We all know the saying that ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ but have you considered how this statement may apply to your website, or your church?
Living in a fast moving consumer society, we can take a lot of lessons from the brands that we see around us. Take a moment to notice some of the many advertisements that you will come across during the day, whether on a billboard, bus stop, or a commercial on TV or the internet - the biggest observation that you will make is that they use relatively few (or no) words. The reliance on visual imagery is a tactic often used by big brands.
Everyday we are bombarded by advertising and brand messages from every angle, that in order to stand out from the crowd, a clear message is needed and imagery can be the strongest way to achieve this, as we simply cannot process the amount of information that is thrown at us everyday. Image heavy social media networks, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest have become the most popular in recent years and research from each network provides us with the same information, that posts with images receive greater viewing rates than those without and that consumers are more likely to consider brands that utilise images in their posts.
When considering the use of imagery on your website or church communication materials, pay attention to the specific tones, colour schemes or styles in order to keep a coherent message, whilst an image may be more noticeable, you also want it to be memorable to your specific church. Take a look at some of the branding of Apple for example, the company is perceived as providing elegant and uncomplicated products; you will notice therefore that all branding, packaging, stores, advertising and photographs are always minimalistic and simple which helps to reinforce its perceived image to consumers. You will notice too, that if you look at the advertising of the sports brand Nike, that in every image, whether it be of a sports personality or of a shoe, the image always reflects motion, rarely do you find a static photograph, this supports the Nike slogan of ‘Just Do It’, creating an urgency and motion within its brand messages.
Creating a set of rules to apply to your imagery that are inline with your values as a church will help keep all messaging coherent. Here are some ideas to help you when considering how best to use imagery:
Do you have a specific colour that is linked to your church? You could look for images that contain that colour, or use photo-editing software to incorporate the colour.
What message are you trying to convey? For example, your church may be an inner city church and the people you are talking to are under the poverty line, in which case, using photographs of people in suits having coffee may not necessarily resonate with the person you are trying to speak with. Perhaps being an inner city church you want to express the freedom that Christ brings, so you may want to use images of wide open spaces to reflect this.
The tone of a picture can express a lot too. Children’s ministries will benefit from photographs that are colourful, whilst a more somber tone would be better suited for bereavement courses.
At Church Edit, we have various design options for you to choose from for your website and our designers can guide you in regards to your website imagery. The team here are always happy to help, so please give us a call or an email if you would like assistance on your website.
You can call us on 0121 651 1120 or email us at hello@churchedit.co.uk