Photography Guidelines 2014

Photography
Guidelines
Worldwide reach Human touch
01
Contents
02
03
03
05
06
07
08
09
10
04
11
11
12
Building our brand, one picture at a time
International SOS Photography Guidelines
05
13
Understanding and ideally combining

images Rational and Emotional impact
13
Brand Imagery Evaluation Filters

Emphasis on Rational: Logistics,
Remoteness, Expertise
Emphasis on Emotional: Human touch,
Care, Protection
Emphasis on both Rational and
Emotional Attributes
Strength on both Rational and
Emotional Attributes
15
14
16
17
18
19
20
06
21
Image Dos and Donts

Evacuations
Assistance Centres
Prevention and Security
Clinics
Medical
Remote Sites and Community Health
Location and Content
Technology
Illustrations of Donts and
other photographic mistakes
Be demanding on aesthetics and

content values
21
Do not compromise on image quality

Show the realities of our global business
and people
24
A. Poor picture quality

B. Boring or uninvolving scenes
C. Unappropriate medical care illustrations
25
Contact
22
07
page 02
02
Photography is a critical element of both short-term information,

story-telling and long-term brand building.
Each image used in our print or online publications should be
considered as both a visual illustration of the depicted project,
service or activity, and as an element contributing to the overall
perception of our brand.
Therefore, when selecting or producing a photograph,
it is important to consider its quality and relevance on both
levels, and whenever possible to match the project illustration
objectives with the reinforcement of our desired brand attributes.
page 03
02
Through the illustration of our

geographical footprint, operations,
people, services and products,
any selected image should ideally:
Reflect one or several of our four
brand values:
PASSION
EXPERTISE
Build on our brand attributes:

High quality, recognised experts,
global presence and scale, innovation,
intelligence and breadth of services.
Enrich our brand personality:
Passionate, caring, human,
compassionate, responsive, courageous,
smart, partnering, entrepreneurial,
pioneering, professional, successful
and ambitious.
Contribute to one or both promises
of our tagline:
Worldwide reach Human touch

RESPECT
CARE
page 04
03
Understanding and ideally combining images

Rational and Emotional impact
Beyond the relevance to the illustrated project, photography

has a stronger impact if it manages to be graphically qualitative,
interesting in substance and/or emotional. It should address
the Eye, Head and Heart of the viewer, as a professional target
and a human individual.
The most powerful images reach on both rational and emotional
levels. Our images should be strong at least on one or the other
dimension, but the best ones can work on both, as per the
examples over the next few pages.
page 05
03

Brand Imagery Evaluation Filters
Rational
Emotional
Worldwide reach
Human touch
Photography
Expertise
Services
Passion
Respect
Care
Empathy
page 06
03

Emphasis on Rational: Logistics, Remoteness, Expertise
Rational
Emotional
Worldwide reach
Photography
Expertise
Services
Passion
Respect
Care
Empathy
page 07
03

Emphasis on Emotional: Human touch, Care, Protection
Rational
Emotional
Photography
Expertise
Services
Passion
Respect
Care
Empathy
page 08
03

Emphasis on both Rational and Emotional Attributes
Rational
Emotional
Photography
Expertise
Services
Passion
Respect
Care
Empathy
page 09
03

Strength on both Rational and Emotional Attributes
Rational
Emotional
Photography
Expertise
Services
Passion
Respect
Care
Empathy
page 10
04
Be demanding on aesthetics and content values.

Do not compromise on image quality
From a graphic standpoint, it
is important for our imagery to
be of a high standard. Today,
everyone can take good quality
and high resolution pictures
with professional cameras or
even smartphones, but
International SOS photography,
whether generated in the field by
employees or by commissioned
professional photographers, should
respect high quality standards
to reflect our brand attributes.
We aim to be associated with

professionalism and expertise, and
its visual representation needs to
project the same level of excellence.
Favour balanced, graphic, or
close-up image composition
Prefer bright and natural lighting
Avoid (or correct) excessive blue or
yellow indoor light and unnatural contrasts
usually caused by flash use
Use sharp images
No blur except when relevant for action
scenes or subject dynamics, or when
theres deliberate focused vs. unfocused
depth-of-field contrast to isolate subject
Provide enough resolution for diverse
media usages (online and offline/print)
Generally a digital file above 1MB is
required for small print usages. 4MB to
6MB jpeg high resolutions are preferable to
support all media. They can be downsized
for online usage
page 11
04
Be demanding on aesthetics and content values.

