One aspect of visual identity design (a part of—but not the same as—the broader discipline of brand identity design) I get asked about a lot is imagery. Or, more specifically, photography.
My answer is always the same: ultimately, if your brand utilises photography as a part of your visual language, then you should commission the right photographer to take the right images and licence them accordingly (usage rights only extend to certain applications or durations, so make sure you talk to your photographer upfront about what you’ll need).
Photoshoots take time, require a clear brief and need strong art direction, but—when done well—they will provide a deep well of imagery to use across your brand’s touchpoints. Best of all, they’ll be ownable. Unique to your brand. This gives you the best chance of both standing out and being remembered.
However, it’s not the only option – and a conversation about how your brand handles imagery needs to happen as your visual identity is being crafted, because that identity needs to be designed holistically, and photography—or a lack of it—can influence things in a big way.
Stock photography
Stock photography always gets eyes rolling, and it’s understandable as to why—the quality available is generally poor, and I can’t help but wince every time I recognise a stock model from one brand’s website to the next. It is, however, perfectly viable so long as you still lean on strong art direction. This means curating a style and tone that still feels like the consistent output of a singular brand. It will also likely mean that any stock photography will need image treatment, in order to align them as part of your visual language. This can be as simple as colour-grading shots to make them look like part of the same output, or it can mean creating a distinctive aesthetic that all of your stock photography will need to share.
What about generative AI?
I tend to warn clients away from this option. There are ethical and legal reasons that are yet to be properly resolved around how generative AI images can/should be used—but aside from that, the quality just isn’t there.
Most GenAI tools still “hallucinate” fairly regularly, and although you can tweak and twist your prompts to engineer a fairly consistent style, the output still feels like GenAI. And if the barrier to entry has been lowered, you can assume that a lot of brands might turn to AI as a solution for their images. So you run the risk of looking like lots of other brands.
It’s also a lot more time-consuming than you might think, and even then you will likely need a lot of expert treatment after the fact, just to produce a single image. In this regard, AI is more of a tool for professional designers to utilise rather than a one-stop shop for your brand’s imagery. Added to that—at a certain point you will need to run a cost/benefit analysis of commissioning that photographer after all.
Do you even need photography?
I’m always careful with my terminology when I talk about imagery and visual language – because I don’t want to lead conversations towards a particular medium before we actually understand if it’s the right one or not. All brands could benefit from photography, but it’s not a prerequisite for success – just ask Duolingo and their suite of illustrated characters.
So if photography isn’t necessarily the right way to go, what other options do you have?
Illustrations
As I’ve just mentioned, some brands rely on illustration to fulfil their need for imagery, or storytelling. You’ll still need to develop a specific style though, and that will likely mean commissioning an illustrator rather than a photographer (remember to talk usage and licensing early on!)
In the long-run, this approach can also give you greater flexibility, as it’s much easier to commission more illustrative work than to organise entire photoshoots. They both require equal amounts of expertise and hard work, but the logistics of the former are simply more straightforward.
Illustrations can also lend themselves to animation, which provides you with an alternative to video when you want to produce something for a moving image format. And if you really want to explore something different, you could always look at pairing an illustrative style with photography. Or maybe your image treatment could involve illustration in some way? There are endless possibilities, depending on what’s right for your brand.
Typography and messaging
K.I.S.S right? Never underestimate the power of your messaging. Sometimes too much visual clutter can just end up being noise and will actually detract from the thing you actually want people to take away from your engagement. Just as a picture can say a thousand words, so can a handful of better words.
Messages can be visual, too. Clever use of typography can help give your message additional meaning or evoke a particular response. Choosing a typeface—or typefaces—for your brand is never a trivial thing, and some brands rely on them almost totally. With the right combination of messaging and typography, your brand may not need to worry about imagery at all.
Graphic visual language
What I recommend most often is the development of a graphic visual language. This is different from illustration because the latter needs to be commissioned and delivered by the same individual or studio. A graphic visual language, though, is something that can be leveraged by almost any designer or art worker—provided that they are given the necessary direction to deploy it effectively. You might even be able to build bespoke tools that can assist your wider team with creating the visual language with little or no formal training.
It might mean a suite of shapes and marks, or brand patterns, or maybe the use of a particular gradient or texture—or some combination of all of these things. A graphic visual language will be an inherent part of any visual identity anyway, as it is the coming together of the various visual elements of a brand. If you’re struggling to incorporate photography into it then maybe the necessary outcome is to lean harder into the graphic devices themselves.
Visual communication is not all about photography. Though it is the medium that most people think of when we talk about visuals, it is not the only medium, and the most important thing is that you devise a visual language that fits your brand.
Is your brand a rebel? Do you want to stay close to your roots? Maybe your photography should feel ad hoc, chaotic and low-fidelity. Or maybe you need a hand-rendered visual language, using mark-making, illustration or even collage. Does your brand cater to a high-end, luxury crowd? Then maybe your photography needs to be slick, with high production values and crafted with consummate care. Or maybe the right typeface and clever colours—paired with some killer copywriting—will do the job alone.
If you don’t have access to your own photography, don’t panic. Determine what visual language best represents your brand, then set about developing it.
