BizBuzz -

Putting this out on Twitter, I was suprised at the number of people who thought typical, “safe” images were just fine for their website marketing, and even their other collateral. This blogpost by Jacob Cass does a superb job of exposing the reason why they really aren’t a great choice, and in fact, why they really might be a complete waste of your marketing dollar.

Boring...

I firmly believe that the traditional set of images are boring, uninspiring and not very evocative. My primary work isn’t even as a designer, yet I constantly have to advise clients on their confusing or yawn-worthy identity materials. Just because a company is working with money doesn’t mean they have to show money in their marketing. When a designer sits with your ideas and identity, that is the time to start exploring other avenues of thinking: how can imagery be used to illustrate what the end result will be if a client uses your service? How can space be used effectively, not burying a reader in the same old, same old? What is more compelling than a strong, evocative image? Hardly anything, and I’m a copywriter! Don’t confine yourself to the typical; break yourself out of that rut and see beyond the obvious. If your designer brings you the same old expected image that you see in your business, tell them to hit the bricks, they’re not thinking in terms of marketing or maximizing your dollar.