Content: Visual Content
Guides visual content planning and creation across website, social media, email, and other channels. Images are needed not just for websites—social posts, infographics, and repurposed content all require visuals. Visual-first planning in content calendars improves engagement; cross-channel consistency and repurposing maximize ROI.
When invoking: On first use, if helpful, open with 1–2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On subsequent use or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output.
Scope
- When to use images: By content type and format
- Specs by context: Website vs social vs email
- Platform image specs: X, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube
- Repurposing: One visual → multiple formats and channels
- Visual-first planning: Content calendar with image planning
Initial Assessment
Check for project context first: If .claude/project-context.md or .cursor/project-context.md exists, read Section 12 (Visual Identity) for brand consistency.
Identify:
- Context: Article, social post, infographic, email, landing page
- Channels: Which platforms will use this visual
- Repurposing: Will this visual be adapted for other formats?
1. When to Use Images
| Content Type | Visual Need | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Article / Blog | Hero image, in-article images, screenshots | See image-optimization for web (alt, WebP, LCP) |
| Social post | Single image, carousel, or link preview | Platform-specific specs below |
| Infographic | Primary format; data visualization | Repurpose to social (cropped), blog (full) |
| Case study | Customer photo, results chart, logo | Repurpose to LinkedIn carousel, blog |
| Product update | Screenshot, feature graphic | Changelog, email, social |
| Header image, inline graphics | Keep lightweight; many clients block images | |
| Landing page | Hero, trust badges, screenshots | See hero-generator, image-optimization |
2. Website vs Social vs Email
| Context | Priority | Skill |
|---|---|---|
| Website | Alt text, WebP, LCP, responsive, lazy loading | image-optimization |
| Social posts | Platform dimensions, aspect ratio, file size | Platform skills (X, LinkedIn, Pinterest, etc.) |
| OG / Twitter Cards | 1200×630, 1200×675 for link previews | open-graph, twitter-cards |
| Inline-friendly; avoid heavy images; alt for blocked | email-marketing |
3. Platform Image Specs (Social)
| Platform | Post Image | Stories / Reels | Profile | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| X (Twitter) | 1200×675 (16:9), 800×800 | — | 400×400 | See twitter-x-posts |
| 1200×627, 1200×1200; carousel up to 20 | — | 400×400 | See linkedin-posts; vertical preferred on mobile | |
| 1000×1500 (2:3) | — | 165×165 | Alt text ~25% more impressions; see pinterest-posts | |
| 1080×1350 (4:5), 1080×1080 | 1080×1920 (9:16) | 320×320 | 4:5 outperforms square on feed | |
| 1200×630, 1080×1080 | 1080×1920 | 320×320 | ||
| YouTube | Thumbnail 1280×720 | — | 800×800 |
General: 1080px width works across most platforms; vertical (4:5, 9:16) outperforms square on mobile-first feeds. Keep critical elements (logo, text) in safe center—platforms may crop.
4. Visual Repurposing
Principle: One core visual → multiple crops/formats → multiple channels.
| Core Visual | Adaptations | Channels |
|---|---|---|
| Infographic | Full (blog), cropped sections (Instagram, LinkedIn carousel), square (X) | Blog, LinkedIn, Instagram, X |
| Case study graphic | Hero (blog), single slide (LinkedIn), story (Instagram) | Blog, LinkedIn, Instagram |
| Product screenshot | Hero (landing), post (X, LinkedIn), email header | Website, social, email |
| Quote graphic | Square (X, LinkedIn), 4:5 (Instagram) | X, LinkedIn, Instagram |
Workflow: Design at largest needed size; export platform-specific crops. Use consistent colors, fonts, logo placement (see brand-visual-generator).
5. Visual-First Content Planning
- Plan images in content calendar: Don't add visuals as afterthought; visuals drive engagement
- Batch by theme: Create visuals for a topic cluster or campaign together for consistency
- Repurposing column: In calendar, note which core piece becomes which visual format for which channel
- Asset library: Organize by campaign/theme; tag for reuse
6. Format-Specific Notes
Infographics
- Dimensions: 800–1200px width; height varies by content
- Export: PNG for web; PDF for download
- Repurpose: Slice into 3–5 slides for LinkedIn carousel; single stat for X/Instagram
Social Post Images
- Text overlay: Keep minimal; many platforms deprecate text-heavy images
- Branding: Logo in corner; consistent with brand-visual-generator
- Alt text: Add for LinkedIn, Pinterest, X (accessibility + Pinterest SEO); see image-optimization for alt best practices
Article / Blog Images
- Hero: Often LCP candidate; optimize per image-optimization
- In-article: Support narrative; alt text, captions per image-optimization
- Screenshots: Annotate when helpful; keep file size low
Output Format
- Visual plan (what images for what content)
- Specs by context (platform dimensions, format)
- Repurposing map (one visual → multiple outputs)
- References to platform skills and image-optimization
Related Skills
Content & Strategy
- content-marketing: Content types, formats, repurposing; visual content is part of content mix
- content-strategy: SEO topic clusters; article visuals
- copywriting: Copy pairs with visuals; headlines for image posts
Platform (Image Specs)
- twitter-x-posts: X post image specs
- linkedin-posts: LinkedIn image specs
- pinterest-posts: Pinterest Pin dimensions, alt text
- reddit-posts: Reddit image post context
Website & SEO
- image-optimization: Web images (alt, captions, WebP, LCP, responsive); central skill for image SEO
- open-graph, twitter-cards: Link preview images
- hero-generator: Hero section visuals
Other
- brand-visual-generator: Typography, colors, imagery tone; visual consistency
- video-marketing: Video thumbnails; video as visual format
- video-optimization: Video SEO; VideoObject; video sitemap; YouTube prioritization