The power of evocative photography

And why you need to see this as pivotal to the success of your brand

How is your week going? Mine is hurtling along at a pace and I must say, I am overflowing with creativity right now as a result of some truly life-affirming creative projects. I'm working with a handful of truly wonderful clients and the process is bringing me such joy!

Something I've been musing on over this past couple of weeks is just how pivotal your photography is in how your brand will land with your people. 

We know this, right? We know that we need to fill our websites with lovely photographs. And we know that these finished images need to feel right, for our websites to create the right impression. But how many of us see brand photography as one of the key considerations when we're creating a vision for our brand identity? 

How many of us see those images as core components in the balance of how each of the graphical brand elements work together to connect as a whole?

Just as your brand typography, colours, illustration and textures all have a role to play in telling your brand story, elevating perceptions and creating the impact you want, so too does your brand photography.

Look at the difference photography makes to this website for my client Ania. Here’s the website before (below).

And here’s the ‘after’.

Photography takes up so much real-estate doesn’t it? And whilst that wasn’t the only change we made (this was a full rebrand) I bet the photos made the first and biggest impression on you.

Photography is now central to the impact your brand creates

Photography, or more pertinently, the right photography, is increasingly becoming inseparable from the graphic elements of a brand identity. And the truth is, this just wasn't the case when I started out in this industry 25 years ago. We used more printed stationery, we relied on photography less. The graphical elements told your story but now the images are a core part of that storytelling too, and we need to see these as a foundational part of the vision for a project upfront.

When you think about it, it makes complete sense. Where does your eye go first when you land on a website? Nine times out of ten, it’s to the photography, which instinctively tells you so much about the brand you’re looking at. Not just in terms of the product detail, but where it’s pitched in the market, how desirable it is and importantly how you’re going to feel as a result of engaging with it.

Great photography shapes your perception

I'm not just talking about what's photographed (although that matters) but the stories that are told, the emotions that are created and the feeling the collection of images as a whole create. 

It's about capturing potential, creating possibility and leaving plenty of room for creative inspiration. Some things just can't be ‘briefed’, they have to be experienced, felt, responded to. Those are the brands where the photography and the graphical elements come together and create an impct that's greater than the sum of their parts. 

Photography can literally make or break the success of your brand identity. Great photography combined with a show-stopping, resonant brand increases desire. Photography that misses the mark kills potential.

Traditionally we’ve thought as photography as an afterthought. Create the brand identity, plan the website, take the photos. And whilst those are the headlines you’ll find in the Show Stopping Brand Road Map, dig a little deeper and you’ll notice that we actually start thinking about the vision for your photography at the Brand Vision stage. We get into the nuts and bolts of content, props, composition further down the line, but those of you who are either working with me one to one or being guided by the courses will begin thinking about your photography at the concept stage. It's an essential part of shaping how your brand comes across.

For me, the brand images are certainly a core part of my thinking when working on a consultancy project. So much so, that it’s inconceivable to me now that I would work on a brand and leave this to chance. As I say, great images connect, captivate, evoke, connect. Others kill potential.

The images Cecelina and I shot for our gorgeous Australian skincare client Ania (below) weren't the first images our client had commissioned. But they were the first images that really brought the brand to life and the first images that allowed her to launch her website with the impact it needed. That's another story for another day, but the big takeaway here is that how your images are executed really matters.

You'll create your vision for your brand from a deep clarity and a clear strategy. And your photography will be one of the many moving parts in that question of how should my brand feel in order to really ‘speak’ to my ideal clients. 

As always, I'm keen to share some value whatever level you're at with your business, so here are a few pointers to get you started… 

YOU'LL WANT TO BE THINKING ABOUT

• Where's your space in the market? What do you want to be known for and who are you talking to? What impact do you want your brand to have?

• How does your current brand identity and photography support that? And what's detracting from it?

• What would your brand images look like if nothing were standing in your way? And how would that help you own your space and captivate your clients? What do you need to do to achieve that?

There's so much more to share on this and I'm sure we will explore this more deeply over the next few months but for now, I hope this inspires you to bring a new level of insight to your images. They have so much potential to offer your brand!

Have a wonderful week.