How to break the scroll with visuals that actually drive growth

Eight different AI notetakers. Same gradients. Same purple. Same vibe.

If I swapped the logos… would anyone notice? Worse, would you notice?

Looking the same is riskier than ever.

→ If nothing stands out, nothing sticks.
→ If they don’t remember you, they’ll forget you when it comes time to buy.

Founders and marketers spend hours tweaking content, posts, pages, ads.

But if your brand looks like everyone else’s, your audience won’t pause. They’ll pass. All that effort? Scrolled past in seconds.

Sarah Hart knows how to break the scroll.

She’s helped personal brands like Katelyn Bourgoin and Jonathan Crowder become instantly recognizable in noisy categories.

Her secret? A visual brand system built to sell, not just look good.

Here’s how you can do the same.

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Your brand’s first impression is no longer your website

It’s a tiny square on someone’s phone. In a scroll-fueled world, sameness = invisibility.

The "Von Restorff effect" proves we’re wired to notice what’s different. Sarah’s approach? Be the glitch in the feed.

Look at fintech in 2020: Stripe stood out by ditching the "trust-me blue" for a bold, colorful gradient.

Safe = forgettable. Distinctive = memorable.

How I rebuilt my own brand

When I launched Marketers Do Coffee, I borrowed a brand palette from my full-time job at Arc. It was clean, familiar, and functional.

But it wasn’t mine. And it didn’t stand out.

So I worked with a freelance designer to:

→ Chose colors that felt like me, deep green, bright purple, soft cream
→ Picked a font that was sharp but approachable
→ Designed a repeatable image system for carousels and graphics

The impact? Immediate.

People started saying they recognized my posts without seeing my name.

And for the first time, my brand felt like me.

Creating your own visual sales funnel

If your visuals feel like an afterthought, they’re not doing their job.

Think of your brand design as your visual sales funnel (Sarah’s framework). Every scroll, click, and conversion starts with a glance.

Here’s how to structure yours:

1. Awareness: Stand out at first glance
   Think bold color, signature motif, or unique vibe.
   Example: Katelyn Bourgoin’s lightning yellow and brain icon.

   

   One of Sarah’s clients Katelyn Bourgoin

2. Interest: Hold attention
   Use scroll-stopping content like faces, comparisons, or visual hooks.

3. Intent: Reduced friction
   Use repeatable design patterns so every post feels familiar. Cohesion builds recognition, and recognition builds trust.

4. Purchase: Look premium
   Crisp, high-quality design builds trust and makes you feel worth the price

Get these four stages right, and your visuals won’t just look good, they’ll sell for you.

Look different from other brands in your industry

Use Sarah’s contrast check prompt below to identify the visual clichés in your space, then flip them. Remember:

• Avoid tropes like purple gradients for AI, leafy minimalism for wellness, etc.

• “Clean” doesn’t convert if it’s forgettable.

• “Looking good” isn’t the goal. Being remembered is.

That’s how you become the glitch in the feed.

Try out the Contrast Check prompt

Before you touch another color picker or pick a new font, run this prompt to check how your brand compres to those in your industry:

If your brand switched logos with another in your category, would anyone even blink?

Forward this to someone who’s still using the same Canva template as everyone else.

Keep that caffeine flowing until next time,
Christine

P.S. Got a guest or topic you want me to cover? Just hit reply and tell me.

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