Marketing Visual Design

Production-ready patterns for marketing visual asset creation.

Scope: Ad creatives, social media graphics, email visuals, presentation design, brand collateral. NOT product UI (use software-ui-ux-design).

Primary specs & sources: data/sources.json (official docs + curated best practices).

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Quick Start

1. Pick the asset type using the decision tree.
2. Capture requirements using assets/ (brief, carousel, deck outline).
3. Produce a layout spec + copy variants + export plan (and a prompt pack if AI-generated).
4. Run QA gates (readability, brand, compliance, accessibility, specs) before handoff.

Use software-ui-ux-design for product UI, marketing-cro for experiment design, and marketing-content-strategy for messaging systems.

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Workflow

1. Confirm channel + placement (paid/organic, platform, static/video, ratio).
2. Ask intake questions (goal, audience, offer, proof, CTA, constraints, brand rules).
3. Select a creative direction (2-3 options) and lock the core message.
4. Build layout using the hierarchy rules (hook -> hero -> value -> CTA -> brand).
5. Create variants for testing (3-5); change one major variable per variant.
6. Run QA gates (specs, safe zones, readability, compliance, accessibility, export).
7. Handoff deliverables (final exports + editable source + copy + notes).

Intake (Ask First)

• Objective: awareness, click, lead, purchase, retention
• Audience: who, what they care about, what they already know
• Offer: product, price/promo, risk reversal (trial/guarantee), deadline
• Proof: 1-2 strongest stats, testimonial, logo, rating, demo signal
• CTA: one action verb + destination (landing page, app store, form)
• Platform constraints: placement(s), ratio, file format, file size, duration
• Brand constraints: logo usage, fonts, colors, imagery rules, do/don’t list
• Compliance constraints: claims policy, regulated category, trademark usage, consent/model releases

Decision Tree

MARKETING VISUAL REQUEST
  |-- \"Ad creative\" -> references/ad-creative-specs.md
  |-- \"Social media graphic\" -> references/social-media-dimensions.md
  |-- \"Email banner\" -> references/email-visual-specs.md
  |-- \"Presentation/deck\" -> references/presentation-design.md
  |-- \"One-pager/collateral\" -> references/brand-collateral.md
  `-- \"AI-generated visual\" -> references/ai-design-tools.md

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Platform Dimensions Quick Reference

Social Media (Static)

Platform	Post	Story/Reel	Cover/Banner
Instagram	1080x1080, 1080x1350	1080x1920	N/A
Facebook	1200x630, 1080x1080	1080x1920	820x312
LinkedIn	1200x1200, 1200x628	N/A	1584x396
TikTok	1080x1080	1080x1920	N/A
YouTube	N/A	1080x1920 (Shorts)	2560x1440

Ad Platforms

Platform	Sizes	Safe Zone	Max File
Meta	1080x1080, 1080x1350 (4:5 best)	14% from edges	30MB/4GB
Google Display	300x250, 728x90, 300x600	N/A	150KB
YouTube Thumbnail	1280x720	Right-bottom	2MB
TikTok Ads	1080x1920	Top 130px, bottom 440px	500MB

For full specs and edge cases, use references/.

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Visual Hierarchy for Ads

Element	Priority	Placement
Hook/Headline	1	Top 1/3
Hero Visual	2	Center
Value Prop	3	Middle
CTA	4	Bottom 1/3
Logo	5	Corner

Text Overlay Rules

Platform	Max Text	Safe Zone
Meta	<20% recommended	14% from edges
TikTok	Minimal	Top 130px, bottom 440px
LinkedIn	No strict limit	Headlines <2 lines

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Variant Testing (Fast Defaults)

• Create 3-5 variants per concept: hook, hero visual, offer framing, CTA, proof.
• Keep one major variable per variant to attribute performance.
• Prioritize native-looking creative for social (UGC-style often wins) unless the brand requires polish.

Carousel Structure

SLIDE 1: Hook (problem or bold statement)
SLIDE 2-4: Solution/Benefits
SLIDE 5: Social proof
SLIDE 6: CTA with offer

Video Structure (Hook-Retain-Convert)

Section	Duration	Purpose
Hook	0-3s	Stop scroll
Agitate	3-10s	Amplify pain
Solution	10-20s	Product demo
Proof	20-30s	Testimonials
CTA	30-45s	Action

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AI-Generated Visuals (Operational Notes)

• Use references/ai-design-tools.md for tool selection, prompt frameworks, and artifact avoidance.
• Prefer brand-safe workflows: licensed stock, first-party photography, or tools with clear commercial terms.
• Treat text-in-image as unreliable for exact typography; use AI for backgrounds/hero imagery, then typeset in design tools.

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QA Gates (Run Before Delivery)

• Specs: dimensions, aspect ratio, safe zones, duration (video), file size.
• Readability: passes thumbnail test, high contrast, minimal on-image text.
• Brand: correct logo, colors, fonts; consistent style across variants.
• Compliance: avoid prohibited claims, unlicensed trademarks, misleading before/after, missing disclosures.
• Accessibility: sufficient contrast, large-enough type, avoid text-only communication of meaning.
• Deliverables: export naming is consistent; editable source files included.

File Formats

Use Case	Format
Photos	JPEG
Transparency	PNG
Logos/icons	SVG
Animation	GIF/WebP
Print	PDF
Video	MP4 (H.264)

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Resources

Resource	Purpose
references/ad-creative-specs.md	Full specs for Meta, Google, LinkedIn, TikTok
references/social-media-dimensions.md	Complete platform dimensions
references/presentation-design.md	Investor deck, sales deck
references/email-visual-specs.md	Email design specs
references/ai-design-tools.md	AI prompting, workflows
references/brand-collateral.md	One-pagers, case studies
references/2026-creative-trends.md	UGC-style, sensory design, Meta algorithm
references/video-creative-specs.md	Video specs by platform, encoding, safe zones
references/motion-animation.md	Animated ads, GIF/HTML5/Lottie, micro-interactions
references/accessibility-visual.md	WCAG 2.2, contrast, alt text, inclusive design
references/creative-testing-framework.md	A/B testing, DCO, fatigue detection, iteration
references/infographic-data-viz.md	Chart selection, data storytelling, social infographics
references/typography-for-marketing.md	Font selection, type hierarchy, readability, email font stacks
references/photography-direction.md	Art direction, stock vs custom, product photography, image optimization

Templates

Template	Purpose
assets/ad-creative-brief.md	Creative brief
assets/social-carousel-template.md	Carousel structure
assets/pitch-deck-outline.md	Investor deck

International Markets

This skill uses US/Western market defaults. For international visual design:

Need	See Skill
Cultural color symbolism	marketing-geo-localization
Regional imagery guidelines	marketing-geo-localization
RTL design adaptations	marketing-geo-localization
Regional platform specs (WeChat, LINE)	marketing-geo-localization

Auto-triggers: When your query mentions specific countries, cultural adaptation, or RTL design, both skills load automatically.

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Related Skills

Skill	Purpose
marketing-cro	Landing page optimization
marketing-content-strategy	Brand messaging
marketing-social-media	Social strategy
marketing-paid-advertising	Campaign strategy
software-ui-ux-design	Product UI (not marketing)