I was trying to explain to someone the other day that earning a salary in any job wasn't a bad thing if you used the money wisely. The highest paid salaried job is worth nothing if you spend it all and borrow up to he limit using your credit card. Martin Lewis understands that. This person wasn't listening, but gave me a story I found interesting that relates to image. It went something like this:

“I don't know that's true. How would you feel if you took a lowly paid job, and every day prior to starting work you had to have your appearance checked?” It sounds horrifying doesn't it! Imagine getting up late for work and a little tired, only to get to work to be told your skirt is too short, or your socks look very similar but they don't actually match. Perhaps such an employer would have an image consultant and a hairdresser on staff. Now wouldn't that be great if you could learn how to look great in and out of work and have your hair done for free. I wonder if the experience would be less upsetting for the staff if they understood why it was happening.

I went into a local supermarket recently and had an experience that stumped me. You often hear about the type of cashier involved, but rarely see them serving on a till anymore. I picked this till because it had the smallest queue. Perhaps the other shoppers had met this cashier before. For me, paying at the till is a time to chat and cheer someone else up. I said hello to the cashier and she noted that I had a cat and started talking about hers. Then suddenly out of the blue, she started ranting about life’s inequalities and how awful this year had been for her so far. Now I looked at her image. She was untidy and not smartly presented. She continued to rant, although by now I wasn’t taking in everything that she said. I did hear “I don't care if you’re a reporter or who you are “. Her misery and anger had an Impact on me. As I paid the money I felt relief I was going to escape and I took a good look at her because I wasn't going to be visiting her till again!

As I walked past another store, I noticed a set of adverts placed to draw me in. I can't remember the exact words on the adverts, but they were all about the stores mission and values. One told how they were focusing on making their packaging environmentally friendly, another how they used fair trade suppliers. The store adverts were saying we are green and therefore a better place to shop. I recognised they were advertisements, but at the same time I felt that their values met my values and the values of the masses around me. It made me feel good about spending my money at that store. They portrayed an image I liked.

When we think of Virgin and British Airways, we think of handsome or attractive smart cabin crew. There is something plush about a well-fitted clean aircraft and great looking staff. It's pleasing to the eye however sexiest we think it may be. It's the type of vanity we were taught by our mothers to appreciate when they told us to always wear our best clothes to parties. The way we look has an impact on others.

Just as images in the superstore, at the shop, or during our travels have an impact on us, so do the images and advertisements on our web sites. Images need to portray a message and be of a certain quality and be just right for the story. They should also be consistent with the quality you wish to give your brand. Cheap advertisements sit well on cheap sites. Quality sites take time to find the most appropriate advertisement and image. If the image doesn't work they will change it or resize it. You can take your own original photographs, or you can employ the help of a photographer, or you can buy just the right images from a specialist web site selling photos or graphics. The right photo, image, or graphic looks great, and it doesn't matter where you found it because it works.
My favourite place to source images is istockphotos, but here is a list of places where you can find images on the Internet:

• istockphotos
• fotolia
• Yotophoto.com
• Everystockphoto.com
• Freefoto.com
• Gettyimages.com
• Crestock.com
• Flickr.com

Web Page Last updated: June 2008