What About the Visuals?

RuthAnn Rafiq, brand & website designer at R Artspace

Amanda Evans
August 19, 2018

Let’s talk about visuals--images, colors, photos, graphics, and the like. Today I’m sharing an interview with my friend, RuthAnn Rafiq, who let me pick her brain about the visual side of things on the Internet.

RuthAnn Rafiq is a photographer and graphic artist, and the brand and website designer behind R Artspace, a multi-faceted branding studio serving women entrepreneurs. 
 

The Current Trend

Amanda: What do you think of the current use of pastels and soft images on websites and in social media posts?

RuthAnn: I think the pastels and soft images are definitely becoming overused. It's not very unique to have the soft and bright images anymore, so now people's Instagram feeds and websites are looking pretty similar–which is NOT what you want. You want your business to stand out and make a memorable impression!

Amanda: Is the light-and-airy look going to become a standard, or will it decline?

RuthAnn: The light and airy images ARE beautiful, and there's a reason so many people are using them. But I do think that other trends will come around and perhaps the editing style will swing the other way to a more realistic, darker or more moody look for photos in the near future.

The Next Big Trend

Amanda: What do you see as the next visual trend coming up?

RuthAnn: Right now we're still into the overly styled and pretty images, which are beautiful, but I can see that the next visual trend will be more realistic images, less styled, and more candid.

Amanda: How important is it to follow these big trends?

RuthAnn: As a brand designer I never want to create a "trendy" brand or website. Because, like we said earlier, trends come and go. I would prefer to keep things more classic so the life-span is longer. So I think, while it's easy to want to follow a trend, I think it's more beneficial if you stick to your own unique style, and keep the imagery more classic.

Tips for Getting Started

Here are RuthAnn’s tips for those of us who want an attractive and unique look, but don't know where to start.

• Find images that represent your business and don't look overly styled or outlandish.
• You can find photos from free photo websites or you can purchase images from a stock shop or you can take your own.
• Keep your images looking realistic and relatable.
• For Instagram, I recommend using an app called Preview that can help you organize your grid, and there are also a lot of features for editing photos so you can get a cohesive-looking feed.
• When you find an editing style you like, stick with it. This will help keep your images looking consistent.

Thanks, RuthAnn, for generously sharing your expertise with us.

You can find more about RuthAnn Rafiq and R Artspace on her website and on Instagram.

www.rartspace.com www.rartspace.com/
www.instagram.com/r_artspace

Amanda Evans has been editing and writing in a wide variety of fields for over thirty years. During that time, she authored numerous technical manuals and articles, as well as a children's fantasy novel. In addition, she served as editor-in-chief at a publishing house in Austin, Texas.
http://amandaevansediting.blogspot.com/