Erin McCoy

Branding, Rebranding, & Brand Development Content Creation Strategy Killer Visual Strategies News & Updates

4 Signs It’s Time to Throw Your Brand Book out the Window

Many marketing departments live and die by their brand book. After all, it provides an essential guide to how all your visual assets should look and what they should seek to communicate. But sometimes a brand book isn’t enough. Maybe the design doesn’t quite fit a particular campaign, or perhaps…

Erin McCoyJanuary 16, 2020

Computer illustration showing interactive infographic content

Interactive Content

Widgets, Maps, & Sites: A Complete Guide to Interactive Content

Since 2000, the time we spend online has nearly tripled. Americans now spend 23.6 hours per week on the internet, according to the MIT Technology Review — totaling about one-seventh of our lives. Other estimates have us spending nearly 47 hours a week online. Whichever study is most accurate, one…

Erin McCoyDecember 18, 2019

Data Visualization

How Effective Data Visualization Can Improve Your Business

A stunning 98% of companies use data to drive better customer experiences. But that doesn’t always mean they’re using that data — and corresponding data visualization — in an effective way. Numbers can be powerful, but only high-quality information visualization and design can help us draw meaningful conclusions from the data…

Erin McCoyDecember 12, 2019

Blog illustration showing infographic elements from a design agency

Content Marketing Strategy Infographics

3 Ways to Use Infographics on Your Blog

A blog is an essential tool for any brand. It’s the place you build your thought leadership, offer value to customers and potential customers, and cultivate your audience’s trust in your brand. But many blog posts fall short when it comes to truly engaging your audience — and that’s where…

Erin McCoyNovember 14, 2019

Content Marketing Strategy Infographics Visual Marketing Strategy

The Value of Infographics for Marketers in 2020

Most marketers probably remember the golden age of infographics. About a decade ago, it seemed that every company or design agency out there was using infographics as part of their marketing efforts. They were flooding our social channels, our inboxes, and our news feeds. At the time, the value of…

Erin McCoyOctober 31, 2019

Data Visualization Design Tips Infographics

10 Infographics That Feature Eye-Catching Data Visualization

Effective data visualization is the primary building block of almost all great infographics. But it’s not the only element an infographic can include. From illustrations and photographs to icons and timelines, infographics have a wealth of resources at their disposal when it comes time to tell a story. (Still not…

Erin McCoyOctober 17, 2019

Content Marketing Strategy Interactive Content

The 12 Best Types of Interactive Content for Higher Engagement: Infographics, Widgets, & More

We’re living in a golden age of quality content. This means that consumers can afford to be picky when it comes to deciding what content to pay attention to and what to ignore. And among the best types of content for keeping them engaged are interactive infographics. In a world…

Erin McCoyOctober 3, 2019

Annual Report Design Inspired by Infographics

Annual Reports Poster, Brochure, & Print Design Whitepapers

How Infographic-Inspired Design Can Transform Your Annual Report

The age of visual marketing was in many ways inspired by the infographic, one of the most popular types of visual content over the past decade. But the landscape has transformed significantly since then. Organizations are developing visual content for both external and internal use, including everything from interactive infographics…

Erin McCoySeptember 16, 2019

Infographics Visual Strategy

Why the Next Infographic Service You Hire Should Help with Strategy

An essential element of any successful marketing campaign is careful planning. Part of that process is developing a strategy around what types of content you’ll deploy and how. Whether you’re working with an individual designer or have hired a visual communication agency to design your infographic or other visual content, a…

Erin McCoySeptember 10, 2019

visual agency blog header showing abstract data visualizations

Data Visualization Design Tips

5 Essentials for a Great Data Visualization Portfolio: Tips for Designers & Marketers

Maybe you’re a marketer looking for the right visual communication agency. Or maybe you’re one of the many designers today who are looking to build their portfolio in data visualization and visual communication. Whatever the case may be, there are a few common mistakes that many such portfolios make. Avoiding…

