We are all wowed by great images. We buy photo books, look at pictures of the year in review, and send postcards of outstanding photographs. The old saying is that a picture says a thousand words and it is so true.
Many times clients and even designers forget the importance of good photography. Personally, I’ve seen client’s balk at photo shoots or even stock photography because it costs money. Because of the internet, we have access to millions of stock photos ranging from one dollar to hundreds of dollars, but clients sometimes will not pay $50 for a great image. Because of Google and other search engines, people think everything on the internet is free and not copyrighted.
The image in these email from the Audubon Institute is powerful and says more than 8 words in the headline because of the beautiful picture of Menari, the baby orangutan at the zoo. What would this same email look like with a poor image or no email at all. You would probably forget you’ve ever seen the email without the image. Not very powerful without the image is it? Would you forward this email to a friend without the image? I didn’t think so.
When working on design projects such as website, brochure, tradeshow displays, and advertisements remember how you feel when you look at those same pieces from other companies. What ads captivate you, what websites do you talk about, what brochures do you keep? Think about these questions. What captures your attention, most likely, it’s the photography.
