Product visuals

Produce a photo/video brief in which each shot is tied to a finding — most with a measured effect, a few marked † as practitioner tips. Format, gaze, the viewer's sense of touching the product, and composition (shine, spacing, side, props) move sales and willingness to pay more than lighting taste does.

When to use

• Writing a shot list or creative brief; choosing video vs stills or between candidate images
• Reviewing why a product image or ad creative underperforms

When not to use

• Page layout, CTAs, variants, price position → product-page
• Description text → product-copy

Inputs

Collect, or state your assumption:

• The product; can it be picked up and held? Is it premium?
• One main function (energy drink) or many?
• Worn, and by whom (womenswear vs menswear)?
• Where the visuals run (product page, ads, social); audience reading direction

Classify the product first. Hedonic = bought for enjoyment, pleasure, or the experience (chocolate, fashion, decor, travel, spa, perfume). Utilitarian = bought to do a job, judged on function and value (detergent, appliances, insect repellent, tools, accounting software). If it's mixed, decide by what the buyer is optimizing for at the moment of purchase.

Procedure

1. Format. Hedonic → video, GIF, or slideshow is required (willingness to pay 79% higher). Utilitarian → stills are enough. Premium hedonic → add a slow-motion action shot (+22% sales) †. Video should feel personal and human, not corporate. †
2. Gaze. Hedonic → model looks away from the camera (sun hat: +30% sales). Informational or negative-emotion messages → model looks at the camera.
3. Touch. A first-person hand touching, holding, or using the product (+16% purchase likelihood).
4. Side. Graspable product toward the right of the frame, angled for a right hand. If it can't be held, add a graspable object beside it (handedness doesn't change with reading direction — don't flip this). Future-oriented products right, vintage left; flip that for right-to-left readers.
5. Shine. Light or polish for a visible reflection; a digital reflection is fine only if it stays representative of the real finish (a matte product shown glossy misleads buyers). Never brief "no reflections" (+23% attractiveness, +32% purchase likelihood).
6. Spacing. Clear empty space between products in multi-product shots and grids (liking +11.4%, sales nearly doubled). In ads, wide margins with related products clustered in the center. †
7. Multiples. Product bought for one specific function (an energy drink for energy, a stain remover) → several copies together (+10.7% perceived effectiveness) †. Not a rule for treats or decor.
8. Props. Complementary items around the focal product, varied in shape and color; the props' own sales are unaffected.
9. Context. Womenswear → a fitting setting, not white background. Menswear → irrelevant.
10. Saturation. High to look bigger, low to look smaller. Pretest candidates with a poll where cheap. †

Output

Then list what not to do for this product (e.g. no direct gaze, no matte finish).

Common mistakes

• Making video "secondary" for a hedonic product — it is the highest-effect item.
• Briefing "avoid reflections" — shine raises attractiveness and purchase intent.
• Centering a graspable product — it belongs toward the right.
• A single can for a single-function product — show several.

Quick reference

† No primary citation on file for this rule — a practitioner tip, not a measured finding.

Evidence and effect sizes: see reference.md.