What is a Headshot Photo?

Wikipedia defines a headshot as: “a photographic technique where the focus of the photograph is a person’s face”.

Typically business headshots focus on the head and shoulders because people normally want to see your face as opposed to your body.  The more of your body showing in the photo means your face gets smaller in the frame. When looking at avatars or profile photos on websites such as Twitter or Facebook, a full-body view will make the face look tiny and oftentimes unrecognizable.  So in that case it is best to use a headshot or close up of just your face and shoulders.

A head and shoulders photo is a necessity in today’s business world.  The right photo for the right social network, website or business article can create an invisible connection to your audience. It’s also important to remember others may use your photo on their site when they talk about you or post something you’ve said or an article you’ve written.

Remember, the important thing about a headshot is showing what you really look like.

Why Include a Headshot?

•  Adds Personal Connection – There are times when people won’t do business with you online unless they can see what you look like. They feel more comfortable when they see that you’re a real person. When people can see your face, they can get a feel for what type of person you are and if you can be trusted.

• Shows your Personality – When you include a headshot on your website a potential client may judge your personality based on the photo.  Does your photo reflect the type of personality that someone will want to work with and trust?

• Builds Business Relationships - Building business relationships is important because it can help you grow your business when others trust you and feel comfortable referring you to their friends and family. When you show an image of yourself, they can see if you’re someone they want to build a relationship with.

What Makes a Great Headshot?

• Lighting – Lighting can create different moods which is helpful when you’re trying to create a mood for your image. Lighting can also help people to see your face better. If you choose lighting that’s too light or too dark they won’t be able to see your face. If you choose the wrong lighting it can make the photo look unprofessional and steer people away.
  

• Background – What’s behind you can make a statement. If you use a photo with your messy desk in the background that can cause potential clients to use someone else for fear you that you won’t be organized in your business and may miss deadlines.  A subtle one color background is best, especially if the background will need to be removed in order to overlay it onto a website header design.  A solid neutral gray is a good clean contemporary look.
  

• Clothing – Wear clothes that fit properly.  Solid colors are your best bet – maybe a color that is complimentary to your eyes.  Avoid prints which can be distracting.  You don’t want your clothing to grab more attention then your face or clash with your website or social media profiles.  Keep jewelery, accessories and hairstyles clean and simple.  Dress professionally.

• Posture – It is important to look confident and relaxed. Your attitude will be reflected in the final image.  If you are rushed, upset, forced, tired, bored – it will show.  Pay attention to your body language.

• Grooming – Your hair can make or break the picture which is why it’s a good idea to get a hair cut and clean yourself up first. It’s also a good idea to wait a week or so after the hair cut just to make sure you can do the style and feel comfortable doing it on the day of your pictures.
  

• Eye Contact – Your headshot is your first opportunity to make eye contact and express your personality to potential clients who may never have the chance to meet you in person.  Think about what you are saying through your eyes.

• Just be YOU – No over editing.  Surprising clients when they meet the “real” you can deliver a painful punch to your credibility if your headshot does not LOOK like the “real you”. Too much editing could be noticed as you are trying too hard.

• Hire a Professional Photographer – When you’re in business it’s important to have a picture that looks professional because, put simply, that’s what you are – a professional. When it’s obvious you’ve had a non-experienced photographer or have done the photo yourself it will make others wonder if you’re non-experienced as well.

• Keep Updated – Over time your look and style may change, so it’s important you don’t use the same headshot that you used 10 years ago.  If you’ve cut off all your hair or lost or gained more than a couple of pounds, new headshots are a must.

Good or Bad Headshot?

I recently had a client who I worked with on his website design.  He originally gave me a photo to work with and include in his header.  The photo was not a professionally taken photo but more importantly, my client looked very serious in the photo.  That might be fine for some areas of work, but in his case and the clients he was trying to attract it would be much better to have a more welcoming photo.  I was hesitant to let him know that at first, but after doing the design and receiving some feedback from my colleauges, I decided it would be important to let him know.

Thank God he received it without getting offended and he sent me another photo to use.  He even gave me permission to include the before and afters on my site.

As you can see, there is a BIG difference in the image quality as well as his facial expression.  You can see more of his “real” personality showing through instead of him in the old photo looking like he may have been in a bad mood even if he really wasn’t.

Examples of Website Headers including Headshots:

Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words.  You will convert more website visitors into paying clients if you have a welcoming and smiling photo of yourself at the top of every page.  It not only helps build the “trust” factor, but adds a personal connection in order to build lasting business relationships.

It’s very important to brand your business so others know that it is YOU when you comment on another website or blog or you reply when someone comments on YOUR website or blog.  There are several ways to brand your business and to protect yourself online – one of those ways is to use Gravatar.

What is Gravatar?

