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Think of all the photos of smiling receptionists and perfectly suited business leaders you've come across. These images may compete for attention, but often fail to register, simply because your customers can’t identify with them. Use photos that more closely relate to your audience. It’s what we call "real photography" here at EyeEm: Unique captures, delightful moments, and surprising perspectives. Images that are more concrete will resonate with audiences much more powerfully since they show real life rather than staged situations. To visualize what we mean, we put together a handful of generic images alongside a ‘real’ counterpart sourced from our community of photographers. The proof is in the pictures, but we'll let you see for yourself....
If you follow the right people, that's what Instagram can do for you. There are a lot of really talented artists and designers out there who use Instagram as a sort of mini art gallery -- a social portfolio, if you will. And it's a jackpot for people who love browsing gorgeous design work. To help you narrow your search, I've carefully curated some of the best Instagrams to follow for design inspiration. I did my best to place them in categories -- illustration, graphic design, pop art and installation, color palettes, street art, photography, typography, and calligraphy -- although you'll notice some of their work could fall into a number of different lists. Whether you're a designer looking for inspiration, or you simply harbor an appreciation for art and design, you'll want to check out (and follow) these accounts. ...
So, what do you think? Let’s end that cycle today.
First, you need to tidy up your Twitter timeline. (stop tweeting crap no one wants to read)
And second, you're going to start using visuals on Twitter the right way.
Deal?
Here’s 21 ways you can use visual marketing to brand your business and captivate your Twitter audience.
In its quest to explore more interactive media formats, Facebook is today introducing a new feature called 360 Photos, which lets people share immersive photos that can be controlled and viewed from different angles by the viewer.
Available on the web, Android, and iOS, 360 Photos can be created by capturing a panoramic photo on your smartphone or by snapping a 360-degree photo through a dedicated app or 360-degree camera. You can then share the photo through Facebook, as you would any other piece of media, and the app converts the file into the relevant format for Facebook’s News Feed. The 360 Photos are marked by a little compass icon, and you can maneuver the photo around by tilting your phone, swiping with your finger, or clicking-and-dragging with a mouse (desktop)....
A powerful picture is an incredibly efficient tool: The human brain can process an image in just a few milliseconds, so the right picture can spark someone's interest and convince a viewer it's worth exploring a new show in a single glance. Which is why, in 2014, Netflix began gathering consumer research specifically about the images on its service.
The research indicated that looking at images not only prompted users to watch content, but accounted for a whopping 82% of their time spent browsing (as opposed to, say, reading movie titles or descriptions). In other words, the images mattered almost four times more than the text describing the storyline. Members also spent only 1.8 seconds considering each title. "We know that if you don't capture a member's attention within 90 seconds, he or she will likely lose interest and move on to another activity," says Nick Nelson, Netflix's global manager for creative services. "Images become the most efficient and compelling way to help them discover the perfect title as quickly as possible."
Recently, Netflix—which is famously tight-lipped about its own data—has been doing experiments to better understand which images capture our attention and why, and shared some of its findings with Fast Company as well as in a post on its blog. The effort was both science and art: Data scientists analyzed user statistics, while creative teams considered the colors, emotions, and words that appear on pictures. The company tests several images for a single show or movie to try to discover what makes members click. Its first lesson was that images had to be high quality in order to draw viewers in. "We saw one clear thing," Nelson says. "Using better images to represent content significantly increased overall streaming hours and engagement."...
Fun fact of the day: the human brain processes imagery 60,000 times faster than text. Despite this, we’re still seeing lots of professional sites whose only image content is their header and ads.
Visual spectacles like Tumblr and Pinterest are simply taking advantage of how the human brain works, making them not only extremely popular but also significantly more engaging than your average blog.
Don’t get me wrong, people are clearly using visual elements. The larger problem is that a lot of people aren’t investing in their image content because they either think their copy is good enough or they really don’t realize they’re costing their site.
Finding the best visual content for your site starts with understanding how powerful an image is, acknowledging your mistakes and finally moving in the direction to make better image choices....
There are some great apps for creating images on Twitter.In fact, there are so many that it can be difficult to know which one you should choose. That’s why I put together this list of my five favorite apps for creating images on the go!...
Web design thrives on two things: innovation and imitation.
Unfortunately, there's often a lot more of the latter. We all like to seize upon the latest trends, use them until they’re ubiquitous, and then look desperately for the next big thing. Think about sliders. They were all the rage a couple years ago. Today, they feel dated. What to do? Stop chasing microtrends, and start looking at the big picture. Here, we've isolated six web design ideas that are here to stay....
