How Lighting and Color Impacts Your Brand Photography, for Better or Worse

The visual appeal of photographs, encompassing factors such as lighting and color schemes, holds substantial sway over consumers. This underscores the critical importance for small business owners to meticulously consider color and lighting when crafting their branding strategies and visual identities. Maintaining a consistent visual aesthetic not only fortifies a brand but also elevates its overall appearance, fosters coherence and trust, and more.

READ: How to Utilize Color Psychology to Boost Your Digital Marketing Efforts

The weight of lighting and color

Both lighting and color wield considerable influence on individuals. Colors, with their inherent meanings, play a pivotal role in shaping the perception of a business. Here are the symbolic representations of some common colors:

• Orange: Warmth, confidence
• White: Calmness, cleanliness
• Green: Health, positivity
• Blue: Corporations, trustworthiness
• Pink: Femininity
• Brown: Earthy, natural, stable, neutral
• Yellow: Energetic, optimistic
• Purple: Wisdom, royalty
• Black: Sophistication

While these interpretations are broadly applicable in the U.S., small businesses with global aspirations or those catering to specific demographics must consider cultural nuances in color symbolism. For instance, red signifies luck in China, whereas in the U.S. it may convey power, boldness, or even danger.

Once a brand selects its colors, the subsequent consideration involves the role of lighting in photographs. Lighting dictates the mood, and balanced lighting can yield clear, corporate-style images, while dimly lit settings may evoke a moodier or darker atmosphere. Businesses must deliberate on the mood they wish to convey, deciding whether the imagery should exude brightness and cheerfulness or carry a sense of mystery.

READ: 3 Ways to Incorporate Branding in Your Packaging

Crafting a unified visual identity

Following the establishment of brand colors and lighting preferences, small business owners must focus on forging a cohesive visual identity.

The process is straightforward. Once a brand commits to specific colors, those exact hues should permeate all marketing materials, maintaining consistency through the use of precise hex color codes. However, a brand’s identity extends beyond color alone; it necessitates a distinctive logo, brand-specific fonts and a unique vibe

Determining whether the brand will project a professional, fun, lighthearted, or serious image is crucial, and this sentiment should resonate across all marketing materials.

Elevating brand perception through light and color

Color enables a brand to carve out its distinctive identity, while lighting contributes to the overall “feel” of the brand.

Ambient lighting, providing even illumination, is ideal for product photography, accentuating merchandise clearly. On the other hand, neon lights or darker mood lighting create a distinctly different ambiance. The choice depends on the desired mood — clear, bright images for trustworthiness and straightforward sales or exceptions that may require discussion with a commercial lifestyle photographer.

Tips for small businesses

Empowering small businesses to build a compelling brand that propels growth entails adhering to five key tips:

1. Establish brand guidelines early on to maintain consistency in decision-making. Guidelines may encompass logos, colors, mission statements, typography, photography preferences, and brand voice.
2. Define the brand identity by selecting colors and visuals that align with the business’s goals, origin story, and products.
3. Develop visuals and marketing materials with a focus on consistency, a professional website featuring high-quality photographs, effective color utilization and a strong logo.
4. Understand the target audience to create a visual identity that resonates with them, facilitating the creation of personalized content.
5. Set the business apart by embracing uniqueness. Standing out in a competitive landscape can involve choosing unconventional colors or approaches that differentiate the business from its peers.

READ: Don’t be an “Average” Company — The Power of Prioritizing Team Happiness

Harness light and color to forge robust brands

Small businesses hold the advantage of crafting a potent brand from the ground up. Initiating this journey with a visually compelling identity is key. The selection of appropriate colors and lighting options represents just one facet of the process, yet it is instrumental in reaching and engaging the target audience while establishing a trustworthy and professional brand.

Jonathan Young of Jonathan Young Photography is a Los Angeles-based commercial photographer who creates clean and inviting images of people, food, and products that help to position them at the top of their genres.