Visual Cues Have A Large Impact 63
Chapter 6 Rule 3: There’s No Gold At The End Of That Rainbow 69
Chapter 7 Rule 4: Good Visual Strategists Ask “Wtf?!” 77
Chapter 8 Rule 5: Avoid The Stigma Of Stock 91
Chapter 9 Rule 6: Stand Out At The Cocktail Party 99
Chapter 10 Rule 7: Use Proper Data Viz Throughout 107
Chapter 11 Rule 8: Commit To The Truth And Prove It 123
Chapter 12 Rules Are Meant To Be Broken 135
Part Three: Your Visual Strategy 153
Chapter 13 You Can’t Create Great Content Without A Great Team And Process 157
Chapter 14 Going The Freelance Route 165
Chapter 15 Building An In-House Team 171
Post Script 177
Acknowledgements 181
Appendix A: Terms & Definitions 185
Appendix B: Tools 187
Appendix C: Production Time Estimates 195
Appendix D: A Timeline Of Visual Communication 199
Resources 213
Index 225
