How visual communication and AI is changing how we work

Work, as we know it, is changing. Today, business leaders face new demands and increasing pressure to ensure their teams are equipped for success. That’s where the need for visual communication comes in.

In the workplace, many brilliant ideas often struggle to land because of how they’re presented. No matter how revolutionary, innovative, or industry-shaking an idea can be, if it’s presented in a way that belies its purpose - flat text on an uninteresting background - there’s a good chance it won’t be given the light of day.

The truth is that visuals matter. Whether in the boardroom or on social media, videos, animations, GIFs, and pictures impact how we tell stories and pitch ideas.

While we all have a sense of visual literacy, not everyone is on the same page when it comes to knowing the technical bells and whistles of design. We know what looks good, but many of us stumble when asked how to make something visually stand out.

Creative work has long been owned by designers, editors, and those in the creative departments of organizations. However, with visual communications being in demand more than ever, everyone should be equipped to have basic understanding of how to create content quickly, efficiently, and that’s readable, inspiring and shows off creativity.

It’s time businesses adopt Visual Communication tools and give the power to their teams so they don’t fall behind.

What most business leaders get right about visual communication

In Canva’s second edition of its annual Visual Economy Report — a resounding theme emerged: more than three-quarters (77%) of business leaders agree that visual communication tools increase business performance. In countries like Indonesia, nearly everyone (93%) believes in the power of visual communication for businesses.

Beyond design, incorporating and investing in visual communication can enhance engagement, improve productivity, and help scale brands. It’s no surprise that 73% of the business leaders surveyed are investing more in visual communication platforms than the previous year. In Asia, Indian business leaders (96%) emphasize the importance of real-time collaboration when investing in visual communication platforms, while in Japan, the need for more efficient workflows (97%) is a priority.

While some of the issues require better delegation, most can be solved with the help of new technology. Embracing innovations such as AI-assisted tools can not only solve technical issues but also open up collaboration to be more efficient.

Businesses perform better with AI

When it comes to embracing AI, businesses immediately see positive results, with nine out of ten (90%) of the business leaders we surveyed agree that the quality of visual communication has improved because of AI. Similarly, a majority of respondents from Indonesia (90%), India (89%), South Korea (81%), and Japan (79%) say they’ve added AI visual communication tools in the past year.

While businesses will always look at the bottom line, there are ways to innovate without sacrificing budget or even employees. AI tools can help teams work faster, better, and more efficiently. From marketers using AI to inspire their first draft to creators generating eye-catching content in seconds, there’s no denying AI has redesigned the way we all work. In fact, our AI tools have been used over 6.5 billion times — proof that organizations have to adapt tools that their employees may already be using.

With 92% of leaders we surveyed expecting employees to have some design acumen to be effective communicators, upskilling plays a big role. Equipping employees with the right resources, such as AI-powered tools, can produce immediate and positive impact for businesses everywhere. Some organizations are already ahead of the game, with 68% of our respondents saying they’re already providing training in visual design for their employees who are in non-graphic design roles, with countries like Japan leading the charge (77%).

Why it’s crucial for businesses to leverage visual communications

As workplaces become digital-first, businesses need to adapt to new ways of working to ensure that teams, no matter if they’re virtual or in the office, can work and collaborate more efficiently. In countries like India, nearly half (41%) of those surveyed believe that the inability to collaborate across teams is a challenge when creating and scaling content—proof that businesses should invest in platforms that offer real-time collaboration and improve workflows.

Yet, there are still challenges to overcome: more than half (69%) believe that senior stakeholders’ resistance to new technologies, along with siloed teams and poor cross-functional collaboration (65%), often hinder creative thinking in the workplace. These, coupled with tighter budgets and increased content demands, result in teams exploring ways to stand out and cut through the noise. Thanks to AI-powered tools, accelerating content production is now easier and can even help save money and time.

Redesigning the way we work

The way we work has evolved.

As a marketing leader who’s helped scale other game-changing tech companies to become industry leaders across markets and regions, I’ve witnessed first-hand how important visual communication is and the impact it has on business performance, team collaboration and being able to work smarter and more efficiently. From the need to quickly localize content to scaling it to different regions, having the proper tools and resources can make collaboration easier and more effective.

To keep up, businesses need to welcome this new era of work – it’s worth the investment and the benefits are endless.

This article was written by Ruoshan Tao, head of marketing, Canva SEA and LATAM.