Why visual communication is changing business

Imagine a world without images and it’s exhausting. Having to read every word, hear every sentence, wade through paragraphs just to understand what’s going on. It’s no wonder a picture is ‘worth’ a thousand words because visual communication really is worth it – especially in business where visuals can boost engagement, improve growth, and lead to better business outcomes.

Visual communication⁠(opens in a new tab or window) is everywhere. Signs and maps help us find our way. Movies and social media help us connect. Post-it notes help us remember… whatever we were supposed to be remembering.

However, in the big league of business, visual communication really gets to work, supercharging productivity and uniting entire organizations – employees, stakeholders and customers alike.

• Video and photos connect with audiences
• Infographics convey complex information in an instant
• Mind maps inspire new ways of thinking
• Presentation and pitch decks seal the deal
• Gifs speed up communications
• Video calls elevate a phone conversation
• Logos represent who we are and what we stand for.

Whether a symbol, chart, photo, video or gif, well-chosen visuals connect with audiences far more effectively than with words alone.

The Picture Superiority Effect⁠(opens in a new tab or window) suggests images are much better than words for interpreting and recalling information because our brain is programmed to respond to and process visuals faster. And it seems business leaders around the world are drawing the same conclusion.

In the 2023 Visual Economy Report⁠(opens in a new tab or window), 90% of the 1600 global business leaders interviewed reported design increased efficiency. Better yet, 89% claimed visual communication had a positive return on investment.

In every single department, any business can benefit from visual communications practices. Sales teams can effectively use design to capture audience attention and leave a lasting impression. Finance departments can visualize data while marketing can reinforce brand identity. With the right visuals, creatives can evoke emotion and connect storytelling across multiple channels. HR can create impactful internal messaging or attract new talent with appealing content. Pairing these efforts with a clear Communication Plan⁠(opens in a new tab or window) ensures consistency across all teams, making visual strategies even more effective.

Visual communications⁠(opens in a new tab or window) can help us get there faster and in a world where attention spans are short (and deadlines shorter), a visual strategy really is the future of work. Add that to the ability for teams to collaborate and share designs, and any business can quickly become an unstoppable force.

From presentations to proposals and recruiting videos, visual content is fast becoming the fuel that’s driving the modern workplace.

For example:

• projects can be imagined and planned out effortlessly with whiteboards
• presentations can engage with images, infographics and slideshows
• product launches can be executed with informative and inspiring videos
• procedures can be easily understood with simplified diagrams
• performance can be reported through charts and diagrams.

Or to step it up a notch, you can:

• improve productivity with tools that empower teams to design, collaborate, and communicate⁠(opens in a new tab or window)
• harness the power of AI to create images and videos⁠(opens in a new tab or window), useful for visualizing future projects or delivering messages with your brand voice without high production costs
• share design templates with your teams⁠(opens in a new tab or window) to save time and amplify your brand
• increase engagement by enabling teams to create more effective communication and impactful conten⁠(opens in a new tab or window)t to engage customers and employees while growing revenue.
  

The business impact of visual communication cannot be underestimated, so it’s good to know it’s not out of reach either. It’s simply a matter of making the right tools available to everyone in your organization.

Here’s what you need to get started:

Design templates: No need to design from scratch. Accessible templates mean anyone in your organization can make a few small changes, like adding words or images, to create new and engaging content.

Brand toolkits: Amplifying your brand is easy when everyone has access to the latest colors, fonts, logos and icons. Plus brand guidelines can help your team stay on brand.

Editing tools: When teams are able to upload photos, add them to a design, resize designs for different formats and publish, it speeds up the design process and takes the pressure off design resources.

Collaboration tools. Work together from different offices, countries or time zones. Virtual whiteboards make it easy for teams to brainstorm and plan while shared presentation or documents means everyone can work together, comment and approve in real time.

Image library: Save time and money with access to a professional image library so teams can locate the perfect image fast without the cost of hiring photographers or illustrators.

An all-in-one platform like Canva⁠(opens in a new tab or window) empowers anyone in your organization to create. It requires no previous design experience as the drag and drop functionality and shareability means teams can collaborate on designs right out the gate. Plus, it has plenty of useful tools you don’t need a design degree to master.

While there are plenty of resources⁠(opens in a new tab or window) to take you through the basic visual communication principles, it’s far more important to get the ball rolling. Canva Enterprise⁠(opens in a new tab or window) can have your entire organization creating presentations decks, content, marketing materials and more in no time flat, giving your business a visual edge- and making you look great in the process.

Visual communication:

• is changing the way we work
• can connect with an audience far more effectively than with words alone
• can engage audiences more quickly, effectively, emotionally and at scale.

With the right tools, visual communication can:

• Improve productivity by empowering your team to create, collaborate, and communicate with an easy-to-use all-in-one platform
• Deliver scalability, centralizing assets and using team templates to streamline workflows and scale your brand
• Drive cost effectiveness as it consolidates design and content production tools for endless resource savings
• Increase audience engagement by enabling your business to create more effective and impactful content to engage customers and employees while growing revenue.