Erin McCoySeptember 4, 2019

CMW speaker Amy Balliett on interactive infographics

Content Marketing Strategy Infographics Interactive Content

Improve Conversion Rates with Interactive Content

It’s that time of year again: the country’s premier content marketing strategy conference is just around the corner. And on Sept. 3, you can learn everything you need to know about interactive content from infographics to microsites from the nation’s top visual communication expert, Killer Visual Strategies CEO Amy Balliett. …

Erin McCoyAugust 27, 2019

Content Marketing Strategy Design Tips eBook Design Killer Visual Strategies News & Updates

New eBook: A Guide to Marketing Success from Leading Visual Communication Design Company

Today Killer Visual Strategies released a new ebook designed to help marketers develop a visual language for their next campaign. “Visual Language for Marketers: 2 Steps to Higher Campaign Engagement” offers insights from real visual communication designers, experts in everything from social-media micronarratives to motion graphics to interactive infographics. Your…

Erin McCoyAugust 19, 2019

Branding, Rebranding, & Brand Development

What Is a Brand Book, & How Can It Help Your Business?

When you’re running a small- or medium-sized business, you might be too busy with everyday operations to stop and take stock of the overall look and feel of your brand. Codifying that visual identity into a brand book might seem all the more difficult. But it may be well worth…

Erin McCoyAugust 1, 2019

Infographics Visual Communication blog header workbench

Content Creation Strategy Infographics

Got Infographics? Blog Tips for Sharing Visual Content

Most organizations use their blog as an opportunity to share thought leadership on their product or industry — often in the form of text. And while text has its role to play when it comes to improving your site’s search-engine rankings, many organizations fail to incorporate their all-important blog page…

Erin McCoyJuly 31, 2019

Design Tips

Accessible Design 101: How to Create Visual Content for Every Audience

Visual communication is about much more than making beautiful designs. It’s about sharing information in a clear, accurate way, whether that involves charts, graphs, illustrations, the careful use of typography, or other visual elements. But whether you’re a traditional graphic designer or a visual communication designer, there is yet another…

Erin McCoyJuly 11, 2019

Branding, Rebranding, & Brand Development Visual Strategy

Visual Strategy Makeover: 5 Brands That Changed Their Approach

When your marketing campaign — or your brand as a whole — isn’t achieving your goals, the first factor to examine is your visual strategy. Why? Because 94% of first impressions are based on design — and if your visual content isn’t telling the right story, your audience isn’t going to stick around…

Erin McCoyJune 27, 2019

Audience Insights & Strategy Killer Employee Spotlight Killer Visual Strategies News & Updates

CEO Amy Balliett Discusses the Past, Present, & Future of Killer Visual Strategies

A lot of exciting collaboration and growth have taken place at Killer Visual Strategies since January of this year, when Killer merged with Kelton Global as a member company of LRW Group. The Kelton and Killer teams have been working together on projects, getting to know each other, and planning…

Erin McCoyJune 25, 2019

Audience Insights & Strategy Branding, Rebranding, & Brand Development Killer Visual Strategies News & Updates

Killer Infographics Changes Its Name to Killer Visual Strategies

It’s been 9 years since Killer Infographics was founded. During that time, our team has grown from 2 founders to 29 designers, researchers, writers, project managers, animators, and developers. We’ve occupied 6 different offices to accommodate our growth, starting in a Ballard, Seattle, townhouse (if you can count that as…

Erin McCoyJune 18, 2019

Audience Insights & Strategy Company Culture & Teambuilding Killer Visual Strategies News & Updates Visual Marketing Strategy

Kelton Global Co-Founders Discuss Their Approach to Brand Strategy

In January, Killer Infographics announced our new partnership with Kelton Global, the best insights engine in the business. This collaboration has expanded the services that we can offer to our clients. Now, Killer’s clients have access to Kelton’s data-driven analytics and insights. Killer Infographics and Kelton will work in tandem to…

Erin McCoyJune 11, 2019

Killer Infographics eBook Visual Communication

eBook Design Interactive Content

These Interactive Design Strategies Can Earn You a 70% Conversion Rate

Remember those “choose-your-own-adventure” books when you were a kid? The paperback series, published by Bantam Books (now part of Random House), would boast on the covers: “You’re the star of the story!” Such a concept — coming from a series that was popular in the 1980s and ’90s — might feel…

