You can have a brilliant design and clever words, but if your message doesn’t land, people will simply move on.
That’s why it’s worth understanding the psychology behind effective brand messaging. It helps you communicate in a way that feels clear and obvious to the person reading or listening.
Here, I’ve broken down the psychology behind effective messaging into eight practical ideas—each backed by research and real examples you can actually use.
Let’s get started.
1. Make it easy to understand
Most people won’t spend long trying to figure out what you mean. Our brains look for simplicity and shortcuts, especially when there’s so much competing for our attention. That’s why clarity matters so much in brand communication.
If your message is easy to get, people are more likely to remember it, act on it, and actually believe it. Psychologists call this ‘processing fluency’—the easier something is to grasp, the more people tend to like it, trust it, and judge it positively.
Recent marketing research confirms this in a brand context. Light and Fernbach (2024) showed that consumers who perceived a brand as simple rated it as less risky and more dependable. But the paper also warned that this could backfire if the brand failed to meet expectations.
So clarity isn’t just about making your message easy to understand. It also shapes how safe people feel about choosing your brand. That sense of safety is often what gets people to take action.
Example: Wise
Wise builds its whole story around simple, transparent money transfers. Their slogan, “money without borders”, sums it up. Everything—from clear pricing to showing the real exchange rate and step-by-step processes—reduces uncertainty and builds trust.
How to craft a clear brand message
- Use language that feels natural and straightforward—like how you’d actually speak.
- Stick to active voice and clear, definite words.
- Avoid jargon and industry speak. If someone outside your field wouldn’t get it, make it simpler.
- Break ideas into headlines and bullet points so people can scan before they read.
- Use readability tools like Hemingway or Grammarly. Brand-level tools like messaging matrices or value-proposition canvases can help you keep your message clear and consistent everywhere.
2. Make people feel something
Clarity gets people through the door, but emotion is what keeps them there. Once someone understands what you offer, the next question is: Why should I care?
Emotion answers that question. Most of us decide with our feelings first and use logic to back it up later. Our brains look for meaning before facts, and emotional cues show us what matters.
Research also shows that emotion helps content spread.
Berger and Milkman analysed thousands of New York Times articles and found that content evoking high-arousal emotions, such as awe or anger, was more likely to be shared. In contrast, content evoking low-arousal emotions, such as sadness, was less likely to be shared.
That’s why emotionally charged stories spread faster than dry facts.
Context matters. For example, a study of tweets about the Coronavirus pandemic found that tweets expressing joy were retweeted more often, while those expressing anger were retweeted less. The topic and audience shape which emotions travel best. Test what works for your audience and channels.
Example: Dove
Dove’s Real Beauty campaign shifted the focus away from product features towards self-worth and identity.
This emotional focus made the brand memorable and relevant. The campaign sparked real discussion and sharing, and it boosted awareness and sales.
You can use emotion in the same way. Start by showing why it matters before you dive into the details.
How to use emotion in your brand messaging
- Lead with feeling, not features.
- Show why it matters. What actually changes for someone when they choose you?
- Match the emotion to what your audience already cares about. It could be hope, pride, relief, or even a bit of fear if you use it carefully.
- Use real stories and specific details. The more concrete you are, the more believable your message becomes.
- Use emotion to help people understand, not to push or manipulate. Keep it honest.
3. Frame your value the right way
The next thing you need to do is to communicate your offer’s actual value. And how you do that can change how they see it.
This is where framing comes in. Our decisions depend not just on what’s said, but on how it’s said.
Here’s a classic example from behavioural research: A message framed as a ‘95% success rate’ feels much more reassuring than ‘5% failure rate’, even though they both mean the same thing.
This difference in interpretation was first documented by psychologists Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman in their research on decision-making and judgement.
Framing also shapes how people interpret risk.
According to Prospect Theory, we are naturally more sensitive to losses than to gains. Losing 10 dollars, for example, has a stronger emotional impact than winning the same amount (Kahneman & Tversky, 1979).
This is why emphasising what someone might lose—time, clarity or opportunities—can sometimes be more motivating than simply listing the benefits.
