How to Curate Images for your Website with Jen Olmstead

We’re so excited to share tips from Jen Olmstead’s October Power Hour on curating images for your website and digital marketing.  Jen is a Social Squares member, and the co-founder and lead designer at Tonic Site Shop which equips business owners like you with really elevated, beautiful site templates that reflect them at their very best.

If you’ve ever used a website or social media template and it just doesn’t look as polished and professional as you’d like, this is for you.  When you take one template and use ten different sets of images you’ll get ten different looks and feels. If your templates fall flat and look like they’re missing something but you’re not quite sure what’s missing, you’re simply picking the wrong images. Your images represent you and your unique brand. 

Here are some of Jen’s designer tips to help you curate your best images:

1) First of all, curate like a designer.  If you’re a florist, don’t start with images of flowers. Instead, start with some keywords that describe how the images should feel and the mood they should evoke. Do you want images that are organic and textured? Maybe a little boho and kind of trendy? Should they feel peaceful and calming or exciting and adventurous? Search the Social Squares library for those keywords, download the images and create a mood board. When you put all the images together, you’ll see how they complement each other and work together to convey the desired vibe.

2) Also, show your clients content with the aesthetic they’re attracted to. Where do your ideal clients spend their time online? Where do they shop? Learn their style preferences, then curate images and aesthetics that align with what your clients really want and appreciate. A great place to look for inspiration is in the beauty industry. Cosmetics companies know what aesthetic sells to their ideal customers and what doesn’t sell.  

3) Equally important, keep adding on-brand images to your Dropbox. As soon as Social Squares releases new stock, go through them like a kid opening presents on Christmas morning.  Find your favorites and add them to Dropbox. Then, upload them to Canva so they’re handy. This way, you’re always up-to-date because you’re refreshing your on-brand image assortment all the time. It saves so much time.

4) Consider the way your images face the text. Flipping an image will reverse the direction to make a big difference. Remember, many images can be flipped horizontally so that they point in whatever direction works best.

5) Similarly, make sure the people in your images ALWAYS face your most important content.  If they’re looking away from it you’re telling your visitors that people aren’t interested in your offer.  Just flip them…or your visitors will ignore your priority content, too! This is a great task for your layout review checklist. 

SOCIAL SQUARES EXCLUSIVE: Don’t miss Tonic Shop’s special offer just for Social Squares members:

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