When commissioning visual content, selecting the correct project type is the first step toward producing a focused, effective image. This choice defines the primary subject of the visual and ensures the composition, lighting, and storytelling align with your goals.

At Monolith Visuals, we work across four core project types: Aerial, Exterior, Interior, and Product. Each one serves a different purpose and requires a slightly different visual strategy.

Aerial

Focus: Site-wide overview, multiple buildings, context and landscape
Best for: Masterplans, housing developments, phased projects, feasibility or planning

Aerial visuals are designed to show the project in its wider setting. They are typically rendered from a bird’s-eye view or elevated angle, making them ideal for larger schemes where understanding layout, access, and orientation is key.

Use cases include:

• Residential developments

• Urban regeneration or masterplanning

• Commercial or civic schemes within a landscape

• Planning applications requiring site context

Aerial views provide clarity, particularly when supported by accurate context modelling or photomontage.

Exterior

Focus: Building form, façade articulation, materials and surroundings
Best for: Planning visuals, design presentation, marketing or investor decks

Exterior visuals typically show the building from ground level and are composed to highlight the architectural intent, massing, and material palette. They often feature surrounding landscape, neighbouring buildings, and points of arrival or access.

Use cases include:

• Private homes or self-builds

• Apartment blocks or mixed-use schemes

• Civic, educational or cultural buildings

• Visuals for public consultation or RIBA stages

This type of visual is especially effective when lighting, materiality and atmosphere are used to reflect the design character.

Interior

Focus: Internal layout, finishes, furniture, light quality, spatial flow
Best for: Residential fit-outs, commercial interiors, show units, M&E coordination

Interior visuals are used to explore the experience of a space from the inside. They’re carefully composed to communicate layout, light, surface texture, and spatial proportions. The addition of furnishings, planting, and human figures enhances realism and relatability.

Use cases include:

• Private homes (kitchens, bathrooms, living spaces)

• Commercial interiors (offices, retail, hospitality)

• Show units or model apartments

• Marketing packs for agents or developers

Interiors are particularly powerful when used alongside exterior visuals to give a full picture of the design.

Product

Focus: Object-level detail, surface quality, lighting and form
Best for: Furniture, fittings, bespoke joinery, built-in elements or design prototypes

Product visuals are tailored to show a single item or small collection in controlled environments. These may be technical or highly stylised depending on your needs. They’re ideal for catalogues, design development, or marketing material.

Use cases include:

• Custom furniture or fittings

• Lighting and hardware

• Bespoke elements within a larger project

• Product marketing or crowdfunding visuals

These visuals are often created in studio-like environments, allowing for strong visual focus and precision.

Why Project Type Matters

Selecting a project type ensures that the composition, scope, and visual language are all aligned from the start. It gives our team a clear idea of your priorities and helps avoid unnecessary work or miscommunication.

Combined with Scale and Tier, your chosen project type creates a complete brief that allows us to deliver the most useful and visually impactful result.

Not Sure Which Type to Choose?

If your project crosses more than one category, that’s not a problem. Many projects include a mix, for example, aerial views for planning and interiors for marketing. Let us know your aims and we’ll guide you on the best combination of outputs.