As designers, we really appreciate the communicative power of art in a marketing piece. An image relates the WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN and WHY, as well as mood, personality and intent in a fraction of a second. Because of their power, choosing the right image is vital to a successful project. Using poor quality, off-message or cliche images can derail the effectiveness of a brochure, powerpoint presentation etc before your prospect reads the first sentence.
We've created a few mock presentation templates as examples.
Example 1
Fortunately, we don't see much use of clip art in business materials anymore. It is tolerable in community newsletters but in business-level materials, it tends to send the message, "I put this together over my lunch hour". If your business offers customized solutions, then using clip art waters down the credibility of this aspect of your business as well.
Example 2
Stock photos are much better. They carry more warmth and maturity. They too, however can come across as dry and half hearted. We have spent hours searching databases of stock photo suppliers looking for the right one. If we had a nickel for every time we saw a photo of two business people shaking hands, we could wipe out the national debt.
The way to communicate just what you want has always been custom photography. Hiring a professional photographer, professional actors, proper sets, lighting and props of course can be prohibitively expensive and very time consuming. The solution in certain circumstances, is virtual photos.
Virtual photos can be tailored to your corporate colours and personality. In the first photo of the above example. The "dots" on the map can be coloured and placed to accurately relay your company network. The second image includes a 3D version of the company logo. This gives the sense of complete ownership of your message. Your company presents as large, professional and well branded. Sure it costs more than stock photos but far less than custom photography yet carries the same weight.
The next time you produce a marketing piece, consider the value of virtual photos and take your designs to the next level.
