How to make stock photos work for your brand

I know you probably got those stock photos because you liked how the feel and vibe were screaming at ya’. Well, that’s cool and all but one thing I highly suggest is ALWAYS to take your brand into consideration. This is all about branding stock photos to fit your brand’s vibe.

Why should you consider your brand when picking stock photos?

Because they carry your message! And you want that message to be consistent, right? Branding is all about how you are making your viewers feel. Seriously. I know the images are pretty and you can use them as is, but the idea here is to make sure you are making stock photos work for your brand.

There are many gorgeous stock photo sites around, like Haute Stock for very fem + detailed images or the gorgeous TwigyPosts  for minimalist + relaxed images, and of course, our sister company Atelier21 Co. is our preferred source for lived-in images. See how even the pro stock photo professionals have such different vibes?

Consider the following when choosing stock photos:

? Refer to your color palette. If you find stock photos that feel very “you” and to top if off have your brand colors in it? Score!

? Go back to your ideal client profile. Who are you speaking to? The romantic bride? The bold and trendy high schooler? The refined boss lady? That will tell you what type of photos to incorporate!

? Are they high resolution? If you go with some of the ladies I mentioned above, they will surely be high res, no doubt! But in general, look for the good stuff so you can make the most out of each image. (I’ll tell you more on that in a sec).

But what if reaaally love this image which has the right vibe but none of my brand colors?

Well, then you do some Photoshop magic! I’m kidding. Sorta. Just open up your image, or better yet a social media ready kit to create the exact post size you will be using it for (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, etc) Now:

1. Place your image
2. Overlay a solid color layer. Or a solid color rectangle. (Or if there is enough white space skip this step)
3. Add your text. It can be in your branding colors, just make sure it’s readable!
4. Add your logo, because it will be shared around social media and you want that brand awareness to spread 😉
5. Done!

Easy peasy, right? Lemme show ya’.

Now, what about maximizing one single styled stock image?

You can totally do that and that is even easier! This is where making sure that it is a high resolution file comes into play. You can position your image inside your canvas and showcase different parts of the image! It’s like having multiple images from a “set” but in reality, you are stretching that single image.

See? There are just A LOT of different ways you can do it! ?

xo,

Ingrid