Say something without saying it.

Sometimes we create an absurd image without giving it a very specific meaning.

And then something interesting happens.

Our audience starts creating meanings for us.

This is one of the things I love about blending.

When we fuse two completely different things together, we create something that doesn't exist in the real world.

And because it doesn't exist, there is no single, obvious meaning attached to it.

The viewer has to complete the image.

They use their own culture, experiences, memories and imagination to decide what they are looking at.

And that means two people can look at exactly the same absurd image and see completely different things.

Sometimes we don't even realize all the meanings our image can suggest.

We may think:

“It's just a weird idea.”

But someone else might see something very specific.

And that's the beauty of absurdity.

You don't always have to explain everything.

Sometimes the less you say, the more space you g...

INKTOBER DAY 3: MINIATURE

When you make something smaller, you are not only communicating size.

You are communicating hierarchy.

The disruptive way to play with hierarchy is to make something your audience expects to see big… small.

Something they expect to see high… low.

But there is one important thing:You need a reference.

If everything is small, we dont really understand what “small” means.

We need another element to create the contrast.

And this is where things get interesting.

The big element has a meaning.

The small element has another meaning.

And the relationship between them creates a third meaning.

Then you can add even more layers.

What are they doing?

What are they wearing?

Where are they?

What is happening around them?

Every one of these choices can add meaning to the story.

So when you change the size of something, dont just ask:“How can I make this bigger or smaller?”

Ask:“What happens to the meaning when I change its place in the hierarchy?”

Thats today's tip: Dont use size just to show ...

In visual thinking, a metaphor is more than decoration. It’s a bridge between abstract ideas and concrete images, a way to help people see meaning instead of just reading or hearing it. When done well, a visual metaphor transforms a complex concept into an image that feels both intuitive and surprising.

But what exactly makes a metaphor visual, and how can you create one that actually works?

Icon vs. Metaphor: What’s the Real Difference?

An icon shows what something is. A metaphor shows what something means.

If you draw a light bulb to represent an idea, that’s an icon. It refers directly to a known symbol. But if you draw an elephant whose trunk forms the shape of a lightbulb, you're not just talking about "ideas" anymore. You are adding layers of meaning and weaving a story around it.

This doesn’t mean icons don’t work. It’s just better to use icons for explanations and metaphors for stories.

And remember: it’s better to have a story to look through life than an explanatio...

Remember, a quick way to apply the out-of-context technique is through substitution.

You remove one element and replace it with another that seems unrelated, but a connection is established.

In this case, the iceberg resembles the shape of a heart.When you place things out of context through substitution, the replaced element gains new meaning.

Here, the heart is no longer just an organ, it becomes a trait of the person’s personality.

Enlarging elements allows us to do two things:

1) Explore details more deeply.

2) Discover new shapes that can be transformed into unexpected settings.

Every time you enlarge something, you create new spaces, new opportunities to place elements inside.

And what better way to apply the 'out of context' technique? As we’ve discussed before, this technique is all about changing the predictable setting in which we usually see certain things.

Now, think about this image:

- Why is a car looping in and out of a nose?
- Where is it going?
- What’s the connection between the car and the person?

When people ask these kinds of questions, three things happen:

1) They create their own mental storytelling to make sense of the image.

2) They spend more time looking at it.

3) They read your message.

What keyword or short phrase would you associate with this metaphor?

Thank you,
Dario Paniagua
Visual Thinkers Coach

Here’s another tip for your #Inktober challenge:  

Remove!  What if, instead of showing what you want to depict, you don’t show it?  

This is called 'drawing attention through absence'.  

It may sound strange, but when we omit something people expect to see, we actually draw more attention.  And here is another tip:

You can add an extra layer of meaning by replacing that absence with something else.

In this case, you’re introducing two levels of disruption: the removal of an expected element (like a violin), and its replacement with something unexpected (a tongue).

Try this removal-and-replacement approach in your next #Inktober2024 drawing!  

Thank you,

Dario Paniagua
Visual Thinkers Coach

The necessary tools to be a good visual communicator are already there by default.

You used them perfectly well until you were 6 years old, and then school added endless variables and complications that eroded your capacity to be simple.

Simple doesn't mean poor in the sense of a low or inferior standard or quality.

There's a definition of simple that associates the word with something ordinary or common.

I'm not referring to that.

I mean something is simple when it's clear, concise, and understandable.

In visual thinking, we have many techniques that help us say more with less.

You can learn all this in the first membership that teaches you Visual Thinking through metaphors without resorting to clichés.

Thank you

Dario Paniagua
Visual Thinkers Coach

There are 2 tips when dealing with small spaces

1) Use constraints to your advantage:

No matter how small the space we have to include an element, we can always tell stories.

Often, a constraint can work in our favor. In this case, the lack of space helps to add drama to the scene.

As you can see, there are actually no restrictions.

We can have very few elements and very little space, yet we can always tell a story.

2) Don't get lost in details.

There are other elements that should be included on the back of a credit card, but they don't need to be incorporated.

Stay minimalist in the number of elements you draw.

Once the object is recognizable, there's no need to keep adding things.

If you're interested in learning Visual Thinking through metaphors without resorting to clichés, you can check my website.

Thank you,

Dario Paniagua
Visual Thinkers Coach

Visual quantity creates visual noise. It's impossible to process all the information we're exposed to today.

That's why we've become very good at filtering out what doesn't interest us.

The most important thing to learn in Visual Thinking isn't learning to draw, or having an endless library of images or icons at our disposal.

The most important thing in visual thinking is learning to subtract.

This means you don't have to add things to your knowledge.

The necessary tools to be a good visual communicator are already there by default. You used them perfectly well until you were 6 years old.

In the Metaphors course, every technique you learn is based on this principle: it doesn't matter what drawing style your metaphors have; what matters is that they contain a single, simple, disruptive element with a message.

These are just some of the many concepts you can learn in the first Membership Course that teaches Visual Thinking through metaphors without resorting t...

We don't need to complicate things to make a cliché interesting to observe.

While we often can transform the cliché, manipulate its shape, put things inside it, mix it with other elements, change its perspective, etc., we can also make it interesting with some minimalist actions.

I want you to note three things about this image.

1) The position:

The cliché isn't blended with the person; it's simply positioned in front of them. However, this positioning automatically groups them into one entity.

2) The interaction:

The person behind the cliché makes a movement, and the cliché is subtly modified as a result.

3) The association of shapes:

The oval cliché corresponds to the shape of the muscle. When we connect elements by color or shape, we also associate their meanings.

By the way, what is the person saying?

What is the muscle saying?

If you want to learn Visual Thinking through metaphors without resorting to clichés, you can sign up on my website.

Than...