Schmidt insisted on presenting company strategy using only images, with no text on slides. This constraint forces leaders to distill complex ideas into visceral, memorable concepts that communicate feeling over facts, believing people remember how something made them feel, not the specific words used.

In a crowded digital space, products and marketing with a unique, even polarizing, visual style are more likely to capture attention and be memorable than those following standard design trends. Daring to be different visually can be a powerful competitive advantage.

A 1972 study found people remember concrete phrases ("a white horse") four times better than abstract ones ("basic truth"). Brands like Apple and Red Bull use this by translating abstract benefits (memory, energy) into visualizable concepts ("songs in your pocket," "wings") to make their messaging stick.

Human vision has two modes: sharp central focus (foveal) for details like text, and wide peripheral vision that scans for general signals like shape, color, and movement. Since peripheral vision detects things first but cannot read, visual marketing must grab attention with imagery before communicating details with text.

Contrary to belief that visual media favors superficiality, it is highly demanding of intelligence. The medium is unforgiving of meandering thoughts common in writing. It forces speakers to be focused, linear, and concise to hold audience attention, rewarding clear thinking and strong narrative structure.

Instead of generic icons, use hyper-descriptive ones that visually tell a story (e.g., an icon for "5-star reviews" shows a finger clicking a star). These communicate benefits more effectively to users who skim content, likely increasing conversion.

Our brains remember tangible information we can visualize four times better than abstract ideas like 'quality' or 'trust.' Instead of describing MP3 player storage in 'megabytes,' Apple used the concrete, visual phrase '1,000 songs in your pocket,' making the benefit sticky and easy to recall.

Extensive behavioral research on ad performance reveals a clear pattern: simplicity is superior. Creatives with multiple storylines, clutter, and excessive detail create cognitive load and reduce effectiveness. The best-performing ads feature a single, clear message that is easy for the human brain to process quickly.

Most comparison charts are boring checklists of features or ingredients. Instead, create charts that quickly and visually tell a story about your product's superior value. Use graphics and illustrations to communicate key differentiators, allowing customers to speed-read why you're the better choice.