I am not a graphic designer. I am a visual strategist.

This may seem like a small detail, but it's an important one to get out of the way at the onset of this book. Like a food critic who isn't a chef, my skills do not lie in the execution of design, but rather in a unique understanding of how the ingredients of good design come together to create exceptional visual content that is far more palatable than simple eye candy.

While this book will include myriad takeaways for designers, visual communication should be mastered across all avenues of an organization. In fact, this book is made for business professionals of all kinds. It is as much for marketers, brand-builders, educators, and communicators as it is for designers.

This isn't to suggest that designers are not a necessary part of the equation—far from it. If you're like me, and graphic design is not your strong suit, then you'll still need to find a great design partner to fully realize the lessons gleaned from this book.

If you don't have that partner yet, then this book will give you all of the tools and understanding you need to find the right designer or agency partner for your needs. More importantly, it will help you own the outcome of that design work and forge a strong client-vendor partnership to ensure success in the work you do together.

We have entered a world in which 91 percent of today's audiences prefer visual content over any other form of content, according to Demand Gen Report. This means that anyone charged with communicating information in any organization, whether internally or externally, must rethink how they deliver that information. Visual communication, when properly executed, has the power to greatly increase engagement, comprehension, and follow-through. So if your goal is to meet the visual content demands of your audience, then this book is for you!

With the help of this book, you'll learn how to connect with your target audiences in new and unique ways. You'll gain insights into the shared instincts that subconsciously drive our impressions of brands today. And you'll learn practical strategies to harness the power of visual communication, thus revolutionizing your own content and brand strategy.

You don't need to be a graphic designer to read this book, but when you're done, I hope you will proudly call yourself a visual strategist!