A photographic montage combines multiple images juxtaposed in size and placement to emphasize a message. When used in advertising and communications pieces, contrasting elements create striking visual effects that arrest the eye and become an effective tool for communicating a company’s message.
Ted DeCagna recently used this creative approach when the assignment called for an attention getting visual. Ted won a photography award of excellence from American Graphic Design and Advertising 30, a national design annual of graphic design, advertising and photography. Ted’s client, CJS Violations Services, a trucking violations and educational compliance service company, had requested a striking banner for an upcoming trade show. The banner needed to communicate compliance services for New York City area trucking companies. Ted’s imaginative solution was to take a unique nighttime skyline time exposure photo of the New York City skyline from the Hudson River (which Ted achieved from a night cruise ship on the Hudson River). He later photographed a new tractor trailer, also intentionally shot at night for a more dramatic look, and then photo composed the two images into one. The final result appears to show the huge tractor trailer parked on the Hudson River against the illuminated skyline of Manhattan. This eye-opening effect created a one-of-a-kind visual that makes most viewers do a double take and crystallizes their attention. The headline “CJS Violations Services, We Drive Compliance for Your Company” clearly communicates to New York area trucking companies that CJS is the expert company to contact for driver compliance educational seminars. Many New Jersey ad designers use this design trick to create arresting visuals.
Another of Ted’s ad designs utilizing a photo montage was for Shofar hot dogs. Ted created an ad also using a striking New York skyline shot, this time, shot from high atop the cliffs at Weehawken, NJ. To complete the photo, Ted shot 15 Shofar hot dogs in his studio to capture one perfect shot of their signature delicious product. In this ad seen all over New York City on hot dog carts, Ted composed the image of the hot dog in the size and placement of a giant cruise ship steaming up the Hudson River. Once again, the play of size and proportion “created a visual you were not expecting”, making the ad a very successful, memorable way to get the client’s name in front of the consumer. The headline “New York’s Best!” completed the message that Shofar is one of New York’s best Kosher hot dogs.
So, if you need a design solution that will almost guarantee your target client will read your message, create a photo montage for your next design assignment. Using two or three juxtaposed images at different proportions is a sure way to make your viewer do a double take and read your message, probably laugh and remember what your offer is. The best New Jersey graphic designers use this photo montage concept to grab the client’s attentions and ensure your message will be read.
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