Close your eyes and imagine a stock photo or video of a business concept. What do you see?
A pair of reading glasses sitting on a printout of a large, very colorful pie graph? Maybe some data materializing in front of business people like the Matrix? Or perhaps just a humble lightbulb or a handshake between two mature businessmen? It’s not your fault. Business content really can be that stale and predictable BUT that doesn’t mean your campaign has to be. Stocksy doesn’t want you to be stuck with business (content) as usual.
Creative concepts are super handy for illustrating intangible or abstract values that drive modern business — think concepts like connectivity, integration, and optimization. They’re also great for speaking to human and social themes like collaboration, productivity, security, balance, and success.
Here’s why we love creative concepts so much:
- A conceptual image should provoke thought.
- Standout creative concepts are unexpected, surprising, and clever.
- Creative concepts are particularly useful for illustrating abstract values, systems, and relationships.
- Sometimes their power is the ability to articulate a cultural attitude.
- Concepts are efficient. They can get at big picture topics using minimal information.
- Conceptual and creative still-life media use objects and everyday items to touch on larger subjects and themes.
- Their story can be simple. Think along the lines of a visual pun or smart juxtaposition of different elements. Or they can abstractly point to themes much broader than what you see in the image.
- Conceptual images can challenge perspectives and encourage you and your audience to think more deeply about the nature of the subject.
- Human elements (e.g., hands, bodies, and shadows) can animate still-life images and add a human dimension while maintaining anonymity.
- The most successful concepts are unexpected and powerful, but they’re also accessible and universal.
- A conceptual image can have more than one meaning, inviting thought and interpretation.
- Most of all, creative business concepts excel at being relatable, human, cute, and fun.
