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Why you need to understand the visual economy

Roz Morris, Managing Director, TV News London

Whether you like it or not, you’re now living in a visual economy. We used to have a text economy where reading and writing skills were the route to success. Now we need visual literacy as well.

That’s the message of my new book The Visual Revolution Guidebook and I’ve written it because I’m passionate about clear communications. My whole career has been in the media starting with being a newspaper reporter, next moving into radio and TV reporting and presenting, and then using my journalistic skills to set up and run my media training company TV News London.

We are all broadcasters now

A few years ago it began to dawn on me that skills which used to be the sole preserve of professional broadcasters were now being required for everyday business.

We are living in an age where digital technology makes the creation and transmission of images simple and fast. But this is not just about using emojis and memes on social media, its being able to talk to the camera with authority when you’re in a video or an online meeting. There is now more media and more demand for media interviews than ever before in history. We are all broadcasters now.

But there’s more. You are now expected not just to be a broadcaster, but also to be your own producer and director and frame and light yourself correctly in meetings, webinars and videos. You’re expected to use technology to create polished visuals for your presentations. 

Until the start of the 21st century, reading and writing dominated professional communications in industrialised societies. After the Covid-19 lockdowns normalised the use of online meetings, working from home became normal.

So many badly lit people

However, I had never seen so many badly lit and badly framed people.   

People who haven’t realised that their visual grammar is wrong and that this amateur look is damaging their career prospects.

Nowadays, businesses, governments, police forces, terrorist groups, and even the British royal family make announcements in videos on social media. They all realise the power of communicating visually.

New developments in leisure and communications such as the growth of gaming and the metaverse are visual and there have never been so many tools available for creating visually appealing graphic designs for presentations and marketing.

The visual revolution is here

We are in the middle of a visual revolution which demands new skills from everyone in business and professional life.

My book is a unique practical guide to the visual skills we all now need for success. I hope you will enjoy reading it and find it useful for your own career.

Roz Morris, Managing Director, TV News London Ltd

Read my book  – The Visual Revolution Guidebook

‘We are all broadcasters now’

Are you ready to build the skills for success in the new visual economy?