Some recent research shows that people perceive messages, emotions or attitudes better via images. They can evaluate pictures within 13 milliseconds. That is why it is so important to set up the correct communication about your business with potential customers with the help of brand imagery. In this article we share some Tips for Choosing Professional Brand Imagery.
Most people judge the quality of products or services a company offers via pictures which illustrate its professionalism. That is why if you want to know how to use photography for commercial purposes or start up a separate photography business, visit here or use the tips which we provide in this article.
Table of Contents
What Are Branding Images in Business?
To move on to the recommendations on how to deal with branding pictures, let’s consider the difference between the two notions – a brand image and brand imagery. ‘Brand image’ stands for people’s perception of a certain company which is represented on the market.
‘Brand imagery’ is a term used for a set of photographs, website images, a logo design and other visual components which help to recognise the business and its products. These elements make up a brand identity.
Social media posts, infographics or slide presentations can also be helpful for creating a business’s overall image and recognisability.
Characteristics of Perfect Brand Imagery
The most prominent and widely known examples of brand imagery, used by such well-known companies as Pepsi and Coca-Cola, as well as many other recognisable brands, support the idea that brand imagery should be a sustainable combination of art and science.
Let’s have a look at the most important characteristics this part of marketing campaigns should possess.
1. Straightforward purpose
You need to understand how you are going to use the picture branding and how the used images can boost the brand’s value.
All the visuals should make sense for creating the brand identity.
2. Overall look
The colours of all the pictures and photos should match the ones of the company and its logo. The appearance of all the imagery should look professional, bold and compelling.
The pictures must be easy to process and correspond to the overall idea and mission of your business.
3. Uniqueness
In what way can your professional picture branding differentiate your company from others?
It is important to consider here how all the photographs and pictures used in the imagery can reflect your trustworthiness, expertise and authority.
If your imagery somehow reminds of other brands, it is better to change it at once.
How to Start Creating the Best Brand Imagery
Start with considering the personality of your average customer. What are their daily routines, interests, needs and preferences? If you can answer these questions, you are on the right way to creating the best visuals for your target audiences.
Understanding your competitors’ aims and strives is also helpful here.
The crucial factor that influences the image of your business in the eyes of potential customers is the design. Think thoroughly about colours, content, styles, compositions and graphics which can help to create various moods.
You need to understand what kind of message your brand imagery is going to send your clients. For instance, using darker hues and heavier fonts can stand for professional sufficiency and seriousness while pale or neutral palettes can provide a light futuristic vibe.
If you know your audience well, picking out colours and supporting graphics can be very easy.
You are sure to stand out from the crowd. That is why the use of free picture branding is possible but not desirable. You do not want your company to look the same as many others in your field. So, the uniqueness of your approaches will be quite beneficial.
Another question you may start asking here is whether your brand imagery should necessarily consist of photographs. Of course, professional photos of your company, teams, products and processes together with quality photo editing can work wonders.
Photos are the most recognisable part of your company’s branding and marketing campaigns. Though the answer to the question about using photos only is negative.
Using professional photography and quality pictures for branding is also quite beneficial as well as utilising cartoons, infographics, charts and other kinds of creative images and pictures.
Just give it a try and you will see stunning results.
Some Essential Tips for Selecting Proper Brand Imagery
So, let’s summarize what you need to consider while choosing professional brand imagery for your successful marketing campaigns.
Create a Reputation
Consider what you want to achieve in terms of creating or improving your company’s reputation. You should think how prospective your potential customers will be while attracted by this kind of imagery.
You can think how your branding images in business operations can influence your impact on the community and success on the market.
The view of your company by competitors can also make a great effect on your reputation so never underestimate it.
Remember that your brand’s identity is an essential component in advertising and marketing campaigns. When you establish it properly, you will set up your sustainable reputation which will be difficult to change by any other factors.
Define the Target Audience Correctly
Therefore, what is brand imagery and what does it serve for? It’s an efficient way of communicating with your ideal target audience.
It should influence their opinions about your company to the greatest extent.
That is why it is so important to define your most prospective clientele groups correctly.
You need to know, first of all, what is really important for your ideal customers, what other products and services they usually choose in their everyday life, what other brands they give preference to and why they are attractive for these people.
Consider their lifestyles and interests as well. Your brand’s emotional impact on them depends very much on what your ideal clients are looking for and whether they are able to easily find what they want to acquire.
Only after composing a straightforward picture of your potential customers, you can pick out the most effective components for your brand imagery.
Create a Specific Mood Scheme for Your Brand
Everything is important here – tones, colours, hues, shapes and styles. Everything that can influence your target audience’s mood and emotions should be considered.
The right choice of the communication tone is essential as well. It can be traditional, modern, sensual, casual, sophisticated or authoritative.
Use certain themes that correspond to your company’s goals and ideas to attract prospective customers’ attention and change their view of your products and services to a more positive one.
Take into account such examples of picture branding themes as technological, vintage, minimalistic, landscape, geometric, black-and-white and other layouts.
Each of them can create a certain mood and emotions, evoke interest or distract attention if chosen inappropriately. Do not be afraid to experiment with themes, styles and tones, and you will be rewarded.
A Variety of Images Is Always Attractive
If your brand imagery looks boring, no one will bother to opt for visiting your website or displaying some interest in your company and its marketing campaigns again.
Branding pictures in business promotion can be important but not only they are so essential. Include graphics and videos as well. You can also opt for:
- stock photos (though their use should be limited to some specific purposes you may need them for);
- screenshots (only the high-quality ones should be used for sharing short information about your business presentations or websites);
- graphs, charts and infographics (the statistical data and figures can have a great impact but they should be clear, fair and easy to perceive);
- photography (custom photos add a lot of chances to present your work in the most favourable way);
- custom graphic design (it shows your creativity and artistic taste to boost your visual picture branding influence);
- videos (they will make your brand still more popular and recognisable if they align with its themes and general imaging).
Considering all these options, we can see that every detail is quite important in creating the positive brand imagery which will be highly recognisable, efficient for further development and providing the best result you can ever expect.
Final Thoughts
Therefore, you can see how much professional brand imagery influences your further success. The tone and quality of this part of your marketing campaigns is meant to boost the interest of your target audience towards your products and services because it is the most essential purpose of it.
Professional services for creating the best branding images can be costly, of course, but they will pay for themselves very soon.
Your brand identity will gain a lot from that.
Moreover, making your brand imagery high-quality and professional will reveal your creativity and unique personality which is always catchy and can set you apart from all other types of companies and from your competitors.
Try to use various visual means in your company’s brand imagery. A perfect combination of charts, pictures, graphs, videos, screenshots and photos will help your business to achieve a great look and reputation in the eyes of potential customers, increase sales and conversions as well as boost its rapid development.
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Author Bio
Frank Hamilton has been working as an editor at photoretouchingservices.net. He is a professional writing expert in such topics as blogging, digital marketing and self-education. He also loves traveling and speaks Spanish, French, German and English.