Recently, we talked about how important it is to be sure the message you give your customers is the one you intend to send. This is just as important with the images you choose as it is with the words you use.

My oldest son is four. While he can read a few words, he interprets most of his world through images. When he went on his first water slide, he carefully eyed the image showing him how he should go down the slide. Alex knows that an image with a circle and a line through it shows him what not to do. This is a universal symbol and one most people can easily interpret.

However, there are only so many universal images out there. The rest are fairly subjective. While interpreting the image WITHOUT a circle and a line through it, Alex was sure he’d deciphered the right way to go down the slide. He enthusiastically laid down, crossed his arms over his chest and crossed his ankles just as the picture depicted.

The only problem?

He laid down head first. Since the head was at the top of the image, he assumed it should also be the first thing going through the slide. I grabbed him and explained what had happened.

Of course, this is a mistake a four year old is more likely to make than an adult. However, much of our world is interpreted through images. Often, people only glance at these images before choosing whether to take additional action on them by reading more, entering a store or clicking through to a web page. Choosing the right logo for your brand gives people a cue as to what types of goods and services you sell before they read your marketing materials or even your company name.

It doesn’t stop there. The images you choose in blog posts, marketing materials, and even on warnings need to be clear and straight forward. It’s easy to choose an image that you like, but you need to think of things from your customer’s perspective. Of course, your images should be ones you like – that in itself is a representation of your brand – but they also need to be easy to understand at a glance.

For instance, if you’re highlighting a new product, an image of the product on a shelf with dozens of others may not make it clear what the new product is. Choose an image that highlights that product instead. If you’re presenting a calendar of upcoming promotions, make sure the calendar is easy to understand at a glance. If you’re highlighting one of your team members, don’t post a group picture that includes them; many of your customers may not know which team member you’re highlighting in the crowd.

Images are a great way to convey a message without your customer having to try very hard to get the point. Make sure you use images that make things as easy on your customer as possible.