Article - website design with feel good factor

Hi.

If your trying to create a feel good factor within visitors when they come to your site, then try out this advice:

I always tell my clients if they've got pictures of people actually using the product their selling or they've got some nice smily people pics they can use - then use them.

From my roots in Newspaper Advertising, I've always been a strong supporter of using people pictures wherever possible.

My theory is that 'people buy people'. If they see someone using that product - whether that's reclining on a sofa or using a power tool, even a picture of children on a jigsaw, then that viewer pictures themself using that power tool, reclining on a sofa, a jigsaw with their kids on it etc.

My biggest problem is convincing customers that they will do better with this approach, as opposed to the 'this is my name, this is what i do' method, which lets face it, gets a little boring after a relatively short browsing session.

The other problem is very often, smaller companies don't have the pictures to start with or the resources to source the right kind of picture. Very often you have to work with what you've got.

Cute kitten pictures etc work quite well also. Go big on images and create that happy (i picture myself)feeling with site visitors. It's a bit like the subliminal music playing in shops - different music creates different shopping pattterns apparently.

A good source of people images can usually be a manufacturers sales literature as they do have the resources etc and marketing departments that know people buy people.

A good example of this is Fabulous Photo Gifts - personalised photo jigsaws - the jigsaw image on the front page is happy, cute children that could easily be a family snap of a customer.

Try using bold happy colours too - it all creates the right mood.

Jonathan - Fabulous Photo Gifts Web Designer