The Importance of Leaving Nothing to the Imagination

We've all heard the saying, 'A picture speaks a thousand words'.

Have you ever stopped to think about how true it is though? Because it is. Consider the difference between trying to describe how something, or someone, looks – compared to just showing someone a photograph…

 The photo leaves nothing to the imagination. They have the exact reality presented to them. No need for the brain to fill in any gaps, to interpret your words, or to form the 'accurate' mental image themselves – which, let's be honest, is impossible.

 From words alone, no matter how artfully descriptive, it would never be possible to accurately visualise how a person you've not met before looks. Or – more relevantly to my line of work – exactly how a new development will look and function.

 Which means we inherently and automatically trust our eyes as being able to show us the most accurate version of things. Our subconscious knows that our eyes are capable of showing us the reality of something in far more detail, and far more accurately, than we could understand or process from words alone.

 Hence that other famous saying, which is also true… Seeing really is believing…

 This is a good thing – particularly in the world of property developments and thanks to the tools and technologies now available to us – as it means we can create visualisations that accurately show someone exactly what they'll be getting, well before it exists.

 It takes out the guesswork and removes opportunity for misunderstanding; it removes the need for people to use their imaginations (and removes the risk of them imagining things incorrectly!), and it enables schemes to be sold, without any risk of surprise or disappointment, well in advance.

 However, whilst this trust in our eyes can be a good thing in this regard – it can also be a very dangerous thing.

 Because if people trust what they are seeing so intrinsically, what happens if the visuals aren't a good representation of the thing they are meant to be representing? If they are lacking in quality, or in detail?

The instinctive assumption wouldn't be that the 'visualisation' is lacking.

 It would be that the reality of what is being portrayed is.

 People would simply accept what they're seeing as representative anyway, and assume that those things – whether it’s the quality of the materials used, the ingenuity of certain design aspects, or the specific benefits the end result can deliver to its end user – simply don't exist, aren’t important, or haven’t even been considered.

 Because by providing a visual at all, we are essentially removing the need for people to use their imaginations. We are telling their subconscious that this is the most accurate version of what we're trying to describe.

 So leaving anything to their imagination runs the very real risk that it won't be imagined. Instead, it will just be assumed to be missing.

Or worse yet... it will be imagined, and it will be imagined as inferior to its reality.

The Power of Visuals

 Selling a scheme – whether it's a house or an entire development – requires multiple different types of communication: brochures, websites, meetings, social media posts and so on – all of which have the basic underlying motive of capturing the imagination of your prospective tenant/buyer/investor.

And this is the key – the difference between capturing someone’s imagination: wanting them to be able to accurately imagine the reality of your vision, as it relates to them, and their being inspired by it… compared to leaving it to their imagination: where they need to fill in gaps, and where the potential for interpreting things incorrectly comes into play. 

  For the most part, this requires two core aspects: words, and visuals.

 People typically take time over the words, knowing that the 'right words' can make all the difference. The importance of getting the tone right, of ensuring there's no room for misunderstanding, that the words you're choosing are conveying exactly the right message, stirring the right emotions, 'telling the story' you want to tell, is all well-understood.

 Yet with imagery, it's often a different story. Perhaps because it's so ubiquitous, so dominant over all the other senses that we take it for granted. Perhaps because it's not literal, we assume it's not necessary to focus on the subtle nuances in the same way we do words…

 But imagery is as nuanced as words… and it's certainly just as important.

 Think of a simple sketch of a new development. What kind of impact does it have, compared to a detailed architectural film or animation?

 Even if the quality of the visual is there, simply 'creating a model' from a set of plans and elevations risks creating a hollowed-out, skin-deep impression, rather than something that properly represents and supports the thought, the detail and the solutions your vision offers. And a 'skin-deep' representation is almost certainly not going to be capturing anyone's imagination.

 Our brains process images a staggering 60,000 times faster than text, meaning we're processing what we see on a far more powerful and emotional level – subconsciously, and rapidly, allowing our imaginations to be captured, and making decisions and coming to (often emotive) conclusions based on what we're looking at... which, don't forget, our brains are instinctively telling us is the 'truest reality'.

 All of which means that your visuals absolutely need the same detailed care as your words… and as your design itself… or you risk undermining all that other work.

 You need those visuals to be capturing people's imaginations in exactly the way you intend, and comprehensively displaying the details and nuances of your scheme. You don't want to be running the risk of people needing to use their imaginations… as this is where you run the risk of them imagining it all wrong.

 Of course, there's always the chance a visual can be so very uncompelling that it doesn't capture the imagination at all… but I think we can all agree that's not a solution either.

 I've seen so many schemes undersold by their visuals. The words are great – they talk the talk, they get their readers fired up, they tell them everything they want to hear… but then the visuals simply don't back it up, immediately undermining all the good that those words have done.

 You'd never state 'our development is going to be “kind of ok”…', yet that’s effectively exactly what you're doing when your visuals show something that's distinctly average or lacking.

 And worse than that, if that message from the visual is conflicting with the words you're saying, it can start to make those words seem like a lie…

 They can see the scheme, and it's simply not doing what you are telling them it is going to do.

 So what is the TRUTH of this proposition?

 We trust our eyes more than our imaginations after all… so what is the likely conclusion when the visuals don't match the promises?

How to Ensure Your Visuals Say the 'Right' Thousand Words

 When it comes to developments, it's far more than just a case of ensuring 'nice' – or even just 'accurate' – imagery.

 Your most important planning arguments, your talk of the seductive atmosphere, the buzz, the excitement and contentment of living there, the environment being perfect for the wellbeing and productivity of a prospective tenant's staff… these are the things that make your proposition stand out, and these are the things you focus on in your sales and marketing in order to make the project a commercial success.

 It's the emotion and the reality of using a building that ultimately leads to the wins.

 So your visuals need to say, and show, the same thing. If they don't, those are just hollow words.

 This – the visual storytelling – is often the key ingredient that is lacking from visualisations. It's the missing ingredient that results in the skin-deep versions of your design, in contrast to the all-singing-all-dancing visuals that will transport your viewers' imaginations to the exact place you want them.

 But visuals can tell that same story. Storybook imagery, architectural films, animations, powerful CGIs… the wealth of tools now available make it all possible. All of those emotive words can be reflected in the visuals.

 Meaning you can make your scheme completely and accurately imaginable, in just the way you want it to be imagined, without any need for your viewers to use their imagination to try to work it out for themselves.

 This is why we start all our projects by properly understanding our clients' propositions. We make sure we understand the things that embody its values, and the details that make it stand out. We make sure we understand the words that our clients need their visuals to be saying.

 And we create visuals that tell THAT story. The exact same story their words will be telling…

 Allowing their audiences to trust their eyes, believe what they see, have their imaginations captured… and be convinced that this proposition will deliver everything it's promising to.