Silhouettes
We have developed a bold and distinctive style of silhouette
images
for use in all communications, which will help us to stand out in
the crowded charity market.
We use silhouettes as our primary graphic device, where
we would
have previously used photography. (There is still an important role
for photography at the next level down.) This means we can be less
literal about how we illustrate our messages.
We use silhouettes to express big, simple ideas. For
example on
a leaflet about cancer and children we might use a silhouette of
a teddy bear on the cover to communicate the idea of childhood
rather than a photograph of a child. A silhouette can be every
bit as engaging and emotional as a conventional photograph.
It’s important to remember that silhouettes must
be made from
something that you can photograph in the first place, eg an object,
person or situation. Silhouettes are not graphic shapes.
(For example a map or a graphic arrow do not work as silhouettes.)
Silhouettes work best when they are human in scale – an
everyday
thing or situation which we can all relate to – rather than something
out of the ordinary.
Remember that a silhouette starts as a photograph. It’s
important that we choose the right photograph in the first place,
and that we keep the detail and texture of the edge when turning
our photograph into a silhouette. We also need to make sure
our silhouettes have a texture inside them rather than being
flat. See Creating a silhouette.