Zigzag Strategy
September 2026 | Sue Skavlem
Following the latest trend can get you followers, but what can set you apart from everyone else in the search results?
Enter the Zigzag Strategy.
When everyone goes left, you go right. When everyone goes gradient, you go stark. When everyone goes corporate, you go campy.
Being different can be scary. It feels unsafe. But it is unapologetically one of the best ways to become a leader in your competitive industry.
1 Competitive Analysis: Finding the "Visual Gap" in your niche.
Screenshots
Write down: your top 5 competitors in your field, city, or 100 mile radius. Good. Now go to their websites. Take a screenshot. Go to their Google reviews. Take a screenshot. Go to their socials. Take a screenshot. Do they have billboards? TV spots? Ad Banners? Radio ads? Screenshot each.
You're building up a visual dossier on each of area they are visually represented.
Now repeat for each of the top 5 competitors. Make sure to keep them in different folders on your phone or computer. You're going to put these recon screenshots to good use.
Map it Out
It helps if you can put all of these screenshots side-by-side. I like to use a screen deck (PowerPoint for us elder millenials). Or simply put it in a word document.
Now print it out. That's right. It's old-school. It's messy. It may even cost you some money. But it's worth it. We can see more clearly when we have something tangible to compare. Here's where it gets interesting. When you've printed out the dossiers, you can start to sort them into piles that overlap. Where are the same strategies being used? Where is the same type of font/photo being used? Where are the same colors being used? Can you tell if the competition is going after the same type of customer or different types of customers? How many different ways can you find overlapping styles? Fonts/Colors/Vibe?
Product/Service comparison
An alternative to the color/font comparison is to do the same dossier with a product or service you and your competitors all use. (This is especially useful for those who have a VERY niche industry/target market). You don't HAVE to do this step. It's more work... buuuuut.... it may just make the difference in setting you apart. Same concept: top 5 competitors. 1 service/product. Screenshots. Map it. Print it. Spot what's the same.
Mind the Gaps
Now that you've done the hard work of spotting the patterns/simularities in your competition - it'll be SO MUCH EASIER to spot what's missing. What are the visual gaps? What stories aren't being told? What problems are being fixed that aren't being shown? What style isn't being used? What font/color would be different from what's out there?
My dad always told me that it's not what you say–it's how you say it that can argue a case, mend a heart, or bring a story to life.
2 Bold Typography: Using scale to demand attention.
DON'T SHOUT
Bold typography doesn't mean ALL CAPS. Thanks to the ever-evolving rules of language, we're collectively creating rules on how we communicate online. USING ALL CAPS = SHOUTING
I mean, just look at it. Doesn't that feel like shouting would if you could dress up sound in symbols? It's ok to use all caps in very special roles. Brand Names. Titles. Small Print that are warnings. The thing is, you can shout it all out. But don't let that be your whole vibe. You can get attention by shouting. But you can't keep it.
Use White Space
If you've got a lot to say, use white space to break it up. White space doesn't have to be "White" - just an area clear of text or photos.
Surround your most important take-away with the most white space. It gives a mental cue that this is the important thing. Don't crowd your message out with too much content.
Be Legible If your mapping/print-out of your competitors leads you to believe that being transparent and clear is too boring/too similar... find a different contrast. Being unreadable, opaque, or shady is NOT going to be your friend in the forecasted future of business or leadership. You can aim for mystery. But everything you say/show should be easy to read. Your visuals should amplify not obscure your message.
Don't shout. Don't crowd. Don't obscure.
3 The "Hot Take" approach to content topics.
Be Respectful
I'm sure you've heard the trending "hot take" from content creators. Here's the thing. The terminology will change. But the idea remains. WHAT DO YOU THINK DIFFERENTLY ABOUT A TREND? Remember, a hot take is an opinion, reaction, or story about why YOU feel differently than the majority. It can be real without being disrespectful.
Give Examples This is what sets you apart from being a keyboard troll or a critic. You. Your experiences. Your examples. I can criticize someone's rendition of a piece of classical music, but unless I've attempted to play it, I'm just a critic. I'm coming from a lens of theory - not practice. I can know why I don't like something without experience. But unless I've tried it, lived it, or have some sort of interaction with it, my words don't have as much impact.
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming..., so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” —Teddy Roosevelt
Share Your Why Being reactionary is tired. Be real. Be vulnerable. Share and show WHY you're aiming to be different. How does it change the story?
Sharing your Hot Take doesn't have to be clickbait. It can transform people's lives by showing your why with concrete examples, confessions, or a cut-the-corporate-speak power of real-talk.
Standing out starts with mapping the overlap and similarities. Finding the visual gaps. Choosing your style. Standing by your hot take.
Now go forth and CREATE something different.
About the Author
Sue from Skavlem Designs
When I make a design, I think – What can this do?
These designs don’t just exist. These designs DO. They work hard alongside you and your business. These designs are levers. They are sales. They are engaged customers. They are brand recognition that gets you that meeting.
Top 3 things I love to do: Read. Paint. Snowboard.
Human First Content. This blog post was written by a human. No artificial intelligence was used outside of data collation, brainstorming, and research.
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