When a company needs a number of business portraits, is it better for those headshots to have a uniform look or a uniform style?
Uniform Look
A uniform look means all the portraits have the same, or very similar, lighting, background and pose. This shows consistency and a strong brand.
Having a uniform look in business headshots is common at law firms, insurance companies, banks and any other company that wants, or needs, to create a feeling of stability, consistency and comfort.
A business that has many locations may want a uniform look to imply that the company is the same no matter which location you visit.
A consistent appearance creates a consistent message which helps build customer trust.
Uniform Style
A uniform style means the headshots may have different lighting, background and pose but they all have the same feel. This could be a fun and casual feel, a dramatic and serious feel, or anything else. A persistent feel or theme is important to maintain coherency in a company’s overall marketing message.
Having a uniform style, instead of a uniform look, is common at smaller companies that want to showcase its employees and to imply that their strength is their people. This can also help give a company a bit more personality.
None of the Above
A third possibility, where business portraits have neither a uniform look nor a uniform style, should not be an option. This suggests that the company is not organized, not consistent and doesn’t care about its image.
This mishmash approach to business portraits is often the norm at real estate companies where each realtor’s headshot is totally and randomly different from the others.
There are many ways to photograph business portraits. But at the end of the day, there are really only two types of headshots: effective and ineffective.