Gravatar is an abbreviation meaning “Globally Recognized Avatar”.  An avatar is a small photo or picture which visualizes its owner.  It gives a face to a comment.  You type in your email address and it picks up your information and displays your Gravatar image along side of the comment you make. This is a great way for people to immediately see that you were the one making the comment. It’s a good way to build trust with your readers and gain new or potential clients.  It is always better to interact face to face and gravatar allows you to do that virtually.

Setting up a Gravatar Account

In order to set up your gravatar, all you need to do is to sign up for an account using your email address and then add an image to your profile. It is that simple.  You can use a picture of you or you can use one that represents your business such as a logo or button.  Here are some examples:

The best thing about setting up a Gravatar account is that once it’s created you don’t have to do anything else.  It saves you from trying to find an image that will work every time you comment online and it eliminates the need for multiple accounts.

Why Use Gravatar

• Establishes your Branding.  As we mentioned in the beginning of this article, it is important that people recognize you and your business as you share online.  By having your photo or logo display next to your comment this just furthers your reach so that people will identify you and remember who you are.

• Helps Identify Spammers.  When you have a WordPress blog it’s important to set up a Gravatar account it is not only a great way to help build your branding, but to also protect against spammers.  They are the ones who like to leave those annoying comments with links to their sites. They normally don’t take the time to set up a Gravatar and include an image.

• Just Plain “Looks Nice“.  Gravatar makes your blog look nicer – plain and simple.  You tell me… which one looks better?

Growth is one of the most important things you think about when it comes to your business. If you don’t have success more than likely you’re business will be done and that’s certainly not what you want. When you set up and use a Gravatar you’ll begin to not only build trust, but you’ll also see the increase in potential clients and customers.

Here is a helpful video to learn more about Gravatar and how it works:

Most of you can probably recognize these business branding colors and what company they belong to.  Same goes for your business and bringing your brand, design, and colors into other aspects of your business such as social media and social networking profiles.  Being Recognizable is important.

Business and Social Media now go hand in hand.  Whether your business is big or small, it is super important to get on board with networking online through sites like Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Linked In.  Maybe you already have accounts, but you are not utilizing them as you should.  Well one way to move things along is to give your social networks a distinct and memorable look through branding.  Your site, your logo, your colors – these should all be uniform throughout.

Here is a screenshot of a recent client’s site that we matched up the design for their social media profile graphics.

We started with their Facebook page by adding a custom facebook vertical profile banner.

Within the banner you can add elements such your business logo, headshot, branding colors, link urls to your website and other social networks as well as an explanation about who you are and what you / your business has to offer.  This is the perfect option for those of you who may not be able to afford an entire custom designed landing page for Facebook.

Another very popular social media network is Twitter which the design can also be customized.  Here, we created a custom Twitter background design that also matches the client’s brand and colors.  A big key in keeping things branded the same is of course color, but the font is also important.  You can see in these examples that we are using the same font for her name.  This keeps things uniform and also recognizable.

If you are interested in customizing the look and design of your social media networks to match your brand, then we can help!  We offer custom background designs for both Twitter and Youtube Channels as well as custom profile graphics for Facebook.

Take the initiative today to create visual appeal and interest for potential readers and followers.

Contact us today!

With any project there is always a lot of back and forth between me and my clients before I can even begin to start coming with a design plan.  The difference between me and another company is that I work one on one with my clients.  I prefer to work through email so that way I can have access to all of the correspondence quickly and easily.  I can go back to an email and bring up things that a client may have mentioned and implement that into the design.

For this client they wanted the works – a logo design, wordpress design with custom header, and a twitter background.

These are some of the requests and ideas from the client:

• Wants design to tie together with 2 of her other sites (use of green)
• Likes fresh and clean (use of white) and possibly gray
• Incorporate a pop of color
• Doesn’t want dark colors
• Wants design to be consistent (discussed re-branding)
• Incorporate Headshot

I also asked the client about herself and her business to get an idea about what would best represent her and her brand.  She shared that she is “professional (but SO not corporate), funny and pretty sarcastic, direct – with my clients, and in life, optimistic, motivating/inspiring, great at the big ideas/possibilities, goofy/silly, savvy, genuine, authentic, a go-getter.”  She also shared that her business focuses on:  coaching and consulting, offers business/personal branding services, targets women entrepreneurs, includes coaching, consulting, programs, products etc…

She also included site designs that she liked and what elements she wanted to incorporate from them.  All of the above information  really helped me to visualize her ideas and then take it from there.

I always start with the logo design since everything will pretty much revolve around that.  Because the client was very focused on the topic of branding the first thing I did was take a look at her other websites.

The main theme on the sites is the color green and the dragonfly, so I thought it would be appropriate to carry the same theme into the design I would be working on.  The only reason that I would suggest  starting with a new design would be if the client was going to be changing their other sites as well.  But the client was not planning on doing that.  And since she was very concerned with her branding and being consistent – I let my client know that it would be best to just use the dragonfly logo design that she was already using.  The only problem was that she did not have access to the original image files or the designer who had created it.

So I had to start from scratch and re-create the dragonfly.

