If a picture is worth a thousand words, it stands to reason that several pictures can be worth considerably more than that. Using multiple images in a single element, whether a Flash banner, static banner or layered composite image, can quickly tell a more detailed story than can be done with a single image.
(top) A set of images relating to cyber security were incorporated into a Flash banner for ACSI. (above) A freeze-frame of the Flash movie as it appears on their website.
We created a Flash banner for ACSI, a startup cyber security company, through a series of images that rotate in and out of a three-panel matrix, one dissolving into the next, with copy points appearing as text that also appear and disappear, allowing each images to be visible in its entirety at some point during the looping, 90-second presentation. We chose images that speak to various parts of their story, such as typical users, collaborative teams, connectivity, servers, abstract images and a couple of dark images that suggest hacking, that collectively describe the world of cyber security.
Static banner for A Perfect Practice
A simpler and more immediate way to tell a story with multiple images is with a static banner, in which several images are “stitched together” in a horizontal format. For A Perfect Practice, a company who provides turnkey CPA practices and support, we created a static banner for the home page of their website. They wanted to communicate that 1) they were a Bay Area company, 2) that they catered to a specific market (the use of the 1120 form, rather than the more common 1040, was included at their request) 3) they provide the most current information and tools, and 4) they supply personal consultation and support. Each image represents one of these points, and the combination makes those points in far less time than it takes to absorb the description you’ve just read.
Composite image used on cover of brochure for Acacia Films
A layered, composite image can make a striking and powerful statement by engaging the viewer long enough to decipher the components of the image, while the image itself can be very intriguing, with an aura of mystery. For Acacia Films, an ecotouring film company, we combined images of the natural world (the K2 peak in the Himalayas) wildlife (the dolphins) and exotic cultures (the Maasai tribesmen) into a single compelling image in which each component is easily discerned. We used this image in a triangular brochure that unfolded into panels that deconstructed the image into the dolphins and Maasai, and finally into the single image of the dolphins, so that when the brochure is folded back into the triangle, the images overlay in order as the image “builds” itself.
The goal of combining images into a single element is to achieve a synergy in which the end result is more effective than the sum of its parts, and a few well-chosen images, artfully combined, can do just that.
