How Images Can Enhance Your Company's Website & Brand

There are all kinds of clichés and clever sayings about looks and design. But as the great Steve Jobs once said, design isn't just about looks—it's about how it works, too. A good design with good imagery can be just as effective as the written content you provide on your website. Imagery can enhance your content, or if you prefer, it can be your entire message.

Image Isn't Everything, But It's Close

Just as they say that the clothes make the man, good, effective imagery can make a great website. Images can make a great impact with users, whether you're redesigning your website or just making a few updates. Imagery should work as part of the "tour" of your brand and services. Adding imagery doesn't have to be expensive, either; Shutterstock, for example, offers a variety of images and package options.

Some companies, like Uber, use one image on the entire website. With menus and other scroll-over options placed appropriately over the image, the large image provides an engaging, clean and simple design. BigCartel also uses the large image design, but opted to put their navigation links in the white space above the photo for better visibility. With large photos, be sure to use fonts that are simple. Getting too fancy with fonts may interrupt the clarity of the design by competing with the photo.

Images Should Support Your Brand

It doesn't take much for an image to make an impact on your website. Thus, it is highly important you choose images and color schemes that support your business' brand. You don't want to confuse your visitors with mixed messages if your images aren't cohesive with your text content. Be sure your designer has a clear understanding of your brand.

The ultimate goal when incorporating images into your website isn't to look good, but rather to make it appealing enough to gain visitors' interest in your brand. Consider the best way to do this. Do you want the images to draw attention to a certain spot on the website? Do you need a bold color like red or a soothing, calmer color like baby blue to set the tone of your brand? Knowing how your consumers will react to what they see on your website is more psychology than Photoshop. Thus, it's important for you to work with your designer to find the right images, colors, and placement.

Companies have gone as far as conducting eye-tracking studies to find out how photos on websites impressed consumers. One thing they learned is that websites with photos that served no purpose to the company's brand were ignored. Thus, if you're only adding images to fill white space on your website, you're wasting valuable time and money.

Images should help highlight your company's products, help the consumer understand the point you're making, and create an emotional response from the audience so that they want to know more. Putting thought into how an image works with your company's brand and the rest of the website is most crucial to succeeding in upgrading your website using images.