It looked nice, but there was something missing – a POP of color.  So I decided to add some. 

Much better!  I then added the title and tag line and here is the final logo design:

The next step was to work on  the WordPress site design.  My client was using the Headway WordPress theme which is one of my favorites because of the ease and simplicity of use.  You really do not need any knowledge of CSS to make color and layout changes – it is great.

Anyway, I proceeded to create the header design.  I knew I wanted to incorporate the logo, her headshot and possibly some elements from the the header on her other site.  This is what I came up with first, but there was still something missing.

Much better!  Love the swirl and flower design

The header is really the starting place for a website design.  I like to install the header first before I start my WordPress customizations.  I then grab the colors and tie them into the overall design.

The colors flow nicely.  I brought the green into the navigation.  I even used the gray / taupe color from the flowers and swirls and used that for the background color.  Now you can see that there is definitely a uniformity between all of her sites.  And the dragonfly design will represent her brand throughout all of her websites.

Lastly, I created her Twitter background which was a no-brainer.  I just took everything from the logo, header, and website and brought it together.

Another happy client!  Yay!

What do you think of the design?  I always love to hear feedback!

Your logo is something that can be used on web sites, banners, and printed materials such as letterhead, business cards, flyers, and more.   However in having a custom logo created for you, there are a few essential elements you need to consider.  Following the tips provided will help you to create a memorable brand.

Your logo should also look great in color and in black and white.

Color It Correctly – Color is another essential element for your custom designed logo. Make sure that you are using colors that help to identify your brand. The colors you choose will also be used on all elements for your visual identity. This includes things like your custom website banner or header, button ads, promotional materials, media kits,  and every facet of your branding efforts.  Your colors must be cohesive and they have to be pleasing to the eye as well. When you choose your colors, choose wisely and correctly.  A graphic designer can help you through the process of choosing colors that work well together and will help you promote your business and brand effectively.

Images & Text – Many logo designs include both images and text. It is almost imperative for your brand that you include some sort of image, especially at the beginning of getting your brand out there. However with the right font, you can create a powerful logo that will be memorable and recognizable. One question to ask yourself in choosing an image is if people will be able to identify and remember the logo as it relates to your specific brand.

Make Your Logo Flexible – Your logo design should be flexible in several respects. Your logo should be able to reproduce in both color and black and white. While color is vital due to branding, the shape and form of the logo is pertinent. The bottom line is that if it will not work in black and white, it will not work in color either.

You also want your custom logo to be scalable enough so that it looks equally good in many different sizes, whether it is on a small business card or on a giant IMAX cinema screen.

In conclusion, remember that your logo design will tell your customers who you are, so make sure that you send them the right message. This can only be ensured when you follow the essential elements and tips shared in this article.

Click here to see examples of our logo design work.

WHAT IS BRANDING?

I found a really awesome definition of branding on www.whatis.techtarget.com which explains exactly what a brand consists of.

“A brand is a product, service, or concept that is publicly distinguished from other products, services, or concepts so that it can be easily communicated and marketed.”

So, in other words, a brand makes a company Recognizable.  It gives it its own individual identity.  This goes for small businesses, corporations, or even bloggers.

So, when clients come to me asking for graphics, I always ask if they already have a logo image to use.  Your name, logo, and colors should always be incorporated into whatever graphic is produced, whether it be a header, button ad, Ecover, printed materials, or anything else.

I found a really cool example that www.brandidentityguru.com used to explain branding.  They related it to a piece of pie.

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“The cherry is a brand’s promise. The ice cream represents all your products and services. The apples are the corporation itself—the corporate environment. The crust is the structure of your company—not the building (although how it looks is still a part of branding). Of course the cherry gets the most attention. It’s your name in neon lights, your fancy new logo, and your overall visual appeal. If a prospect buys a slice of your pie just for the cherry then you’ve done well!“

Wasn’t that great?  It really helps put things in perspective and actually shows us that often times, people do respond more to the Visual Aspect of your brand through your logo and design.  So, it is even more important that you come up with a logo design that will carry on your visual identity.

If you start from scratch with every graphic that you have made, people will not recognize you.  Everything should tie together so that if one of your clients sees your affiliate ad on another site somewhere – they will automatically remember who you are and what your site represents.  This goes for bloggers as well.  Your button ad should match your blog header and site design.

Here are a few examples of work that I have done for one of my clients which includes a good representation of consistant branding throughout:

Header for Website:

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125×125 Button Ad:

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Box Graphic:

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CD Design:

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Overall Site Design:

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As you can see, each graphic includes her logo, her picture, and the colors from her website header and overall site design.  The titles can easily be changed to include other subjects, but the design should stay the same.

So, if you have not created your own individual brand, then be sure to get on it ASAP!  DPK Graphic Design is here to help!  We would be happy to discuss your graphic design needs and come up with a logo design that will represent your company and brand in the best way possible.  We want to create an identity for you, your website, your blog, your company… that will stay fresh in people’s minds.

Contact us today!