Use Knolling — the best product presentation
Are you focusing only on the products (or services) that you’re selling, or also paying attention to the way of presentation? Be trendy! It’s not necessary to explain the urge every entrepreneur has to keep their online store up-to-date as it can make the difference between staying relevant and losing money.
You’re most likely familiar with the trend of knolling already, it’s all around the internet these days, but for those who have never heard of the term before, here’s a definition of knolling as described by UltraLinx:
“Knolling is a unique way of taking photos of similar objects in a cool manner […] the process of arranging like objects in parallel or 90 degree angles as a method of organization..”
And in today’s article we’re going to dig a little bit deeper in this topic to explore its usage in organizing product photographs and keep your online store looking up-to-date.
Why not to use knolling to make your products appear more appealing to potential customers? See, you probably have that one friend who arranges their stuff neatly side by side after a shopping spree. Or, they put their food on the table and post such pictures on Instagram. Knolling is nothing new. In fact it’s just becoming more and more popular thanks to social networks such as Pinterest etc. So, keep up and read on about some basics to use this technique properly.
High quality pictures
The key number one is quite simple: using only beautiful first-rate photographs that are consistent. See, a really great design seems to be invisible to the audience because it’s consistent and familiar, and the consistency makes users feel comfortable around your website. Don’t just create exact copies of what worked for you before, just always use a certain (the same) range of colors, shapes, fonts, buttons, and especially product pictures.
It is the same with knolling photographs. The size shouldn’t differ, nor should the filters you use while making / adjusting them. It might feel incredibly boring to use the same old scheme every time but the truth is your audience will remember your brand easier this way.
Arranging the picture is the fun part. Group all objects you want to take a picture of, leave out everything irrelevant, align or square all objects in a grid or circle, so that they are at 90 degree angles from each other, and then photograph these objects from above. Knoll on!
The trick to pulling off this look is taking really beautiful photographs. So get a good camera and be patient — play with it, use filters, (re-)arrange things as long as necessary so that you’re 100% happy with the outcome. Knolling is a great way to display items you have for sale in a clean and attractive fashion. Not only is it very pleasant to look at, but it’s also incredibly useful for getting an understanding of your online store’s collection, and a good way to show a potential outfit, makeup routine, menu, etc.
Add something extra
There are few simple things that can bring nature into your arrangement of items and help tie the colors and concepts into a visual theme that people can relate to. When creating a potential outfit for your online store, add something extra in the layout so you don’t only show items you are selling. Let your imagination run wild and fill in the blank spaces with something to round out the offering, like a leaf, cup of coffee, flower etc. Make sure it’s relevant to the picture’s topics, so that it tells a story through the photograph.
Technically speaking, even though most people choose to depict the trend that way, knolling is simply the method of arranging the items and is not directly related to overhead photography. It might be interesting to mix things up a little with different angles then, don’t you think? Shoot straight up, get down low, twist the camera, exaggerate features, kneel down, whatever. Feel free to try and do what fits you best.
Check your success
How can you see if all this effort worked? Check your analytics back. See whether amount of your visitors and orders raised. Put your pics on Pinterest and track its shares.
Summary
As plainly and simply as explained above, knolling is no rocket science. It just takes a lot of patience and thorough preparation, a quality camera, a bunch of good ideas and something extra that adds a special touch to the mixture. This trend can help you present your product in a more up-to-date fashion and make it appear even more appealing to your potential customers. Now it’s only up to you to incorporate this concept into your website and social media. Give it a shot, keep your online store looking fresh, organize your product photography, and before you knoll it, you will be totally cool, consistent and easily-memorable in your audience’s eyes!
