How to create great marketing images before you’re ready to launch

Our clients usually have one problem in common when approaching their print and marketing collateral; a lack of images.

An architectural or construction company will sell bespoke designs and struggles with time and budget to draw every alternative concept for their varied customer base.

A company who builds large and costly pieces of technology doesn’t have the time to schedule an expensive photoshoot on a working model, but needs that imagery to show a future customer their product in the right environment.

A car manufacturer needs to show the same car in varying colours and specifications – on and off road.

A furniture company needs to show a corner sofa in a studio apartment as well as a country cottage to attract different home-owners.

All these problems can be resolved with photorealistic imagery.

Photorealistic imagery – known in the trade as 3D Rendering – has become an essential marketing solution for many of our customers, allowing them to show their product and not just tell.

High quality catalogues and brochures are an essential part of the marketing plan for most businesses.

Three-dimensional rendering allows companies and industry professionals to showcase products in the best light and surroundings. Once a render is created you can change colours, sizes, direction, locations and add branding.

3D renders also have the unique advantage of conveying 3D distance information that allows for precision measurements within the rendering itself.

Our clients often come to us with an idea and a vision for their product but don’t have anything tangible to photograph – the answer is to create 3D renders, which makes the difficult process of getting your customers to see your products a whole lot easier… and better!

You may be concerned that renders look fake and unconvincing but when they are done well it is hard to tell the difference. Look at our supporting images to see how realistic modern 3D renders can be. 

Technology has come on in leaps and bounds in recent years – today, we are surrounded by 3D animations and rendered graphics. We now take them for granted and it is often difficult to tell whether a product is real or computer generated. 

It’s worth saying that we love photography, nothing beats it but sometimes it is just not feasible or cost effective.

Here are some examples of using 3D rendering to solve a range of marketing problems across different sectors.

The property market relies on 3D renders, to help an architect share their vision with their client or a developer sell houses when their development is still a building site.

Paradigm Land came to us a few years ago with a vision for a development they were working on near Ashtead in Surrey. To ensure the project was a success in terms of return on investment, they needed to get cracking; marketing the properties ahead of completion. They needed a high-end, informative and visually appealing sales brochure to engage with clients on a deeper level.

We are pleased to report that with the help of the renders, the apartments were snapped up whilst they were still being built.

Architecture and planning applications

3D renders can help with aid planning applications, convey plans to possible investors, buyers and tenants.

In 2018, we met Will Elliott, The owner of Whipley Manor Farm, he had a vision to create a real destination and experience centre for the local community. He wanted to attract the right kind of businesses to make it a high-end retail destination for visitors. 

His problem was attracting tenants to a site that didn’t yet exist. With office space for hire on every corner, his ideas needed to stand out, create a buzz and spark the imagination of potential tenants. 

We created a 3D render, working off the architectural plans, to bring the destination to life. The render really captured what the site could be and was the perfect sales tool to share with prospective tenants. Those visuals helped attract a farm shop, gallery, yoga studio and café. 

In the end we were so blown away by the vision of the future site that in February 2019, we decided to move our own offices to the farm. You will find the Troop in our design studio, on the second floor of the idyllic and newly-built converted barn in Bramley, Surrey.

Health & wellbeing sector

3D Renders can be extremely useful when there might not be a chance to see the product before purchasing. Creating product renders allow businesses to show off their products online or in print, even before they have been launched. 

Henshaw Hyperbaric Chambers (HHC) uses the very latest technology to produce exceptionally high quality oxygen chambers that are used for a wide variety of treatments and health benefits; either in a clinic environment or for health at home.

The company needed to generate promotional and instructional material for an upcoming trade show. It just wasn’t possible for them to photograph every chamber in a variety of settings, colours and shapes. Given their size, it would have been difficult to photograph them in-situ and to capture the detail. 

With such a bespoke and specialist product, the company wouldn’t be able to sell what they do without the visuals; their customers want to see the choice available to decide which product is right for them. 

We decided to create 3D renders for 10 different types of chamber, both as studio images and also in their environment. This way we were able to tailor them to the different audiences,  from specialist sports and medical centres to health at home and vets. 

Renders can be used to communicate a range of products or services, in a snapshot, rather than having to show or write about each item individually. This was exactly what we did for building merchant, Chandlers. They do everything ‘from the kitchen sink up’ as they put it. Renders don’t always have to be photorealistic; as you can see below, they can be used as a creative tool to support your marketing objectives.

In consultation with the client, we decided to show a house to highlight the breadth of products and services on offer. Images like this couldn’t be photographed easily and would need a lot of retouching, so renders were the perfect option.

Our client Springhill Products has over 40 years experience designing and manufacturing high quality glass doors for offices and shower enclosures. Their customers are not just buying a glass door for their shower, they are buying into a lifestyle and want to see how it could look in their own home. There is an expectation that if you are making a premium purchase, there will be a high-end catalogue and image to match. 

However, they didn’t have much photography and what they did have didn’t show their products off in the best light. Showers in particular are difficult to photograph because of restricted space and awkward camera angles.

We set about creating a set of CGI images that really showed the products off in multiple environments. These images were then used on the website to help customers imagine what the products would look like in-situ.

Car industry – allowing clients to customise their own products

3D renders are widely used in the car industry to help sales teams market and sell new model cars and for a customer to visualise different colours and interiors when choosing their car. 

Working for Jensen International Automotive, we built a customisation page allowing the user to build their own car from the chassis up. We worked from basic photos, using computer software to create the car, so that the user is then able to specify details, such as colour, wheels, engine options and interior finish. Allowing customers to actually create their own design, creating the excitement to encourage potential sales. 

First impressions are everything and renders give you the ability to impress prospective clients, the general public and even potential employees. Being able to produce photorealistic renderings of a new product or service can be extremely beneficial and can give you the edge over your competitors.

Do you have a product that you need to market but you haven’t produced the project yet?

Do you need to customise your products but are struggling to photograph every eventually?

Do you need to sell something ahead of time that is far from being built?

Do you want to visualise the possibilities and range of a product before you decide what to build?

Do you need to show the detail of your products but photography isn’t capturing what you need it to?

If any of this applies to you, then maybe 3D Rendering could help. If you would like to find out more, why not get in touch below.