Using impressive images on your website is critical for your success. Probably you’ve heard time and again how important a unique image that represents your brand and speaks to your potential clients is. The safest bet to stand out and have a great brand presence is to hire a professional photographer. Don’t worry if such an investment is not quite within your budget; if you’re feeling creative – there are some surprisingly easy tricks to make your web design shine using stock images.
You can find plenty of decent stock images on the internet – the trouble with them is that they can be used in a number of different projects even featured on your competitor’s website. That’s why it’s important that the images you use are bespoke.
Now that you’ve found great photos it’s time to tailor them! As promised here are 5 simple techniques to make a stock photo unique to your brand.
1. Zoom and Crop
Zooming and cropping photos is a great way to emphasise a specific element of the image and personalise it.
2. Blur
Using blur creatively can really transform your images, you can make a specific object stand out or to create a sense of speed.
Another great way is to blur the whole image and use it as an abstract background can make your text stand out.
3. Extra Layers
Adding an extra layer can truly revive an image and give it a high-end look.
4. Mirror flip
Flipping horizontally (or even vertically) can help to express a story, build up emotion and it can point your viewers to important details.
5. Gradient
The transition from one colour to another is called a gradient and it has been having a renaissance lately. It’s an awesome way to breathe in some life into your image. Another great way is to incorporate your brand colours into the stock image and have a complete and consistent presence.
See how many of the app logos on your phone use gradient.
A great example of using colour gradients is our client Connect Insolvency.
Connect Insolvency is a liquidation & insolvency practitioner that specialises in providing practical advice to those experiencing financial difficulties. We have designed a great website based on 4 main colours, used white space effectively and gradients to express the primary colours and personalise the stock image.
Wrap-up
A little time and creativity can go a long way in making a generic stock photo a bespoke, relatable one for the purposes of your business. Zoom, Crop, Blur, extra layers, flipping are simple techniques to make a stock image unique, while perfectly in sync with your web design. Get in touch for a free friendly advice.
