Mastering Website Imagery: How to Make Stock Photos Match Your Brand

Welcome Back

Now that you know where to find and how to license free stock photos (and if you don’t... go read our last post!), it's time to make those images actually work for your brand.

Viewers form a first impression in only 50 MILLISECONDS, and it is way too easy to mess that up with one mismatched website pic.

In this post, we'll cover how to use search keywords, colored overlays, and direct editing to ensure your images are cohesive and on-brand.

Strategy 1: Using Good Search Keywords

You gotta get specific my friend! Use keywords to find images that align with your brand.

How the heck do you do that?

Well, think about your brand's vibe and voice, then translate that into your searches. Are you formal or casual? Do you want pictures with or without people? Is your brand exciting and full? Or calm and simple? 

Also, include your brand colours or shades. Try things like “natural green office space” or “cool-toned landscape”.

This is truly all about experimentation and giving it a little bit of time. The right keywords can take you from basic to beautiful.

Strategy 2: Using Coloured Overlays

Firstly, What is an Overlay?

It is simply a partially transparent layer that will go on top of your image. Or, in some website builders like Wix, you do the opposite: you can reduce the opacity (transparency) of your image to let a colour show through beneath.

Why Use Overlays?

Coloured overlays can make otherwise quite different images feel cohesive and on-brand. They can unify your site's look without the need for exactly matching imagery or a big branded photoshoot. It’s pretty much just giving your photos a brand-coloured filter.

How to Overlay

Most website editors have built-in tools for this. Typically the steps go like this:

1. Upload Your Image: Start with a high-quality image that fits your content. (Check out our last blog post for how to find good images in the first place)

2. Select the Overlay or Opacity Option: Most editors will have this option in the image settings.

3. Choose Your Brand Color: Pick a colour from your brand palette and adjust the opacity until it looks just right. We recommend more colour to cover the image if it’s a background, and less colour so that the image shows through well if it’s a feature pic.

Strategy 3: Directly Editing Images

Basic Edits:

Try playing around with brand-aligned filters or adjusting the brightness, contrast, exposure, and saturation.

Advanced Edits:

Test out slightly more advanced adjustments to get that perfect colour-match using the temperature and tint settings. These can be finicky, so watch out! But they are also the best ways to magically get that weirdly-coloured image to fit perfectly into your palette.

Check out this example we did for a tech client:

Overall…

Like we said before, you’ve only got a tiny bit of time to wow your customers and communicate to them visually just how perfect your brand is for them. Make sure your website imagery can cut it.

Ready to take your website imagery to the next level? Start implementing these tips today! And if you need professional assistance, our agency is here to help make your brand shine through stunning visuals.