Garnering the Advantage: 14 Tips Regarding the Targeted Use of Images

On one hand, images are an indispensable representational element in advertising and media. On the other hand, living in the internet era means that images are omnipresent and available in a seemingly unlimited supply. Therefore, an image has to offer something special if it’s to communicate with viewers in a certain way. Since there are more than enough ordinary photos around today, weary brains have become adept at quickly ignoring images which are predictable and uninspiring – simply by forgetting what can easily be forgotten.

© Uwe Umstätter/Westend61

If your images are to reach people – whether it’s to simply inform them or make a sale – you have to know how to consciously and purposefully utilize images. Below are guidelines which can help distinguish your images from others right at the first glance, potentially helping you to keep that decisive step ahead of your competition:

  1. Select images that represent a mood appropriately: find the right visual language that suits the message to be conveyed.
  2. Images should evoke emotions: A happy family transmits the feeling of security and belonging, a beautiful landscape arouses the desire to travel, babies or young animal offspring call upon our nurturing instincts, a dish that looks delicious appeals to our appetites, etc.
  3. Search for ideas beyond the obvious ones which the competition is already using: avoid photos that have already been downloaded thousands of times.
  4. One large, great and rather expensive image is better than several mediocre, smaller and less expensive photos. Remember the maxim: “Quality has its price.”
  5. While a beautiful image as a cleverly placed decorative element is fine, avoid filler images which serve no particular purpose.
  6. Avoid using models in situations where the employees of a company should be portrayed. Yes, the staff may look more like everyday folk than Hollywood stars, but that’s exactly what conveys being on equal ground, lending the image credibility and a personal touch.
  7. When working with models, the color of a model’s hair can also be an important factor: brown hair is more suitable for advertising cosmetics, chocolate and cars, blond hair is better for detergents, dairy products and magazines.
  8. Thoughtfully apply light and color, because they also stir emotions: dark elements seem heavy, bright and pale ones appear light. Red or yellow shades of color seem warm, shades of blue appear cold. Blue stands for loyalty, red for energy, love and strength, yellow for cheerfulness and intelligence.
  9. Products seem more attractive when shown in a person’s hand (preferably the right hand, as the majority of people are right-handed).
  10. Consider the graphical layout: image on the left, corresponding text on the right. The left hemisphere of the brain processes visual information better than the right hemisphere, which is responsible for text comprehension.
  11. Viewers and users first look at faces. A neutral expression draws more attention, since viewers will gaze longer or more than once at the face to “figure out” what the person is like or what they’re experiencing.
  12. When composing your subject, remember to use harmonious proportions among the image’s elements, for instance, by referring to guidelines such as the golden section rule.
  13. Consider the placement of the subject’s central focus: centered seems calming, off-centered or asymmetrical seems dynamic, positioning in the upper half of an image imparts a sense of lightness, in the lower half a feeling of heaviness.
  14. The message of the image(s) and corresponding text should be compatible, not at odds with each other. The image should draw interest to the text and underscore it without distracting the viewer.
© Jan Tepass/Westend61

The most important pathway we have for receiving information is visual communication. Studies have shown that we receive about 80% of all information through our eyes. Great images arouse emotions and desires: they fascinate, motivate, impress and shock us. Images are processed quicker than words, and a successful photo can impart essential ideas and information in a matter of seconds. In successful advertisements as well as in high-quality journalism, the process of skillfully selecting, composing and placing images plays a crucial role. Great images accompanying an advert or a report stand out (and above) the continually surging currents of the information flood.

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