Improve Your Communications With Better Images

You can leave a better impression by using quality images.

Content is king, but your photos and graphics make a big difference in the impression you leave with your audience. They're a reflection of you and your business.

Whether you need images for your website, newsletters, PowerPoint presentations or print media you need to carefully choose your visuals.

These principles will help you improve your business image.

Be consistent in quality: It takes more effort but you're more likely to attract the business you want. Mixing high quality stock photos with low quality clip art detracts from your image.

Keep it in the family: Depending on the application it's important for images to have similarities in their look and feel. They need to look like they come from the same "image family."

Adapting for similarity: When images are desirable but dissimilar they can be modified. A graphic designer can apply texture and other values (like sepia tone) that can add visual continuity.

Forget about pride: You might be eager to use family photos or great shots from your photographic hobby. Get the objective input of a designer to guide you. Your stuff might be good, but not for your project.

Observe copyright law: Just because you see an image online, it doesn't mean that you can legally use it however you wish.

Sources of images

There are several sources for quality, royalty-free images. Some you have to pay for and others you don't. There are several advantages to using sources where payment is required. Here are a few.

Legal considerations: Images can be purchased from stock houses without worrying about violating copyright laws.

Searching has more options: You can do advanced searches that include "orientation" and other considerations. You can also search for photos, videos or vector art on some sites. You can even search by price range or license type.

Lightboxes: You can set up groups of images and put them in "storage" for future use without making a purchase.

Pricing variety: Prices range greatly from one site to another. Sometimes there's a difference in quality, but you can find some of the same images on lower-priced sites as the high-end ones. Some images can be bought for as low as $1 on the lower-priced sites.

Tips for searching pay sites
- Use a variety of keywords: Images are tagged in a number of ways. try different keywords to find what you want.
- Tailor by orientation: If you know you need a horizontal or vertical image it will help to mark that in an advanced search.
- Be less literal in your terms: If you can't find the right photo of a person, try using "clothing" or "suit."
- Set up favorites: It can save time to save favorite artists. Try saving by category like "lifestyle" or "business" to save even more time.

Finding free images on Flickr

Flickr is an image hosting site for professionals and amateurs. It can be a great source of free images. You must understand, however, that you can't just copy any image and use it as you see fit.

About Creative Commons: Finding images on Flickr is one thing. Using them and properly giving the artist credit is another.

I'll post more detail on Flickr and Creative Commons in the future but you can learn more here.


Some of my tips came from talented graphic designer Sloan Coleman, co-founder of Hammerhead. She can be reached at 314-553-9281.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES - Here are several sources for images.

- shutterstock.com
- istockphoto.com
- iconshock.com
- stockicons.com
- iconkits.com
- thinkstockphotos.com
- 123rf.com
- cutcaster.com
- flickr

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Want help with your marketing efforts? Find out more about Steve Smart and 2Q Solutions or connect with him on Facebook.