10 images that people with good taste never use

The handshake as a symbol of cooperation, the “Creation of Adam” and hordes of white men – give them up immediately.

Ira Astafieva Art director communication agency why_effect.

Visual images are needed to reinforce ideas when we want to convey meaning in more than just words. This is a cool tool, but it is important to know how to use it correctly. When we select illustrations, most often first-order associations come to mind first – but that’s why we should avoid them and think deeper.

Most of these images have become obsolete because they have been used millions of times for different purposes. The article will be useful to anyone who makes presentations, videos, websites, any handouts – anything that is designed to convey ideas, including through visualization.

The most popular images that are best abandoned

< h3>1. Iceberg

pefservices.com

An ice mountain sank the Titanic and could drown the reputation of a business. Most often, an iceberg is used to depict a hidden threat – something that we do not fully see. Be careful because this is not always appropriate. You definitely shouldn't use an iceberg as an illustration of hidden benefits, because the negative connotation is too obvious.

Better

You can show the hidden advantages like this: people on the ground see clouds, and a passenger on the plane sees the sun. This metaphor is clear to anyone who has ever flown. Or look from a different angle and try to find a connection between the business and the visual image. For example, if you are doing material for the IT department, use the metaphor of hidden functions in the phone that are only available in developer mode.

What to replace

• Man on a rubber circle with a cocktail in hand, and under the water – a giant megalodon.
• A primeval tiger in a dark cave, recognizable only by its eyes.
• Trojan horse.

Still from the film “Troy”

2. Hands from “The Creation of Adam”

The fingers of Adam and the Creator from the famous work of Michelangelo are the first association designed to show that processes occur at the junction. Most often, a customized version is used – a human and a robot finger – as a symbol of the unity of the living and the technological. Too hackneyed metaphor.

As good as possible

If you combine a person and a robot, then they should look in the same direction, and not at each other, so that confrontation is not read. Show the world of machines as friendly: modern laboratories or mechanized factories, a smart home – something that helps a person and does not threaten him. Create universes of the future where a robot acts as an animated person, but does not fight with a person. And if you can’t come up with a metaphor, then take something that is familiar to the audience, in which they recognize themselves. It’s difficult to recognize yourself in “The Creation of Adam.”

What to replace

• A mechanical dog is a human companion.

bostondynamics.com

• Original painting by Michelangelo without customization.

Fresco “The Creation of Adam”

3. Digital grid or circles

unow.fr

When we talk about digitalization, we first of all mean technological images, and the first among them is a digital grid or circles. They like to animate them for greater effect, they spin, but in all this there is no “why”, only “wow”. This is visualization for the sake of visualization.

As good as possible

Look for a metaphor based on the mood of the message you are conveying. Digital grids exclude humans from communication. To make the visualization more friendly and motivate the user, show him familiar images in a new environment.

The digital grid is not always taboo; it can be used when you are faced with the task of talking about the structure of technology. Or if the brand is really related to technology and the corresponding elements are reflected in its style.

For example, when we did a project for a well-known motorcycle manufacturer, we used a grid from their new website in the presentation. It was fun to tie it together because the image didn't come out of nowhere.

It's great to use technological things when you need to show movement in digital space, getting from one point to another. For example, here is the Audi case on Behance. The auto brand is talking about a new SUV that needs to “drive” through new stages of development. These stages are shown as digital landscapes, and the car is shown as realistic, it is in the foreground, and the “digital” does not draw attention to itself.

It’s good to demonstrate what a person will get when interacting with the device – this is an image with which you can identify yourself.

What to replace

• A good example is Apple Watch advertising campaigns. The gadget manufacturer fits the watch into the context of a person’s life and his real experience: it shows how convenient it is to swim, run, and, in general, live with this device.

apple.com

apple.com

• A combination of the incongruous: for example, our whales in digital are realistic objects that are placed in a digital environment. The whales personified the values ​​and strategy of the company, which was moving towards digitalization.

whyeffect.ru

4. Safe or shield

When we talk about security, reliability and protection of information, these images are the first thing that comes to mind, but this does not always correspond to the task. On the other hand, if you are really into safes, use it without a doubt.

Whatever is best

Think deeper. If you want to tap into these images, add visual conflict to them—not just to show off these objects, but to show how durable they are. Let the safe be burned by the dragon's fire, but keep everything valuable inside, and protect the hero from the rain with a shield – this is original and will certainly be remembered.

What to replace

• A much more deeply developed metaphor shield – a medieval knight in a project for the legal company Nevsky IP Law, which deals with the protection of intellectual property.

whyeffect.ru

• Guard dog or even condoms.