You’ve probably seen Flat Lay designs, even if you haven’t heard the term. Flat Lay design refers to a shot of items lying flat on a table, floor or other surface, shot from above. You see these kinds of images on eCommerce sites and other websites frequently. The Flat Lay design trend is up 160 percent according to the just-released Creative Trends 2016 report by Shutterstock.
This fascinating report outlines a number of other visual and creative trends that Shutterstock predicts will be popular during 2016.
If you’re looking for design ideas for your website, social media headers, advertisements or other graphics — this is one report you need to check out....
Creating high-quality blog graphics is an integral part to producing a catchy, highly shareable post.
According to media theorist John Berger, in his book Ways of Seeing, "Seeing comes before words." This statement supports the assertion that high-quality blog graphics can attract (or repel) readers instantly and affect them viscerally, without them having to read anything first. After all, from an evolutionary perspective, humans are genetically wired to respond to visuals faster, as text is a relatively newer invention....
This past year, we've seen the importance of visual content emphasized by the changes that occurred across almost every major social network, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. At the same time, both video and infographics have become powerful tools for brands looking to communicate more easily with their readers.
To help you keep pace with these trends, let's take a look at some statistics that demonstrate the impact visual content has on reach, engagement, and sales....
What if you wanted to place text or an arrow on your Facebook cover photo without it getting covered by the profile photo? And what about the shared link thumbnails on Facebook or in-stream photos on Twitter ... how big should those be?
If you're looking for a detailed guide to social media photo sizes -- including recommended dimensions, minimum and maximum dimensions, image scale, and more -- then this is it.
The infographic below from Jamie Spencer of MakeAWebsiteHub.com is a great reference to bookmark or keep close-at-hand the next time you're creating an image for your social media profile.
Having your post go viral on social media – getting hundreds of Likes, Shares or Retweets as a response to your efforts – is the one thing that excites every social media administrator. But in order to get one step closer to achieving that, you have to understand what triggers people to share in the first place.
The New York Times Customer Insight Group published a fascinating study called the Psychology of Sharing, and defined 5 top reasons that motivate people to share content with others online:
- To Inform and Influence - 49% say sharing allows them to inform others of products they care about and potentially change opinions or encourage action
- To Show Your Identity - 68% share to give people a better sense of who they are and what they care about and to reinforce the image they would like to present
- To Connect with Others - 78% share information online because it lets them stay connected to people they may not otherwise stay in touch with, and 73% share information because it helps them connect with others who share their interests
- To Feel Valuable - 69% share information because it allows them to feel more involved in the world
- To Show Support - 84% share because it is a way to support causes or issues they care about...
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“Humans are complex and unpredictable, and there’s no reason why brand visuals can’t be, too.” – Lauren Catten, Art Director at Getty Images
Imagination is one of the four factors that make for a powerful image, and nothing stirs it more than Surreality – one of iStock & Getty Images’ 2016’s top visual trends.
The reason is simple: these original and sometimes peculiar compositions trigger a feeling of pleasure in experiencing the unpredictable. The aesthetic can transform an ordinary topic into something new and exciting. It can help distinguish a brand in a sea of similarity, making for memorable content that leaves a lasting impression. And, thanks to its hyper-immersive, psychedelic visuals, it has very broad appeal.
Nature-related images work as a particularly potent metaphor in this realm, leaving room for interpretation and creating meaningful connections with your content....
While GE has consumer-facing boards on Pinterest, it’s the company’s B2B boards that get the lion’s share of attention—especially its Badass Machines page. It features the “biggest and baddest technologies produced by GE.”
What’s sparking this major attraction? In a word, visuals. GE creates epic behind-the-scenes photos of everything from jet engines to gas and wind turbines. While GE’s products may not seem to be inherently visual, like food or fashion, close-up images of powerful machines are awe-inspiring. Which is why people can’t get enough of them. So much so that GE also posts the images on its popular Instagram page.
Today, music festivals number in the thousands, taking place around the globe and embracing all kinds of popular music. Here, we’ll look back at some of the biggest music festivals, from the mid 1950s to the present, and focus on an essential part of their culture: festival posters.
Indeed, from the very beginning, graphic design and (especially) festival posters have been an integral way to shape each festival’s unique brand and echo their creative spirit. It’s fascinating to look back and see how modern music festival poster design evolved from historical precedents. Let’s dive in....
