Focus on Imagery

We live in a visual world - you only have to look at Instagram to confirm that - but sometimes it feels like an uphill task to source great imagery for built environment projects.

It's something we discuss with our clients every day, where projects stand or fall on great imagery, but this element often feels like an afterthought. Here are our thoughts on this:

• Factor in photos and video at the start of every project

• Think about your customers - do they want to see construction photos that demonstrate your technical capabilities or are you trying to show them their dream lifestyle?

• If you want to do a before and after story, think about this from day one or there'll be nothing to compare!

• When you're working on a commercial property project, ask your client if you can shoot before all their staff move in (unless you enjoy evicting people from their desks and hiding their lunch in a drawer...)

• You can't outrun the weather - some shoots go wrong if the sun doesn't shine or a thunderstorm erupts

• Ensure that you have landscape and portrait versions to suit varying social media options such as YouTube and Instagram

• The camera sees things differently, so don't be surprised if your carefully styled show home has to be rearranged on the day

• Find a photographer who can bring out the quirky details of your project that will stand out when scrolling on Instagram instead of just shooting the space to look as big as possible

Sometimes it's the very simple things that can make or break a project, but a bit of forward planning and expectation management can go a long way to getting the foundations of an effective campaign in place.