How To Brand Your Wellness Images To Build Your Brand And Become Easily Recognised On And Offline
30th Jun 21
Picking images for your website and your marketing and your social media can be tricky they need to fit your brand, look consistent and attract your customers.
Every single time you use an image on a leaflet, a newsletter or social media post, it has to feel like your unique wellbeing brand. You want your customers to instantly recognise you and get that lovely feeling that they’re connecting with you.
If you have the budget, working with a photographer and creating some personal branded images will definitely give you the edge and personality. Your images will be uniquely your brand and instantly recognisable.
However, not everyone has the budget (I certainly don’t at the moment) and even if you have a collection of photos at your disposal, chances are you’ll still need to dip into stock photography and also take your own pictures.
And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that… as long as you choose wisely. Which isn’t easy when you’re faced with hundreds of images. Or you can’t figure out how to set up a shot.
Where do you even begin?
Pin It
I like to start with Pinterest, it’s nice and easy. Have a browse and pin all the images that you’re drawn to, relating to your business or not. It’s a style that you’re looking for you can fine tune details later.
When you have a nice full board, start looking for a theme. Are they a mishmash or is there a particular style you’re drawn to? Start to discard images that don’t fit the look. Keep picking and discarding until your board begins looking consistent and a theme develops.
This will probably be something you’ll keep coming back to and tweaking. And you can use any digital images you find, magazines, leaflets, anything that inspires you.
Theme The Images
The theme isn’t just about colours although they are important for consistency. I’m talking about your business personality, how does your business make your customers feel, what emotions do you want your images to convey?
What style will appeal to your customers?
What backgrounds will you use?
Indoors or outdoors?
Action shots or flat lays?
Bright or white?
Minimal or full of detail?
Find a style that works for you and fits your business personality.
Colours
When searching for your images it’s also important to think about the colour palette and whether it fits your brand. You might find the perfect image but if the colours are bright and your brand is pastel, or vice versa, they won’t balance.
Stick to your colour palette and maybe 23 colours to use as backgrounds will give your marketing a beautiful and recognisable feel. Colour is often the main thing we remember about a logo (think Cadbury and Coca Cola) so use yours to build up your wellness brand.
Once you have your chosen images, there are a few extra things you can do to brand them and give them a more unique feel.
Filters
Filters are often used on social media posts but they can be used on any of your images to give them a specific look or feel. They can instantly transform a so so image by adding contrast, brightening, softening, adding lens flare, making them look vintage there are many, many filters out there to help create the particular feel you’re after.
Filters are especially helpful for creating beautiful social media feeds but have to be used consistently and stick to the same one every time.
Add Your Logo
An easy way to brand your image is to simply add your logo. Depending on your logo, you might be better using a simpler icon version in a single colour either white or one of your brand colours.
Add to the top, bottom or a corner of your image, but try keep in the same place each time for consistency.
Use A Design Element
Another way to brand your images is to add a design element that is unique to your brand.
Some ideas include:
-A pattern
-A particular shape,
-A colour block from your colour palette
-A texturesome sort of swoosh or swirls.
But don’t go crazy! Use a couple of ideas but if you try to incorporate them all, it can start to look messy.
Add A Colour Overlay
Use one of your branded colours and create a semi transparent overlay over your image it instantly transforms it into your brand, especially if you’re using stock photography.
This is particularly useful for quotes as it allows you to add your text (using your brand fonts!) to a simple, uncluttered background.
And Finally
Just before you launch yourself into pinning and looking for images, have a little think about your business personality, your business characteristics.
Is your business caring? Serious? Fun? Inspiring? Challenging? Kind? Imaginative?
Make a list of these characteristics then when you start choosing your images, keep them in mind. You want your customers to get the right feeling when they look at the images you’re using on your website, on your leaflets and print, and on your social media.
This will help you build your wellness brand and help you become more recognisable. And your customers will begin to get to know you and trust you.
