Every picture tells a story

How do you use images in your internal communication and where do you look to be inspired visually?

Today I had the pleasure of having a meeting inside the Ellwood Atfield gallery in Westminster, London, as I’m working on a project I will be sharing details of very soon.

If you’ve never heard of the gallery before, I recommend checking it out, at least online if not in person. It is “dedicated to exploring the role, character and importance of communications,” and the current exhibition features Royalty, Politics and War: the art of the photojournalist.

I enjoy finding creative spaces to work in, I recently hosted the internal communication team at O2 at London Zoo for their team-building day. You can’t beat getting out of your usual surroundings to help trigger fresh thoughts and be inspired by what’s around you.

The current gallery exhibition “examines the central role that the photojournalist plays in the complex world of contemporary communications” – and the images are stunning.

I was surrounded by photographs of the Royal family, Politicians and ordinary people who have been swept up by the horrors of war, all captured in a moment in time by photojournalists.

EA_galleryThey were all taken by award-winning photographer and co-owner of i-Images Picture Agency, Andrew Parsons, who has spent his career capturing the political campaigns that have shaped our country today.

Parsons is well known for his visual documentation of David Cameron’s political life, including an inside view into the historic coalition talks following the General Election in 2010. He was also photographer to Boris Johnson during his mayoral campaign in 2012.

He has also earned acclaim as a war photographer in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon and Bosnia – his images captured the harsh reality of life for British soldiers on the front line.

Since joining the Press Association in 2001, Parsons has been involved in photographing the Royal Family at prestigious events, as well as, in more intimate settings. See the Ellwood Atfield Gallery website for information about its exhibitions.

Using images for internal communication

PinterestI use Pinterest a lot to save images I like. I ran a brand new course for the Institute of Internal Communication this week on strategy and social media, and a third of my slides were images that I had included in my ‘swipe file’ over the years.

My what? My swipe file is a private/locked Pinterest board where I collate pictures, quotes and images I like and is very often my starting point when I prepare content for a talk.

Want to know more about using Pinterest for internal communication? See my article on this topic.

How do you use images for your IC? Where do you look for inspiration?

As ever you’re welcome to comment below or Tweet me @AllthingsIC.

Post author: Rachel Miller

First published on All Things IC blog 11 September 2014.

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