Directing Those Thousand Words Pictures Speak #1
by Patricia Mayo
The “experts” say you should include pictures in anything you publish online - but they never say what to look for in a picture.
Photo via Fail Blog
They say a picture is worth a thousand words - but very few realize exactly what they are saying with their pictures.
Normally, we aren’t aware of the messages these images are communicating - but that just makes the message even more powerful. Just ask any pro selling through a catalog or direct mail.
The difference between a good image and a bad image is very cut and dry - success, or failure. Period.
The Purpose of a Picture
Photo by Davide Guglielmo
Pictures are an extremely powerful tool. There is no more powerful mechanism for opening minds, dissecting a subject, and allowing the emotional wine to flow.
Before you pick a picture, you have to know why it’s there. Most pictures fit one of 6 fairly general categories:
1. Draw Attention
These images should say “look right here, I start something interesting.”
2. Direct Attention
Certain kinds of images are excellent at pointing users to something you want them to do.
3. Describe a Product
This kind of image should show not just the product, but give the viewer a glimpse of their life with the product.
4. Illustrate a Concept
Analogies teach like no other tool - except photographic analogies. These images promote understanding.
5. Lighten Text
A beautiful graphical design can help make text-heavy sites easier on the eyes.
6. Say the Unsaid
Bragging is a surefire way to turn off a visitor. However, photographic bragging leaves a lasting positive impression.
You’re probably already quite familiar with illustrating concepts and lightening text with images. Those are very much “conscious thought” concepts, so I won’t cover those here in any great detail.
However, the other four speak directly to the “unconscious brain,” have the greatest impact - and are probably very new to you. Using these 4 types of images effectively is key to succeeding in any and every endeavor.
And as you might have guessed, this is a series. So, without further ado, here’s your first installment.
Using Images to Draw Attention
Photo by Sophie
That image was the opener for Ambiguity Aversion - Are You Afraid to Read This?. As I mentioned in that post, faces are great at drawing attention and helping your visitors feel at ease.
This is why all of my opening images are either a person, a face, a representation of a person, or something you can imagine people doing, using, or being near.
Anything that needs attention should have an image with high emotional value. If you were to let “the movie of the image” play for a few moments, you should see another living being enter the scene in a few seconds.
It is even better if you can imagine yourself in the picture.
Good images for this purpose could also bring back happy memories.
The scrabble board in The Ghostwriter’s Betrayal: Lies of “Make Money Online” is a cherished token of childhood for most people.
Even if you don’t consciously remember it, your unconscious mind will put the pieces together and feed your conscious brain feel-good chemicals. You will like the image without even realizing why.
If you need proof of just how powerful memory-evoking images can be, just take a quick look at the “Best of ComHacker” section near the bottom of my middle sidebar.
Enough said.
The Reader in The Picture’s Shoes
Certain uses for pictures are all the more profound if the reader can see themselves in the image. Images that draw attention definitely fit that category.
The reader will always see themselves as being on the side with the most important stuff around the image. In other words, if your headlines are to the left, your reader will see themselves in the left of the image.
If you want your reader to see themselves using something in an image, put the predominant object on the right side.
If you want your reader to feel the way your picture’s “main character” does, put the predominant object on the left.
For example, the opening image for this post is kinda meant to make you feel embarrassed or caught unaware. However, the opening image for The Almighty Power of Focus, a trophy off to the far right side, is meant to empower you.
Did you catch the subtle difference?
There’s differing opinions on what a centered predominant object means to a reader, but in my experience images like the swiss army knife in the previous section are emotionally neutral.
Next time I’ll dig into the second purpose - directing attention. See you then!
Last 5 Posts in Brand
- Directing Those Thousand Words Pictures Speak #2 - June 10th, 2008
- The Almighty Power of Focus - March 25th, 2008
Last 5 Posts in Mastery Guides
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Trisha, @mayobrains on Twitter
May 18th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
I’ve always tried to use pictures in a symbolic or metaphorical way. Usually in a blatantly obvious fashion. In a post on blogging and ecommerce, I used a fantastic close up picture of a shopping cart. In a post about what portrait are you painting of yourself with social media, I had 4 pictures of a painting in progressive stages of completion.
May 18th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
I remember that post =) Generally, I really like the pictures you use, and that self-portrait one you talked about was excellent image choice on your part. Very effective ^.^
June 10th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
[…] the first installment in this series on communicating a message with pictures, I introduced this concept and talked about the purpose of a picture, how to use images to draw […]