Making Classic Icons Stand Out in Visual Thinking

The 'mountain path' is another classic image frequently used in visual thinking.

But what happens when we incorporate multiple clichéd icons into the same scene?

The key to standing out is to blend them into a cohesive story format.

But what do I mean by standing out? Standing out from what? From the risk of your visual image being overlooked, ignored, and left your message unread.

When an image becomes too familiar through repetition, it loses its impact.


Visual storytelling is what gives our images context and makes our visual message captivating to the viewer.

Let's analyze some of the elements we see here, that help create a disruptive scene_

- Playing with sizes (making things appear dramatically large or small).

- Blend or join: merging one element with another, like transforming a speech bubble into a mountain scene.

- Substitution: replacing part of the speech bubble with the mountain peak.

There are numerous techniques available for crafting metaphors that enrich the construction of effective messages.

If you're interested in learning and mastering these techniques, leave your details on my site, and I'll notify you when enrollment opens.

Thank you

Dario Paniagua
Visual Thinkers Coach