YOUR BRAND NEEDS A HERO

-How to choose hero image and supporting images that belong to the same story.

You wander out into the world in search of that one hero—the one that will save the day.

A hero image is just that: the main photograph trusted with an unusually large job. It is the first welcome on your website, the central image in a campaign or the photograph that introduces a newsletter or article.

It may not save you, but it will set the tone for your brand or story.

The thing is, there might be more than one hero out there. Your website, your next campaign and your newsletter do not necessarily need the same image.

A company can have different hero images in different places, but they should still feel as though they belong to the same story. Even Batman needs Robin. This is where the supporting images come in.

WHAT SHOULD A HERO IMAGE DO?

A hero image should catch the eye, but it should also make people feel something.

It does not have to be the most spectacular photograph you can find. The word hero easily brings to mind a large mountain, dramatic light and someone doing something extraordinary. That may be exactly right for an action sports brand. For another company, it could communicate something entirely wrong.

An intimate story may need a quieter image. The hero could be a face, a room or something that would barely attract attention in another context.

The image needs to carry the right feeling.

You may want someone to feel curiosity, joy and a sense of belonging. Or you may want them to feel safe, restless, comforted or ready to leave home for a while. It is rarely just one emotion. Normally, it is the combination that matters.

A photograph can look impressive and still be wrong for the story. Before choosing it, ask what it actually says and whether that is what you meant to say.

CHOOSE A SMALL GROUP OF CORE IMAGES

Rather than looking for a completely new photograph every time you publish something, choose a small group that represents the company particularly well.

One may lead the website. Another could become the main image in a campaign. A third may work better in an article or newsletter.

There is no correct number. Five may be enough. Seven may already be quite a lot. It depends on what you sell, how often you publish and whether the images are tied to a season or a particular campaign.

Some images need to be allowed to return.

Companies often have photographs they are almost afraid of using. A strong image is published once and then saved for later, as if using it again would somehow wear it out.

If you have a great image, use it. Do not save it in a folder for some imaginary perfect occasion.

We repeat logos, colours and typefaces because we want people to recognise them. Photographs can become recognisable too, but only if someone is given the chance to see them more than once.

That does not mean placing the same image in every third Instagram post. A homepage is relatively stable. Instagram needs more variation. A campaign, a newsletter and a printed piece all work differently. Think about where the image appears and what it is there to do.

TELL THE REST OF THE STORY

Even a very strong core set will not tell people everything about you. To be fair, fifty photographs probably cannot do that either.

You will still need more images around the core set.

They may show another side of the place, product or people. They could be wider views, quieter moments or details that would never be chosen as the main image. Dirty shoes after a hike can add something to a story about adventure. A book or a cup of tea might belong to a quieter one.

Supporting images do not have a completely different job from the hero or core images. They should still fit the company and the story it is trying to tell. They simply add variation and show other parts of that story.

If your core images communicate curiosity, joy and belonging, the rest of the library should not suddenly feel cold or disconnected.

LOOK AT WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE

If you already have a few strong images, place them beside one another and look at them properly.

Why do you like them? What do they make you feel? Why do they work for the company? What do they have in common?

It may be the light, colour, composition, subject or editing. It may also be something less obvious in the photographer’s way of looking.

Then consider what is missing.

You may have strong images of a destination but nothing of the journey towards it. You may have portraits but very little sense of the place surrounding the people. You may have photographs that work beautifully across the website but nothing suited to articles, newsletters or vertical formats.

Once you know what is missing, it becomes much easier to understand what kind of photographs you need next.

The aim is not to collect as many images as possible. It is to have enough photographs to communicate regularly without losing recognition or falling back on images that feel unrelated to the company.

A useful brand image library can contain photographs from different days, years and places. They do not need to show the same subject. They just need to feel as though they belong to the same story.

That is the difference between having a folder of photographs and having an image library you can actually use.

LOOKING FOR IMAGES THAT BELONG TOGEHTER?

One photograph may be enough for one particular use. Building a brand over time usually requires more.

Explore the Urstig Studio collection, or get in touch if you would like help finding a group of images from the wider archive.