Erin McCoyJune 7, 2019

Muybridge first movie art of storytelling

Virtual Reality Design & Marketing Visual Storytelling

From the Ice Age to Instagram: Visual Storytelling Through the Ages

Visual storytelling is not a new phenomenon. In fact, the types of visual storytelling you see in everything from infographics to social media posts to paintings are more ancient than any other form of nonverbal human communication. Visual storytelling provides our most ancient insights into human culture — insights far older…

Erin McCoyMay 29, 2019

Killer Infographics Visual Campaigns Communication Content

Killer Visual Strategies News & Updates

7 Mistakes All Great Visual Marketing Campaigns Avoid

Just like any content marketing campaign, the most successful visual marketing campaigns require strong planning. That’s because a visual campaign isn’t simply a collection of visual assets. It needs aesthetic unity, as well as a clear, defined goal. So as you plan your next visual content marketing campaign, make sure…

Erin McCoyMay 21, 2019

Infographics Design Visual Communication

Visual Storytelling

Infographics, Motion Graphics, & Beyond: How to Tell Data-Powered Stories

Businesses today have access to more data than ever. But many are struggling to make meaning out of that information. Data visualization in infographics, motion graphics, interactive infographics, and other visual formats have the power to illuminate that meaning. The sources of big data for businesses are multifold. Marketing departments…

Erin McCoyMay 14, 2019

Visual Campaigns Visual Communication Visual Storytelling

6 Steps to a Killer Multimedia Campaign

When you’re designing a multimedia campaign, planning is essential. Multimedia visual campaigns involve a broad range of mediums, from motion graphics to social-media micro-narratives to interactive landing pages. Juggling all of these at once is not an easy task. What’s more, you’ll want to achieve a cohesive look and…

Erin McCoyMay 2, 2019

Visual Communication and Visual Strategy

Visual Communication Visual Marketing Strategy

4 Signs Your Visual Communication Strategy Needs an Overhaul

Nearly 9 in 10 marketers are already sharing visual content. That’s because they know just how much it boosts engagement and returns. But not all marketers have an effective visual communication strategy in place. How can you tell whether your visual communication strategy is in need of improvement? Here are…

Erin McCoyApril 18, 2019

Content Marketing Strategy Visual Marketing Strategy

5 Steps to a Winning Visual Marketing Strategy

Given audiences’ overwhelming preference for visual content over text-based media, every marketing strategy should be a visual marketing strategy. The Content Marketing Institute’s 2019 benchmark report on B2C marketing found that 69% of marketers had increased their budget for audio/visual content in the last year. That made it the #1…

Erin McCoyApril 11, 2019

Data Visualization Infographics

The Difference Between Infographics and Data Visualization

Today’s audiences are more informed than ever about the products they buy and the companies they buy from. That’s why marketing teams have so heartily embraced data-driven content like infographics, data visualization, and interactive content. But what’s the difference between infographics and data visualization? And how can your team harness…

Erin McCoyApril 9, 2019

Visual Communication

Upcoming Webinar Explains How Your Company Can Put Visual Content First

Couldn’t make it to Killer CEO Amy Balliett’s SXSW talk this year? An April 16 webinar will give you another chance to learn about the Visual-First Method, a systematic approach that will help you shift company culture and equip your organization to connect and thrive in a world that demands…

Erin McCoyApril 2, 2019

Visual Campaigns Visual Marketing Strategy

5 Goals You Can Achieve with a Visual Campaign

Marketing is a fast-paced profession. Marketers today feel the pressure to produce fresh new content every day without sacrificing quality. The challenge feels all the more daunting in light of audiences’ proven preference for visual content, which can be more difficult and time-consuming to produce than a blog post. But…

Erin McCoyMarch 28, 2019

Annual Reports Company Culture & Teambuilding eBook Design Presentation & Slide Deck Design Visual Communication

The Visual-First Method: New eBook on How to Deploy Visual Content Across Your Organization

