How Different Are Your Visuals?

Bukayo Saka smoothly flies a paper airplane during England's friendly against Iceland ✈️ pic.twitter.com/h53xLQMwYT

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) June 8, 2024

It's often toss of a coin whether London's The Times Martin Samuel serves up an agreeable column. His recent evisceration of those seeking to sow discord though proves well worthy. Justly calling out frauds falsely evoking prejudice under headline, "Racism accusations are just plane crazy".

The context was the above image of exciting England winger. On as late sub, as the (for once justifiable) upcoming tournament favourites turn in an abysmal showing. Falling one-nil at home with near full-strength side to a team ranked seventy places lower in their final warm-up game before Euro24.

Fans at Wembley stadium have long voiced displeasure in this peculiar yet understandable and eccentrically English way.

"That childish object has come to symbolise a dreary, mediocre England performance at Wembley. Paper aeroplanes rain down when England are losing or the crowd is bored."

The still above so succinctly summed up the mood of players, pundits and fans alike. Wake-up call, confusion, disappointment.

"For Saka, in his England shirt, to be pictured throwing one rendered many thousands of disparaging words redundant. The shot combined both the defeat and the public reaction to it."

The columnist cites music hall star of yore lyrics. George Formby;

“If you want to get your photo in the press, you must be different, some kind of way”.

And therein lies the indisputable truth. Any out-the-ordinary image 'sells'.

The above being a classic example.

Why restrict yourself to bog standard action snapshot? Or even indistinguishable celebratory or forlorn moment of expression? When fact and feeling can so simply be combined and nailed by the atypical.

This very week I've now used this pic as a launch point with a client.

Readily embracing the fact that a single, sticky graphic over-delivers in value way beyond the time and labour taken to produce so that prospects duly reward.

I rail against the stock chart-wizard output. Reliance on conventional but tired diagrams. Modern-day passport photo personal portraiture styling.

Yes, they may have their place. Yet in construction, presentation and punch the standard seldom suffice.

Take a base level of the above trio.

When was the last time you saw a graph denuded of 'data ink' (aka labelling)?

Or a drawn representation of an issue or situation that stayed with you long after first view?

Or pics of a business team that in any way deviated from practically ninety-nine percent of front-on, rabbit-in-headlights, LinkedIn avatars?

Crafting such a singular piece of visual weaponry can be totemic for your bid. Which sets you apart as different and most desirable in the minds of prospects.

To think this way has become even more important than always was, given the rise of the meme-able deal summation, phone screen impact framing, and video sales call.

Regardless, any Discovery procedure, Prop or key Board pitch undoubtedly strikes home to much greater degree when you've one to hand. Can you make it so?