Fuck, je hebt gelijk. Die dashes (—) moeten eruit. GYCB gebruikt gewoon normale punten en komma’s.
Gefixte versie:
How to Use Imagery to Strengthen Your Clothing Brand
Supreme shoots on city streets with natural light. Patagonia shoots in mountains and forests. Fear of God shoots in muted tones with minimal backgrounds.
You know the brand before you see the logo. That’s the power of consistent imagery.
Your imagery isn’t just photos of your products. It’s how people understand your brand identity at a glance. The photos you post, the videos you share, the graphics you create. They all tell a story about who you are and what you stand for.
Get it right, and your brand feels cohesive, intentional, and memorable. Get it wrong, and you look like every other brand posting random content.
Your Visual Style Should Be Instantly Recognizable
Gymshark uses bright lighting, gym settings, and high-energy movement shots. Stüssy uses grainy film photography and street culture references. Ralph Lauren uses preppy outdoor settings and classic Americana aesthetics.
These brands don’t post random photos. Every image fits a clear visual system. That’s what makes them recognizable.
Your imagery should have consistency across every platform. Your Instagram, your TikTok, your website, your packaging. The colors, the lighting, the composition. It should all feel like it comes from the same brand.
If one day you’re posting clean minimalist photos and the next day you’re posting saturated neon graphics, you confuse people. Pick a style and stick with it.
Match Your Imagery to Your Brand Personality
Your brand personality should dictate your visual style.
Streetwear brands use urban backdrops, bold colors, gritty textures, and raw, unpolished energy. Think Supreme, Corteiz, Off-White.
Luxury brands use clean backgrounds, soft lighting, minimal styling, and elegant compositions. Think Chanel, Hermès, Louis Vuitton.
Outdoor brands use natural landscapes, adventure shots, and earthy tones. Think Patagonia, The North Face, Arc’teryx.
Minimalist brands use lots of white space, simple compositions, and neutral colors. Think COS, UNIQLO, Everlane.
Your imagery should reinforce your brand story, not contradict it. If you’re selling sustainable clothing, shoot in natural settings with organic textures. If you’re selling techwear, shoot in urban environments with functional styling.
Product Photos vs. Lifestyle Photos
You need both, but they serve different purposes.
Product photos show what you’re selling. Clean backgrounds, good lighting, clear details. These go on your website, your product pages, your ads. People need to see the fit, the fabric, the construction.
Lifestyle photos show how your products fit into real life. People wearing your clothes in natural settings. These build emotional connection and help people imagine themselves in your brand.
Nike uses lifestyle imagery to sell motivation and performance, not just shoes. Patagonia uses adventure shots to sell a lifestyle, not just jackets.
Both types of imagery matter. Product photos convert. Lifestyle photos build brand.
Create a Visual System
A visual system is a set of rules for how your imagery looks. It keeps your brand consistent even when you’re working with different photographers, different models, different locations.
Your visual system should define:
Color palette. What colors appear in your photos? Muted earth tones? Bold saturated colors? Black and white?
Lighting. Bright and clean? Moody and dramatic? Natural light only?
Composition. Centered and symmetrical? Off-center and dynamic? Minimalist or busy?
Editing style. What filters or color grades do you use? High contrast? Soft and faded? No editing?
Once you define these rules, apply them to every photoshoot, every social media post, every piece of content you create.
Imagery Tells Stories Words Can’t
Photos evoke emotion faster than text. A single image can communicate energy, aspiration, rebellion, comfort, luxury, adventure. All without a caption.
Gymshark uses sweaty gym shots and transformation content to inspire motivation. Patagonia uses wilderness imagery to evoke environmental responsibility. Supreme uses street culture imagery to signal exclusivity and hype.
What emotion do you want people to feel when they see your brand? Decide that first, then create imagery that reinforces it.
Common Imagery Mistakes
Inconsistent style. Posting different visual styles every week makes your brand look confused. Pick a lane and stay in it.
Low-quality photos. Blurry, poorly lit, badly composed photos make your brand look amateur. Invest in decent photography or learn how to shoot properly with your phone.
Not matching your brand. A luxury brand posting messy, chaotic imagery feels off. A streetwear brand posting sterile studio shots feels fake. Your imagery should support your brand identity, not fight it.
Copying competitors. Don’t just copy what other brands are doing. Find your own visual style. If every streetwear brand is shooting on the same city rooftop, go somewhere different.
Ignoring your audience. If your audience is Gen Z, polished corporate imagery won’t resonate. If your audience is professionals in their 30s, chaotic TikTok content might feel out of place. Shoot for the people you’re trying to reach.
What To Do Next
Define your visual style. Look at brands you admire and identify what makes their imagery work. Then create your own system based on your brand identity.
Plan your next photoshoot. Think about location, lighting, models, styling. Make sure everything aligns with your visual system.
Then apply that style consistently. Every Instagram post, every TikTok video, every product photo, every piece of user-generated content you share.
Your imagery doesn’t build your brand by itself. But it’s one of the fastest ways people understand who you are and what you represent. Make it count.
