Choose the right images

Recently, I was working on a project on promoting childhood vaccination. I was looking for some images and icons to make the content more engaging. My first thought, and probably a common thought, was, “What about a picture of a needle? People often connect needles with vaccines.” Well, let me tell you why I didn’t go with that.

Research shows that 2 out of 3 children and 1 out of 4 adults fear needles (Read more about the fear of needles). If I used a picture of a needle or a needle going into an arm, how many readers would stop reading immediately or disengage with the message? Probably many. We don’t want that. So I needed something different— an image that made people think of vaccines but with a more positive feel.

That’s why I chose a picture of a child with a bandage covering her arm in a spot where she got a vaccine. This is a much better image from a psychological perspective. This image shows a positive response (calm and smiling) after an action (getting a vaccine).

I also took it one step further to think about the long-term motivation of getting a vaccine. Could we convey the message that protection from illness means more days in school? That will probably motivate some parents and caregivers. So I included a picture of children engaging with a teacher in a classroom.

With these 2 images, we will avoid scaring readers and instead show readers the short-term and long-term rewards of getting vaccinated.

With Simply Put, you’ll get thoughtful images that help your audience to understand, engage with, and act on your content. If you have a project that needs the right images, reach out! Let’s see how we can work together.