Show the realities of our global business and people
We are experts in the prevention and
handling of medical and travel security
risks and dealing with the everyday
associated issues of our clients. Our
image is therefore anchored around
our ability to manage difficult real life
situations and human interactions on a
global scale.
Our credibility stems from genuine
illustrations of character, expertise,
humanity and use of technology,
not from imaginary, symbolic or fake
representation of our activities or those
of our clients. We therefore need our
imagery to be as close to reality as
possible (taking into account legal,
property and ethical constraints), in
order to demonstrate the effectiveness
of our action.
Use images with rational and/or

emotional substance or impact
Diverse geography, ethnicity, gender,
age of personnel and customers
Show real people, real situations,
whenever possible
Only use stock imagery to illustrate our
core services and activities when you
have determined that no relevant company
-owned images are suitable or available
However, stock imagery is a good option
for illustrations that are out of scope
of our core activities or too costly to
produce, such as conceptual images,
travel destinations and customer lifestyles
page 12
05
Imagery Dos and Donts

Evacuations
Do
Be as true and close to the action as possible
Feature the activity and effort that goes into the operation both on and behind the scenes
Be comprehensive in scenario, employees and equipment, even for a mock evacuation

Show interaction between patient and medical employees, and the patient and doctors
faces to communicate emotion and engagement
Look for action and movement shots
Dont
8 Look staged and contrived
8 Be too far from action, except
to include planes or important
background (eg. airport, oilrigs)
8 Be static
8 Emphasise equipment over
people
8 Show patient in gruesome

condition
Put medical gloves on employees handling or treating patient

Important Reminder:
If you have commissioned a
photo shoot, please remember
to get a model release contract,
which should be signed by
all who appear in the pictures,
be it participating employees
or external models. A copy of
the contract can be obtained
from the Marketing Hub platform.
page 13
05

Assistance Centres
Do
Dont
Show operators and doctors focused on solving caller/customer issues
8 Use overdramatic and tense
Show them smiling or concentrated in a reassuring way
8 Suggest casualness and lack
Show diversity of employees to illustrate the global nature of our operations

Mix high tech equipment with human presence
Use modern and tidy background
Show collaboration between operators and Assistance Centre supervisors or doctors
images
of engagement
8 Show technology equipment

on its own, without personnel
8 Show outdated IT equipment

(boxy screens, BlackBerrys
old computers, etc)
Important Reminder:
page 14
05

Prevention and Security
Do
Dont
Show employees engaged in interactive prevention planning
8 Show clinic building without
Project experience and expertise
8 Show a cold or poorly
Incorporate details suggesting geographical/travel concerns

Use IT room equipment to show state-of-the art global communication reach
International SOS branding

maintained environment
8 Show patient or doctor in

an overly concerned manner
8 Use images without interaction

between employees and patient
or employees engagement
Important Reminder:
page 15
05

Clinics
Do
Dont
Show the clinic in action or being used by employees or patients
8 Suggest casualness or lack
Focus on the more attractive and modern part of the clinic
8 Show dark rooms or ambiances
of focus

When showing treatment, focus on the caring aspect of the interaction rather
than the actual treatment
Represent the treatment in a warm and reassuring way
Show a modern, clean and tidy environment
Show suitable company signage/branding on the exterior
Important Reminder:
page 16
05

Medical
When featuring medical employees at work, it is important to get across the teamwork and
commitment involved in their activities, at all levels of the treatment chain, from clinic reception to
actual care.
Do

Show medical employees working closely together and interacting in a caring
way with the patients

Use visual clues like medical equipment to tell the story, rather than showing a large
medical environment
When showing treatment put the emphasis on the caring aspect of the interaction

Ensure medical employees are appropriately equipped, dressed, and wearing gloves
if providing treatments
Dont
8 Show clinic building without
International SOS branding
8 Show a cold or poorly

maintained environment
8 Show patient or doctor in

an overly concerned manner
8 Use images without interaction

between employee and patient
or employee engagement
Consult a nurse/doctor to make sure that the medical equipment is being correctly used
Important Reminder:
page 17
05

Remote Sites and Community Health
When showing shots of our employees in the field, it is important to communicate

the caring nature of their activities and integration within the community.
Do

Show them interacting with patients, either through examination or conversation
Show their faces and the faces of those who are helping, preferably smiling
Prefer close-ups and facial expressions over large framing

Try to include our brand as a sign or badge
Focus on the caring and not the actual problem
Dont
8 Show no interaction
8 Put physical and emotional
distance between workers
and patients
8 Show anonymous unbranded

employees
8 Use large image crop

around subjects
Important Reminder:
page 18
05

Location and Content
Do
Use images that clearly and qualitatively identify the reality of place/country/landscape

Preferably include human element (not necessarily identifiable) to characterise the
environment

Adopt the right framing to clearly identify location or type of activity site. Too close
might not be clear and too wide unspecific

Whenever possible use company-owned images, but stock imagery can provide an
easier and more professional looking option in the case of travel and geography illustration
Dont
8 Use boring location or scenery
images
8 Be over-stylish or polished.