You already know that visual content is hugely engaging in a marketing context. Audiences can’t get enough of videos, interactive experiences, GIFs, and more, and marketers who have committed to producing more high-quality visual content have consistently seen a boost in shares, follows, leads, and conversions. But since consumers respond…

Erin McCoyMarch 12, 2019

Amy Balliett female founder Killer Infographics

Killer Employee Spotlight Killer Visual Strategies News & Updates

Killer’s Female Founder Talks Leadership on International Women’s Day

Since 2010, Killer Infographics has had CEO and cofounder Amy Balliett at the helm. So, in honor of International Women’s Day — which takes place every year on March 8 — we decided to interview Killer's female founder about the leaders and organizations she admires, and the unique challenges that…

Erin McCoyMarch 8, 2019

Amy Balliett Nathan Clendenin Visual Storytelling SXSW

Killer Visual Strategies News & Updates Visual Storytelling

SXSW Rewind: Killer Infographics CEO on Visual Storytelling for Marketers

If you haven't already heard the news, Killer Infographics CEO Amy Balliett will be speaking at SXSW for the third year in a row in 2019 in a solo talk called “The Visual-First Method: Boost Conversions Now.” Amy speaks about visual communication at dozens of conferences every year, but seeing…

Erin McCoyFebruary 28, 2019

Killer Infographics SXSW announcement header

Content Marketing Strategy Killer Visual Strategies News & Updates

Killer Infographics Set to Debut Visual-First Method at SXSW

Every March, leaders and innovators from around the globe converge on Austin, Texas, for SXSW, one of the world’s most exciting and innovative festivals. Killer Infographics is thrilled to return to the SXSW Trade Show in 2019 for the 4th year in a row with a booth where visitors can…

Erin McCoyFebruary 26, 2019

Content Creation Strategy Content Marketing Strategy Data Visualization Science of Color & Design Visual Communication Strategies

How Our Brains Are Hardwired for Visual Content

Our brains process visual content at an incredibly high speed. In fact, by one estimate, visuals communicate information 60,000 times faster than text. On an intuitive level, this actually seems to make a lot of sense. If you’re hiking in the woods and you see a bear, your heart will…

Erin McCoyFebruary 21, 2019

Design Tips Visual Marketing Strategy

Set Yourself up for Success: 5 Questions to Ask Before Starting Any Design Project

Each design project comes with its own unique set of goals and problems to solve. Creating a motion graphic requires a different approach than designing an interactive microsite. But with every design project, no matter how big or small, you should start out by asking yourself the same few questions.…

Erin McCoyFebruary 14, 2019

Content Marketing Strategy Visual Campaigns Visual Marketing Strategy

3 Visual Campaign Success Stories

No marketing campaign today is complete without a wealth of high-quality visual content. That’s because videos, motion graphics, interactive widgets, infographics, and other types of visual media boost engagement and conversions, and determine overall visual campaign success. In fact, a website with infographics earns 30x more engagement than a site…

Erin McCoyFebruary 6, 2019

Interactive infographic content blog header

Content Marketing Strategy Interactive Content

How Interactive Content Personalizes the Customer Experience

Interactive content is incredibly powerful. It can help us solve problems, make complex calculations, and even learn more about ourselves. And because interactive content personalizes the customer’s interaction with your brand, it’s also uniquely positioned to boost engagement. Marketers already know just how effective this type of content can be.…

Erin McCoyJanuary 30, 2019

Interactive Content Video Marketing

5 Strategies for Developing a Winning Landing Page

Making a good impression on your landing page happens within just a matter of seconds — or milliseconds, according to Ion Interactive, which reports that this happens in just 1/20th of a second. The problem is, you can make a bad impression just as quickly. What’s the difference between a…

Erin McCoyJanuary 29, 2019

Data Visualization in Industry Science of Color & Design

How Data Visualization Helps Us Understand Science

The more information scientists gather about the world around us, the more unmanageable all that data becomes. That’s why data visualization has become so essential in helping us understand science. Data can take countless forms across the array of scientific fields, so for this industry we must define data visualization…

