In the social media ruled world we live in today, the use of quality imagery has become a necessity for any business with hopes of being successful. Some of the most popular sites that offer a means to spread information about your business operate mostly if not totally with the use of images. Platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, and Facebook offer users the ability to add images to posts. Looking at how successful these companies have been and are currently, there must be something to incorporating this feature.
As stated on https://www.brainrules.net/vision, when an image is attached to a piece of information you happen upon, you will remember 55% more of what you heard after the passing of 3 days. Since our brain sees words as just a bunch of tiny images that we interpret based on certain characteristics, it is no wonder that being able to associate one main image to a set of information works better for our minds. With this information available, it is clear to see the importance of the usage of imagery when communicating information to potential customers.
Keeping in mind the value that images bring to our ability to retain information, here is how you can best utilize your images to incorporate your business’s branding. Following these guides can make your products substantially more recognizable and possibly even the first thought a consumer has when in the market for something you offer.
Logo
Your logo is the “2 minute elevator pitch” of your company, giving viewers key information about what they are experiencing at a glance. Your logo is that single image that represents the large amount of information that is your business, so it should be present with all you do. When photographing your products or services, ensure your logo is always present for viewing. As you decide where to place your logo, try to maintain a similar size and location for its placement, so viewers can easily identify the content as ‘authentic’. It is okay to adjust in order to differentiate product lines within your brand, but work to keep those of the same line with the same look.
Feel
When coming up with your companies branding, you should have taken into consideration the “feel” you want your brand to have. If you look at a company like Amazon, they provide a good example of maintaining a consistent feel across their brand. The imagery they use is very clean and simple showing only the product or service they offer and nothing more. With that and the simple logo that showcases their name with a smile, it gives viewers the feeling that interacting with them will be simple and direct, with no need to stress. The same concept should be applied to your product photography, always keeping your brands “feel” as a top priority. If you sell athletic apparel or equipment, you probably want to steer clear of posting images of people using your product sitting on a couch eating fatty foods, for example. Instead, possibly use images taken with a gym or an athletic race, or even remote locations in nature to better represent the ideas you use to spark consumer interest in your product. Once you select a feel for a particular line, stick with it so that activity or type of location becomes associated with your product.
Color
In some cases, your brand’s colors may not go best with the photo you plan on using. If you are trying to differentiate product lines within your brand you may need to use other color palettes to do so. When doing so, you don’t need to use the same colors each time, but the use of the same types of colors can be beneficial. For instance, let’s say, you are again producing images to promote your athletic apparel company. For this particular product you have decided a neon green works best and use it for that image. You do not need to use that green for every image in that product line (unless maybe it’s called “The Bright Green Line”), instead a suitable option is to continue using other neon colors in your images. With a consistent color theme added to your logo and feel, customers should start to recognize what brand and product line that image is for with just a quick look before long.
Typography
Keeping in mind the allowance for different product lines, consistent typography should be high on the list to monitor as well. Just as important as the look of the logo (they typically go hand in hand), typography plays a crucial role in branding. More often than not, there are multiple variations of a company’s logo that differ solely on whether or not text is present. As mentioned above, the brain interprets words as multiple pictures that it deciphers based on its unique characteristics. Since this is the case, you can guide consumers into associating a character style to your brand. If done correctly, and a person sees a similar looking font, it could do the work for you and bring your brand to mind. When photographing or editing images for your brand or a particular line, maintain a consistent look for your typography. If you use a drop shadow, keep using it. If you bevel your text to make it look like it is cut through the image, continue to. Until you decide to refresh a particular look completely, consistency with typography is key.
While there are other ways to incorporate branding into your product photography, these four groups are what I believe to be the most important. By monitoring these areas whenever you prepare your media to be distributed you can build a solid foundation for your brand to thrive. Familiarity is built through consistency and repetition, which is a key goal to achieve when aiming for success in business. Subtle similarities can go a long way when it comes to influencing your audience to become your customers.