Focus is Rare, Capture it Now with Visuals

Hello, Visual Communicators! 👋

Welcome to the latest issue of Learn Visual Communication, your monthly-ish reminder that bringing your ideas to life with visuals isn’t just possible, it’s empowering.

Lately I’ve noticed how busy most people are. This season makes it clear: attention is scarce. This issue is about making it count, and how visuals help.

What’s inside:

• 🧘 Mindful Design: The thing nobody talks about.

• 💡 Inspiration: A phrase that reshaped modern media

• ✏️ Skill Builder: A Visual Thinking Game for Math-lovers

Let’s dive in!

🧘 Mindful Design

Attention is a Rare Currency.

The thing nobody talks about: people don’t really read anymore, even at work.

Most of us skim, not read. And it’s not because our ideas lack value. It’s because we’re all swimming in content, short on time, and, most importantly, limited in attention.

Why does this matter?
Because sometimes you need people, your clients, students, or team, to truly understand your message.

The challenge is something psychologists call cognitive load:

• In the 1950s, George A. Miller showed our working memory can only hold about 7 items at once. (see [Miller, 1956])

• In 1988, John Sweller introduced Cognitive Load Theory, showing that when our brains get overloaded, learning shuts down. (see [Sweller, 1988])

That’s why attention is the rarest currency, particularly online.
And why how you present your ideas is just as important as the ideas themselves.

🌟 The Importance of Standing Out

Each of us has a limited capacity for attention. It decreases the more we use it, fluctuates throughout the day, and is restored through rest and recovery.

That’s why it’s so valuable when someone chooses to give you theirs.

📈 Why Visuals Give the Best Return on Attention

If attention is the rarest currency, then visuals are the best way to give value back.

When someone gives you their focus, it’s like they’re handing you a coin from their daily budget. How you use it matters.

Research shows why visuals make that coin go further:

• ⏳ Save time 
  We can identify an image in about 13 milliseconds, nearly instantly.
  (MIT In the Blink of an Eye, PubMed study)

• 💡 Inspire
  Visuals trigger the emotional centers of the brain, sparking curiosity and motivation.
  (Harvard How Emotions Influence Learning and Memory)

• 🌍 Show the big picture 
  Cognitive Load Theory shows working memory is limited; visuals lighten the burden by mapping complex ideas at once.
  (Sweller Cognitive Load During Problem Solving)

• 🧠 Stick in memory 
  According to the picture superiority effect, people remember images much better than words. Research shows we can recognize thousands of pictures with remarkable accuracy, even after brief exposure.
  (Standing, 1973—PDF, Nelson et al., 1976—PubMed)

Every post, lesson, or presentation asks for part of someone’s attention budget.
Visuals repay that cost with clarity, emotion, and ideas that last.

And here’s the best part: they don’t need to be polished designs to work.
Even simple sketches, icons, or diagrams can make your ideas stand out and stick.

How will you use visuals to make the most of attention?

More visual communication tips and insights are on the way. 
Until then, keep creating!

Eva 📚👁️💬

Eva Robboy
Editor, Learn Visual Communication
Founder, The Visual Voice