Erin McCoyJanuary 23, 2019

Motion Graphics Visual Communication Marketing

Augmented Reality Content Marketing Strategy Video Marketing Virtual Reality Design & Marketing

3 Video Marketing Strategies for 2019

One year from now, according to Cisco’s projections, 80% of all consumer web traffic will be video. But many organizations aren’t ready for the video era. Video marketing strategies at many companies are lagging behind, with too much focus still being placed on text and static images. While visual content…

Erin McCoyJanuary 17, 2019

Killer Infographics Kelton acquisition blog header

Killer Visual Strategies News & Updates

Killer Infographics + Kelton: New Partnership Promises More Options for Clients

The best visual communication is powered by data-driven insights. It targets audiences with the help of cutting-edge market research, and achieves goals by translating raw information into digestible, shareable, and meaningful visual content. Today, Killer has become more capable than ever of offering a truly innovative, end-to-end service to its…

Erin McCoyJanuary 10, 2019

Data Visualization in Marketing Industry

Content Creation Strategy Content Marketing Strategy Data Visualization Data Visualization in Industry Design Tips Killer Visual Strategies News & Updates

3 Ways the Most Successful Marketers Use Data Visualization

If you’re a digital marketer, you probably can’t live without Google Analytics. It helps you crunch huge amounts of data in a way that makes it meaningful — that helps you analyze your marketing strategy and make improvements where necessary. How does it achieve such a feat? The answer is…

Erin McCoyDecember 18, 2018

Annual Reports Design Tips Visual Communication

Transform Your Annual Reports with These Visual Communication Strategies

Whether you’re presenting your yearly milestones to stakeholders or sharing your accomplishments with your boss and colleagues, the quality of your annual report can say a lot about you as a professional. And dry, text-heavy annual reports are no longer enough. People have come to expect impressive graphics, illustrations, and…

Erin McCoyDecember 13, 2018

Augmented Reality Virtual Reality Design & Marketing Visual Storytelling

Storytelling Strategies for Augmented and Virtual Reality

Remember Google Glass? In 2012, Google unveiled a revolutionary piece of wearable technology that would allow users to see the world around them... but enhanced. Users could browse the internet, take phone calls, and record video — all without picking up an extra device, since it was worn like a…

Erin McCoyDecember 11, 2018

Data Visualization in Industry Visual Content in the Real World

How the Tech Industry Harnesses Data Visualization

With the advent of big data, businesses — especially those in the tech industry — have access to more data than ever before about their customers, how their ads are performing, how their product is reaching people, and pretty much every other business metric you can think of. But the…

Erin McCoyDecember 6, 2018

Data Visualization in Industry Visual Content in the Real World

How Data Visualization Is Transforming the Health Industry

Efficient, meaningful data analysis is at the core of some of today’s most important medical studies. It’s also essential for physicians, nurses, and other health professionals during their day-to-day practice as they interact with health interfaces and databases, generate reports, and review patient information and trends. But a mountain of…

Erin McCoyNovember 29, 2018

Content Marketing Strategy Motion Graphics Video Marketing

4 Types of Home Page Video

Are you seeing higher bounce rates on your home page than you’d like? Are your customers starting down the sales funnel but repeatedly stopping short of converting? If you’re not seeing the engagement you would like on your website, any number of factors can be at play. Our recommendation? If…

Erin McCoyNovember 21, 2018

Infographics Visual Marketing Strategy

Do You Need an Infographic? 5 Ways to Know If You Do

In the last decade, infographics have exploded as one of the most popular types of marketing content out there. In 2018, 56% of business-to-business content marketers had increased their use of images such as infographics, according to the Content Marketing Institute. But how do you know when you need an…

Erin McCoyNovember 13, 2018

Content Creation Strategy Visual Communication Visual Storytelling

Visual Storytelling: 4 Ways to Pick the Right Medium for Your Story

Telling a great story is notoriously difficult. If it weren’t, there wouldn’t be so many bargain-rack books, disappointing sequels, and flop TV shows out there. Knowing how to tell your story well as part of a marketing campaign is no easier. Once you decide to leave text-heavy copy behind and…

Erin McCoyNovember 1, 2018

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