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).

Quick Start

Pick the asset type using the decision tree.
Capture requirements using assets/ (brief, carousel, deck outline).
Produce a layout spec + copy variants + export plan (and a prompt pack if AI-generated).
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.

Workflow

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

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/.

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 |

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 |

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.

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) |

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 |

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.

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) |