Definition
What a key visual decides
sufly's key visual service produces the single image that represents a campaign or a season, and writes down the colour, type, photographic tone, logo placement and copy position that let the image be rebuilt at any size.
The rules matter more than the image. They are what keeps the campaign consistent after the first week, when different people start producing against it.
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Brand key visual
Made to last. Built inside the brand guide so it survives product changes.
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Campaign key visual
Made for one campaign. Freer than the brand guide, with the scope of variation agreed in advance.
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Seasonal promotion visual
Sales, launches and holidays. These repeat every year, so last year's files are organised and built on.
Process
How we build it
| Stage | What happens | What you receive |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Align | Objective, audience, channel list, brand guide and last year's files are reviewed together. | Channel format sheet, schedule |
| 2. Direct | Distinct directions are produced and compared side by side. | Two or three key visual routes |
| 3. Lock | The chosen route is refined and the rules are written down. | Final key visual, campaign visual guide |
| 4. Extend | Banners, detail pages, social, thumbnails and print are produced against the sheet. | Channel deliverables, source files |
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
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What is a key visual, exactly?
It is the single image a campaign or a season is built around, together with the rules that let other people reuse it — colour, type, photographic tone, logo placement and where copy sits.
Without those rules the banner, the detail page and the in-store sign end up looking like three different brands.
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How many channels can one key visual cover?
There is no fixed limit. We have extended one key visual across web banners, commerce detail pages, social, video thumbnails and in-store print.
Once the channel list is agreed we write a format sheet and produce against it in one pass.
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We already have a brand guide. Do we still need this?
A brand guide is what the brand always does; a key visual is what this campaign does. They sit at different levels.
When a guide already exists we define how far the campaign is allowed to move inside it.
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How long does it take?
It depends on the campaign and the number of channels. Directions are usually presented within one to two weeks; channel extension takes longer.
If the on-air date is fixed we schedule backwards from it.
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Can the key visual be generated with AI?
Yes. We generate several directions from a brand-trained model, then refine the chosen one into the final key visual. See AI visual production.
Work With Us
Tell us what you need this quarter
Send the channels, the volume, and the start date. We reply with a team structure and a monthly plan, not a generic deck.