According to Buffer, visual content is more than 40X more likely to get shared on social media than other types of content. And if you need any more evidence to convince you visuals are essential to your content marketing, just consider all these stats.
But honestly ... who's got time for all that? And I don't know about you, but I don't exactly have a degree in graphic design, or the budget to hire someone who does. So, what's a design-impaired marketer to do?
Luckily, over the past couple years, we've been on a mission at HubSpot to make visual content creation much less of an obstacle for the average marketer. How, you ask? Templates, my friends ... templates. And what's great about these templates is they're all built for software you probably already have on your computer: PowerPoint.
I'm going to walk you through all the visual content marketing templates we have available for free to download, and show you how we've used them ourselves to create awesome visuals right in PowerPoint....
This can be broken into three phases as we enter the age of visual culture and language.
Phase One: Massive increase in photo creation
Ten percent of photos taken by humankind took place in the last 12 months
Phase Two: The Rise of Image Centric Social Networks
Photos are becoming the “universal language”.1 The fastest growing social media networks are not surprisingly Facebook, Tumblr and Instagram.
These social networks are the names on everyone’s lips as they have embraced the visual medium and have made it easy to upload and share images and photos online.
Phase Three: Images become Interactive
Pinterest is one of the first platforms that allows you to interact with static images and Luminate’s image apps (which are used by more than 100 million consumers) is also an example.
So how and why should you use images in your business communications, marketing and social networks?...
It’s no secret that including visuals in your blog posts can lead to increased traffic and content sharing. Using eye catching visuals in your posts is a key element for successful content marketing. Studies completed over the last decade have shown - Blog posts with images get 94% more views - Readers connect with images in just 13 milliseconds (or less) - Our brains process images 60,000 times faster than text These findings all seem to point to one and only one thing It’s important to use visuals! Below are 9 types of images you can use to break-up large chunks of text, make your post visually appealing and get tons of shares....
Anything that you post on social media (article links, pictures, videos – everything) is essentially a part of your content, much like the written words in this article. Like any other content, your social media posts absolutely need to be of high quality and provide value to your audience. This is the first and most important thing that you need to keep in mind.
To make all your posts crystal clear for search engines, try to make use of semantic markup every time you share something on social. Semantic markup is the name for putting a HTML tag on your content (like a description for articles or alt-text for images/pictures) that tells search engines what exactly your content is about.
Use a clear, catchy description and mix in a few keywords here and there. For example if your post is about making pancakes and includes a pancake image, you can use something like “Ever wondered how to make the most delicious pancakes at home in just an hour?” and make sure you pay attention to the image’s alt-text, which should read something like “the most delicious pancake recipe”....
Basically, you could have the best, most interesting and engaging written content, and it could still get lost and ignored because it looks the exact same as every other piece of content. Visual content prevents this, though. Visual content gives you free reign to customise your message, use different techniques and mediums to get your message across, it’s really an infinitely useful tool.
So, as a part of our endeavour to make the whole design process smoother, simpler and easier for you, let’s discuss 10 types of visual content you can create right now to get that attention you and your brand deserve....
But while it’s true that a picture can add some pizazz to your posts, it’s not always easy to determine the best type of image to publish. They can also take a long time to create, especially when you’re not sure what you’re trying to communicate.
Thankfully, deciding which format best suits your posts can be a straightforward process. In this post, I’ll outline a few simple image variations and show you when it might be best to use them. Ready to dig in? Let’s go!...
When people arrive on your site, they will be forming their first impression within 50 milliseconds. They will then be deciding whether or not to stay on the site within 10 seconds.
This miniscule amount of time makes it hard to pull in new visitors with text or great offers. Customers are drawn in or repelled by your web page based upon appearance.
The importance of images and other visual content in website success has become even more apparent in recent years. Brands that already use custom visual content see conversion rates that are about seven times higher than other sites, according to an infographic from SocialMediaToday...
A marketing strategy is incomplete without exploring the prospects that Instagram has to offer. With users being obsessed with it, marketers just cannot avoid it. The marketers have mastered the de-cluttering Facebook and reached their desired audience and they have understood the limitations of Twitter’s 140 characters, but Instagram can be slightly tricky. In order to boost your followers on Instagram, you need to have some tricks up your sleeves. I have compiled a list of five easy ways to boost your Instagram followers.
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Learn how to choose more authentic images for your marketing efforts by checking out these eight examples.