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)