Creating a powerful and meaningful hero image for branding on a website
Here is how I created a powerful image for HBK, that both sends the message of why the company exists and that illustrates their corporate purpose and incorporates a strong visual branding by adding their graphic element.
The Who and Why:
HBK is a worldwide engineering company that helps corporations develop and design new and more advanced technology by measuring, collecting data, setting up testing and providing technology, amongst a range of other services. Their clients include the biggest companies in the world within industries such as Aerospace & defence, Automotive, Telecommunications and Audio, Energy and more.
The reason for creating this Hero image and making it an impactful one, is to give the visitor quick visual introduction (more a feeling than an explanation) to what HBK does and how they impact the world
The HBK corporate purpose & graphic element:
“We deliver value beyond measure by helping our customers bring safer, more energy efficient and innovative products to li – faster.”
The graphic element is a visual representation of the corporate purpose of HBK; In the shape of a “fast forward” icon, the two first arrows are hollow outlines, representing the research and development and prototype phases of a product, the final fully filled out arrow represents the customers end product (eg. A car, an airplane or a windmill)
The graphic element is used across the company on all channels, even in the office and in the iconography
The Merger & Products
HBK is a merger between two well-known engineering companies: HBM and Brüel & Kjær. The two companies have developed and sold products for measurement for many years. Included in the image is a product from each legacy company, sitting just below the man who is wearing the HBK shirt, telling the story of a successful merger and partnership between products.
The composite:
Using a combination of Shutterstock images, I have created a composite that shows client products from the “Energy” industry (Wind turbines, solar panels, power lines, power plants and cities). The image composite also takes into consideration, what kind of future HBK would like to contribute to; a green one. The front of the image is therefor focused on solar energy, towering in the background are wind turbines, and we can even see birds in the sky, giving nature and clean air its rightful place in this image.
We end up with a unique hero image that introduces HBK and show what kind of company they are and what they believe in, in perfect harmony with their corporate purpose. It holds their brand element that will work as a visual anchor throughout the website to remind the user of the values and purpose of HBK.
To learn more about HBK, visit https://www.hbkworld.com
