Killer Visual Strategies Engage Any Audience, Improve Comprehension, and Get Amazing Results Using Visual Communication

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.

AMY BALLIETT is an entrepreneur, speaker, teacher, and sought-after thought leader in the fields of visual communication and content marketing. As the founder and CEO of Killer Visual Strategies, Amy grew the agency from a bootstrapped startup into an industry leader and yearly awarded Inc. 5000 company, driving visual strategy for the world's top brands. In her capacity as a visual strategist, Amy has been featured in Forbes and Inc., has spoken at more than 175 conferences around the globe, and shares her knowledge as an instructor at the School of Visual Concepts in Seattle and on LinkedIn Learning.

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

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.