Defining your visual style: photos, illustrations and icons

What is a visual style?

Your visual style is everything you show alongside your logo and text. Think of photos, illustrations, icons and graphic shapes. Together they shape how your brand feels, often before anyone reads a word.

A consistent visual style makes you recognisable. A leaflet, your website and a social media post then feel like one whole. Even when different people made them.

It isn’t about strict rules for every picture. It’s about a few clear choices that everyone can follow.

How to describe your photography style

The best way to describe a photography style is with concrete features. Words like ‘warm’ or ‘modern’ mean something different to everyone. So record what you actually see in a photo:

• Light. Natural daylight or studio lighting? Light and airy, or dark with lots of contrast?
• Subject. What usually features: people at work, products, the surroundings or details?
• Framing. Close up or with plenty of space around? Straight on or from the side?
• People. Real colleagues, members or customers, or styled models? Do they look into the camera or are they busy?
• Colour and editing. How heavily do you edit photos? Do the colours fit your visual identity?

Illustrations and icons: choose one style

Illustrations and icons often go wrong through mixing. One person takes an icon from one website, someone else from another. Each icon is fine, but together they look messy.

So choose one style and write it down. Do you use line icons or filled icons? What line weight do they have? Are the corners round or sharp? Which colours may they contain?

The easiest approach is a fixed icon set that you manage yourself. If an icon is missing, have it made in the same style. That way the set grows without falling apart. The same goes for illustrations: one clear style works better than odd pictures.

Show what fits and what doesn’t

A description is a start, but examples work better. Add a few images that fit to each guideline. Put a few that don’t fit next to them, with a short explanation of why.

Also note what you really don’t want. Think of stock photos with posing people, or icons in a different style. A short list like that helps colleagues faster than a long description.

Keep it clear. A handful of good and bad examples per topic is enough. Anyone in doubt can then see at a glance whether an image fits.

Image rights and consent

You can’t always use a great image just like that. For every photo and illustration, it should be clear who made it and what you may use it for. A stock photo comes with a licence and conditions. With a photographer, you agree where and for how long you’ll use the photos.

If recognisable people appear in a photo, ask for their consent and record what it covers. If you’re unsure what’s allowed, check with the creator or with someone who has legal knowledge.

Keep this information with the image itself, not in a separate email. Then a colleague who works with it later also knows what’s allowed.

A small image library that stays up to date

You don’t need a huge image library. A well-chosen selection works better than a folder nobody can get through. Start with the images you need most often: your team, your location and your products or services.

Give each image a few clear tags, such as subject, season or location. Tidy up regularly: remove photos of people who have left or of an old building. Appoint one person to check new images before they’re added.

In MarkBase you store photography, icons, graphic elements and templates in one place, next to your logos and colours. You can search, filter and tag images. Files sent in by others are reviewed first, before they enter the library.