Prefer reportage and editorial
feel to a glamorous creative look
8 Use images that are for

decorum and not relevant to
the professional risks or travels
of our clients
Important Reminder:
page 19
05

Technology
State-of-the-art communication technology is an important element of our credibility as a global

assistance services company. But it should not be overshadowing the human touch aspect of our
business, and should always be put into its usage and service context.
Do

Show technology being used by our employees or in the background of their
day-to-day work
Dont
8 Show high-tech equipment for
the sake of technology, without
human presence or usage

Ensure the people using technology look like real people in real situations, making a
natural use of the equipment
If the technology dominates the image it can be played down by throwing it out of focus
Important Reminder:
page 20
06
Illustrations of Donts and other photographic mistakes

01
02
03
01. Under-exposed or dark
indoor images
02. Unfocused (blurry) or poorly
flashed (shadow)
03. Yellow lighting, over-saturation,
or flashy colours
page 21
06

01
02
03
B. B
oring or uninvolving
scenes
01. Subject too far (often involving
wide angle lens)
02. Over-staged (unrealistic) or
contrived (unnatural) scenes
03. People photographed from
back or uninteresting angle
page 22
06

04
05
B. B
oring or uninvolving
scenes
04. Premises, technology or
medical equipment without
human presence
05. Lack of involved interaction
between doctor and patient
or employees
page 23
06

C. Unappropriate medical care illustrations
01
02
03
C. Unappropriate
medical care
illustrations
01. Revealing patient details
(identity, treatment date/
location) without clearance
02. Appearance of confusion
03. Patient left unnatended
or exposed
page 24
07
Contact
If you have any questions about our guidelines, or are

unsure about any photography that you may wish to use,
please get in touch:
Anita Lynch
Group Brand Manager
International SOS
T: +44 (0)20 8762 8488
M: +44 (0)7408 875 651
E: anita.lynch@internationalsos.com
page 25

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Photography

Building our brand, one picture at a time

International SOS Photography Guidelines

Understanding and ideally combining

Brand Imagery Evaluation Filters

Image Dos and Donts

Be demanding on aesthetics and

Do not compromise on image quality

A. Poor picture quality

Building our brand, one picture at a time

International SOS Photography Guidelines

Photography is a critical element of both short-term information,

Building our brand, one picture at a time

Through the illustration of our

International SOS Photography Guidelines

Build on our brand attributes:

Worldwide reach Human touch

Understanding and ideally combining images

International SOS Photography Guidelines

Beyond the relevance to the illustrated project, photography

Understanding and ideally combining images

International SOS Photography Guidelines

Brand Imagery Evaluation Filters

Understanding and ideally combining images

International SOS Photography Guidelines

Emphasis on Rational: Logistics, Remoteness, Expertise

Understanding and ideally combining images

International SOS Photography Guidelines

Emphasis on Emotional: Human touch, Care, Protection

Understanding and ideally combining images

International SOS Photography Guidelines

Emphasis on both Rational and Emotional Attributes

Understanding and ideally combining images

International SOS Photography Guidelines

Strength on both Rational and Emotional Attributes

Be demanding on aesthetics and content values.

International SOS Photography Guidelines

We aim to be associated with

Be demanding on aesthetics and content values.

International SOS Photography Guidelines

Use images with rational and/or

Imagery Dos and Donts

International SOS Photography Guidelines

8 Show patient in gruesome

Put medical gloves on employees handling or treating patient

Imagery Dos and Donts

International SOS Photography Guidelines

Show operators and doctors focused on solving caller/customer issues

8 Use overdramatic and tense

Show them smiling or concentrated in a reassuring way

8 Suggest casualness and lack

Show diversity of employees to illustrate the global nature of our operations

8 Show technology equipment

8 Show outdated IT equipment

Imagery Dos and Donts

International SOS Photography Guidelines

Show employees engaged in interactive prevention planning

8 Show clinic building without

Project experience and expertise

8 Show a cold or poorly

Incorporate details suggesting geographical/travel concerns

International SOS branding

8 Show patient or doctor in

8 Use images without interaction

Use images with rational and/or

8 Show patient in gruesome

8 Use overdramatic and tense

8 Suggest casualness and lack

8 Show technology equipment

8 Show outdated IT equipment

8 Show clinic building without

8 Show a cold or poorly

8 Show patient or doctor in

8 Use images without interaction

8 Suggest casualness or lack

8 Show a cold or poorly

8 Show patient or doctor in

8 Use images without interaction

8 Show anonymous unbranded

8 Use large image crop

8 Be over-stylish or polished.

8 Use images that are for