5. A rocket or an athlete breaking the ribbon with his chest (we don’t know which is worse)

Two visualizations with one meaning: victory, breakthrough, super-effort that led to triumph. Everyone is tired of these images.

For the best

The topic of sports for business is not taboo. But it is better to choose a sport depending on the mood of the brand. And not a lone runner, because a company is a team. Sports always have a different character: rugby is aggressive, and figure skating is graceful. Every business associates itself with something, and it’s very exciting to dig together with the client to find the ideal solution.

What to replace

• Digging stick. In the context of human development, this is a revolutionary discovery. A logical, understandable and strong association.
• Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Stephen Hawking are people who change the world and bring humanity closer to a wonderful future.
• This was shown well in the cartoon “Up” – there the house takes off in hot air balloons.

Still from the cartoon “Up”

6. Palms with sprout

The image denotes a conscious attitude towards nature. It is also often used to show how something is created and how carefully they treat customers. The germ in this case is customer service, care and attention.

What is better

Human is a creature that better understands the negative. Therefore, it is better to demonstrate acute social problems in the opposite way – by asking yourself: “What if you don’t do this?” Then a lot of images come to mind – sometimes fantastic, but very strong.

What to replace

• If you're talking about environmental issues, use realistic images of the consequences: oil spills, dead sperm whales, plastic in the ocean.

robinwood.de

• When it comes to customer service, it is better to show points of contact with the consumer, warm images that demonstrate how people are trying to make the client’s life better. Real photographs or videos of the work process are great: at Dodo Pizza, for example, a real pizza maker rolls out the dough for your pizza in real time.

dodopizza.ru

7. Tug of war and racing

sportstyle‑shop.com

First-order metaphors for depicting competition and struggle. Often used in strategy presentations, thinking that energetic images will motivate employees to achieve goals with more enthusiasm (no). Or in reports, when they talk about difficulties in the market.

What is best

Look around carefully. There are many examples of vivid and unusual contrasts in nature and ordinary life. You can personify this with popular characters from films: the obstacle in business is the negative hero, and you or your client is the fighter for good.

What to replace

• Savannah, where there are predators compete for spoils.
• Rival brands, personalities and heroes are well-known to everyone – Yandex.Food and Delivery Club, Coca‑Cola and Pepsi, McDonald's and Burger King, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. Visual images that reflect the idea of ​​market competition will come in handy here.

8. People from stock

The worst way to show life is to use images of people from the first 7-10 pages of popular stocks. The word “stock” has come to denote the artificiality of photography. Of course, such sites have beautiful pictures of cities and food. But there are also photos of people depicting some kind of action – an absolute taboo.

As best

People love to see people, and that’s normal, but the pictures need to be selected very carefully. It would be nice to do targeted photo shoots, showing real company employees or product users. Correct atypical framing also helps a lot. There is a free service called Unsplash, where photographs are taken by professionals and very interesting solutions are found.

What to replace

Any high-quality photographs with meaning. If you show a lifestyle, it should be realistic and lively. Cool case – Mail.ru: the company has its own photo database of photographs of its employees in the office to use for internal communications.

9. Handshake

Shows reliable partnerships and unbreakable agreements.

Whichever is better

And again, go deeper into the metaphor. Come up with associations until you find the one that reflects exactly your idea and solves the client’s problem.

What to replace

• A bird brushes the teeth of a crocodile.
• Man and tiger hugging.
• Guide dog.
• Children making Easter cakes in the sandbox.
• Tandem bicycle or catamaran.

< li>Captain and sailor.

• Commander and co-pilot.

nasa.gov

10. White men

We believe that you do not use them, but we remind you just in case. These are universal soldiers of nonsense – once upon a time there were so many of them that they fit any business situation. For any term there is a white man. That's why they shouldn't be used.

What's best

If you want to spice up your presentation, use an image you can empathize with.

What to replace

ANYTHING, JUST DON'T USE WHITE PEOPLE, PLEASE.

Conclusions

1. Dig deeper

Don’t use the first associations that come to mind; they are not about your business, but about all businesses in the world. The most effective visualizations are always more complex. It takes more time and effort to create them, but the result and satisfaction from such work are worth it. The more layers of meaning a design has, the more effective it is.

2. Look for stories

People love stories, and this is important to remember when creating visualizations. What's the story behind the rope or the safe? Behind the pulsating digital circle? Behind a white man who doesn't even have a face? These images can be used in hard marketing when we know for sure that the audience will understand the absurdity of the joke. In any other case, it's worth looking again.

3. Be consistent

When choosing a metaphor, carry it through the entire communication, do not abandon it halfway. For one of our projects, we took the true story of Amundsen and Nansen's conquest of the North Pole and illustrated what was happening in the client's business with events from those expeditions. When business challenges are linked to strong stories, it's always a win.