The Visual Marketing Cheat Sheet
10 truths separating forgettable content from content that converts
If you think great design is just a matter of “creativity,” you’re missing the mechanics of how people actually process information. Great design is a system. When you stop guessing and start engineering, your results change.
Here are 10 truths that separate forgettable content from content that converts.
1. Consistency beats creativity
Brands with consistent messaging see an average revenue increase of 10–20% (Lucidpress, State of Brand Consistency Report). Find what works, then keep doing it. Your audience is not exposed to your marketing as often as you are. They need repetition to build trust.
2. Visuals are remembered. Words are forgotten.
People recall 65% of visual information three days later. Text alone? 10% (John Medina, Brain Rules, 2008). If your message matters, pair it with a visual.
3. You can control where the eye goes
Visual hierarchy lets you direct viewers in whatever order you want. The most prominent element is seen first, so make sure that element earns its place. You have more control over the viewer’s experience than you think.
4. Every piece of content needs a goal
Before you open Canva, know what action you want the viewer to take; if you cannot answer that in one sentence, you are not ready to design yet.
5. White space is not wasted space
The less you put in, the more attention lands on what matters. Empty space is not a failure to fill the canvas. It is a deliberate signal telling the viewer where to look.
6. People do not buy products. They buy better versions of themselves.
Your visuals need to show the benefit, not the feature. Every person is the lead character in their own story. Show them the version of themselves your product helps them become.
7. If everything is yelling, nothing is heard
When everything in a design is bold, large, and competing for attention, nothing stands out. Hierarchy requires contrast. If everything is important, nothing is.
8. Faces drive attention and emotion
91.7% of ads featuring human faces attracted more attention than those that did not (Adwerx). People are biologically wired to look at faces first. Use them to capture attention, then point them toward whatever you want the viewer to see next.
9. Stock photography is your weakest visual asset
39% of marketers report stock images as their worst-performing visual content, more than any other type (Venngage). If you are leaning on stock, you are leaving performance on the table.
10. Audit your competitors’ visuals before you create
Look at what everyone in your space is doing, then find the open lane. If every competitor uses blue, that is not a reason to use blue. It is a reason to go a different direction. The white space in your market is where differentiation lives. Make a Pinterest board and track the visuals you find. You’ll start to see patterns.
Download this list as an easy-to-reference PDF.
Great visual marketing is not accidental. It is a system. Understanding how people see, process, and remember what is in front of them is where it starts.
Much of this has been expanded upon in my book, The Visual Marketer (Tilt Publishing, 2025).