All courses Design

Thinking in Visual Metaphors

Name: Thinking in Visual Metaphors
Rating: 9.78 (93 reviews)

4.9 (93)

3 Weeks

Cohort-based Course

Make your ideas stand out with visual thinking.

Thinking in Visual Metaphors

4.9 (93)

3 Weeks

Cohort-based Course

Make your ideas stand out with visual thinking.

Hosted by

PJ Milani

Founder of Milani Creative | 20 yrs Film & Animation Teacher

PJ Milani

Founder of Milani Creative | 20 yrs Film & Animation Teacher

Course overview

Level up your communication in 3 weeks with visual metaphors

Stop competing for attention.

Be different and translate your ideas into visuals.

You might be saying...

"Well, that's all well and good, but I can't draw."

Rest assured.

Visual thinking is not about drawing.

The main "draw" (🥁) of visual thinking is communicating ideas in a deep, impactful way.

If you're keen on clarifying your thinking and using the power of metaphors to create content that stands out, you're in the right place.

Join me in this 3 week course to learn the techniques and frameworks I’ve used to attract an engaged international audience of 250,000+ people.

Whether it's for professional upskilling, personal development, or differentiating your writing, Thinking in Visual Metaphors will open up new possibilities to express your ideas.

Who is this course for

Aspiring creators eager to grow an organic audience through a unique and marketable skill.

Writers who want to stop the scroll and stand out in their niche by attracting audiences to their work.

Educators and coaches who want to leverage their expertise for their clients with effective strategies.

Aspiring creators eager to grow an organic audience through a unique and marketable skill.

Writers who want to stop the scroll and stand out in their niche by attracting audiences to their work.

Educators and coaches who want to leverage their expertise for their clients with effective strategies.

By the end of this 3 week course, you'll:

Create your first visual metaphor

Raise your visual I.Q.

Practice strategies to make the abstract visible

Carve out a style unique to your personal brand

Apply visual frameworks to clarify, simplify, and amplify your ideas

Analyze a visual as a creator

Get peer-feedback and meet other visual thinkers

This course includes

6 interactive live sessions

Lifetime access to course materials

76 in-depth lessons

Direct access to instructor

11 projects to apply learnings

Guided feedback & reflection

Private community of peers

Course certificate upon completion

Maven Satisfaction Guarantee

This course is backed by Maven’s guarantee. You can receive a full refund within 14 days after the course ends, provided you meet the completion criteria in our refund policy.

Course syllabus

Week 1

Jan 13—Jan 19

Self-Paced Module - Using Figma

11 items

Self-Paced Module - Using Procreate & Canva

9 items

Module 1: Foundations

Jan
14
Live-Session 1: Foundations
Tue 1/141:00 AM—2:30 AM (UTC)

13 more items

Module 2: Introduction to I.C.E. (Intention - Capture - Examine)

Jan
17
Live Session 2: Making Visuals as Cool as I.C.E.
Fri 1/171:00 AM—2:30 AM (UTC)

10 more items

Week 2

Jan 20—Jan 26

Module 3: Execution

Jan
21
Live-Session 3: Execution
Tue 1/211:00 AM—2:30 AM (UTC)

8 more items

Module 4: Frameworks

Jan
24
Live Session 4: Frameworks
Fri 1/241:00 AM—2:30 AM (UTC)

7 more items

Week 3

Jan 27—Jan 30

Module 5: Style

Jan
28
Live-Session 5: Style
Tue 1/281:00 AM—2:30 AM (UTC)

9 more items

Module 6: Iteration

Jan
31
Live Session 6: Iteration
Fri 1/311:00 AM—2:30 AM (UTC)

5 more items

Bonus

Bonus Resources & Tools

9 items

Recommended Stuff

4 items

Social Media Tools

2 items

4.9 (93 ratings)

What students are saying

At a glance:

Week 1: Learn the Rules

Foundations

Week 2: Master the Rules

Frameworks & Practical Strategies

Week 3: Break the Rules

Style & Iteration

Meet your instructor

PJ Milani

@milanicreative

A teacher by trade, I've made over 400 visuals to grow an organic international audience of 250,000+ followers.

My illustrations have helped authors, speakers, and startup founders communicate their ideas with more clarity and impact to their audiences. My visuals have been used by Adam Grant, Greg McKeown, Sahil Bloom, Justin Welsh, Steven Bartlett and more.

You can usually catch me simplifying complexity through daily visuals on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.

Who is PJ Milani?

PJ Milani has a remarkable ability to bring complex concepts to life. His creative visuals are masterful in illustrating and illuminating ideas.

Adam Grant

#1 New York Times bestselling author of THINK AGAIN

PJ's visuals have helped bring my social media writing to life in ways that I'd never be able to express on my own. Whenever I have something to say, that my writing can't capture on its own, I turn to PJ to design it. One of the most talented visual designers around.

Justin Welsh

The Diversified Solopreneur

PJ is truly a visual teacher. His ability to capture the essence of a complex, abstract idea and break it down into an engaging, single message is remarkable. His visuals don’t just complement a concept. They elevate it.

Sahil Bloom

Entrepreneur and Writer

PJ never ceased to make me see the world in a different and clearer way through his use of his visuals. It's single-frame storytelling at its best.

Matthew Dicks

Author & Storyteller

Course Preview

3-Step process to create a visual metaphor

Course schedule

4-6 hours per week

Live Sessions on Mondays & Thursdays
7pm - 8:30pm Central Standard Time
CONVERT TO YOUR TIMEZONE
Interactive and engaging sessions with breakout rooms!

Each live-session is recorded with forever-access if you miss any or have to leave early (even when the course is completed).
BONUS: After Hours Q&A
(optional) After each live-session
Get all your questions answered after each live-session.

After 20 years of teaching, I've learned the most helpful feedback is immediate and timely.
Class projects
2-3 hours per week

A master of bringing complex topics out of the abstract and into the tangible with simple metaphors. PJ doesn’t just teach lessons, he gets invested in you as a person and wants to see you succeed long after the class is over!

Hannah Wilson

Founder of Quoted Visually

PJ is not only one of the most inspiring people I've met, with his beautiful visuals, but also an incredibly warm and caring person. End result? His work positively impacts both the heart and mind.

Eric Partaker

Author & CEO Coach

PJ is an incredibly talented visual creator. His visuals are awesome and my audience loves them too!

Alex Weic

Creator of Alex & Books

PJ is one of the best visual storytellers out there. The way he breaks complex topics down with beautiful images is truly inspiring.

Chris Donnelly

Co-Founder of Lottie and Found

PJ is exceptionally gifted in communicating visually with clear, concise and unique illustrations. This partnered with his expertise in educating makes him my first recommendation when someone is looking to learn how to visually communicate.

Michael J. Boorman

Founder of Wisdom Made Easy

PJ is one of the most creative, consistent, resourceful and innovative visual thinkers. As a visual thinker myself, PJ is a constant source of inspiration; His mash-ups are amazing, and he brilliantly iterates on a concept to create insightful and fun illustrations that make you think.

Roberto Ferraro

Project Leader & Visual Thinker

Join an upcoming cohort