But this isn’t about scaring people. It’s about making the stakes real. When you show the difference between where someone is now and what’s possible if they take action, your message feels more relevant and meaningful to them.
Example: Grammarly
Grammarly doesn’t just promise better writing. It presents a clear comparison:
- Without Grammarly, mistakes slip through, tone gets misread, and messages can be misunderstood.
- With Grammarly, writing becomes clearer, more confident, and protected from avoidable errors.
By framing the choice around avoiding unnecessary losses and gaining clarity, Grammarly makes the next step feel obvious.
4. Bendito Mockup
Bendito Mockup is best known for its premium mockups, but they now also offer stock photography. The library is still small, but the quality stands out immediately.
The collection feels curated and art-directed, with clean compositions and image sets that work beautifully for branding and design projects.
Right now, most of the content focuses on food and sports scenes, available both as clean background-friendly images and detailed close-up shots. This mix makes them ideal for layouts like websites, presentations or portfolios.
Style & aesthetic
- Minimal and elegant
- High-end editorial feel
- Calm, intentional compositions
- Great mix of backgrounds and detail shots
Licensing
- Commercial licences available
- Clear terms make it easy for designers and brands to use
- Extended licences available for larger projects
Best for
- Boutique design studios (portfolios)
- Premium and lifestyle brands
- High-quality websites, moodboards and brand presentations
Price
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From $39 USD per image (depending on licence)
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Cohesive image collections available
Why I like it
Bendito collaborates with skilled photographers; and it shows. The lighting, colour, and styling are consistently high-quality, giving any brand an instantly polished look.
Another bonus is that they offer beautiful background-style images, which are incredibly useful in branding but often hard to find.
Bendito is definitely a boutique alternative to overcrowded stock sites and one to watch as their library grows.
5. Stocksy
Stocksy is another excellent alternative to the typical overused stock photo sites.
The images are curated by professional photographers, which ensures consistently high quality. The photography focuses on natural light, real emotion, thoughtful composition and strong visual storytelling.
The library is large and versatile, covering everything from lifestyle and business to travel, wellness and creative conceptual imagery.
Style & aesthetic
- Authentic and artistic
- Emotional storytelling
- Partly documentary style
- Natural colours and rich textures
- Strong compositions, editorial feel
Licensing
- Royalty-free
- Clear commercial usage
- Model and property releases for most images
Best for
- Brands that want to communicate through storytelling
- Premium and boutique brands
- Lifestyle, wellness, travel, culture
- Sustainability and purpose-driven companies
- Editorial-style design, magazine layouts, campaigns
- Agencies and designers who need character-rich imagery
Price
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From $35 USD per image (depending on size and usage)
Why I like it
Even though I haven’t personally used Stocksy yet, I recommend it to anyone looking for expressive, personality-driven images.
The search functionality is great—you can filter by skin tone, ethnicity, colour, mood or even perspective, and more.
Stocksy also offers video content, and the artists are paid fairly, which makes the platform even more appealing.
6. Death to Stock
Death to Stock has been around for a few years, and you can feel it in the quality of their visuals.
Their photos are full of personality and creativity without looking staged or overproduced. Instead of the typical stock aesthetic, you get cinematic lighting, raw emotion, and beautifully composed storytelling.
Many image collections are built around meaningful themes such as culture, identity, environment, or society.
In addition to portraits, you’ll find abstract imagery, textures, and artistic concepts. It’s a great choice if you’re building a brand that wants to make a statement rather than blend in.
Style & Aesthetic
- Raw, cinematic, atmospheric
- Artistic, sometimes experimental
- Strong storytelling visuals
- Sditorial rather than stock look
Licensing
-
Commercial use included
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Typically includes model and property releases
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Clear, easy-to-understand licence terms
Best for
- Bold, creative brands
- Design studios & agencies
- Storytelling campaigns
- Editorial branding, hero imagery, moodboards, etc.
Price
- Subscription from $19 per month
Why I like it
Death to Stock is anything but ordinary. Their images are expressive and emotionally engaging. They feel more like campaign or magazine photography than stock.
If your brand values originality and strong visual identity, this platform is worth exploring.
One thing to keep in mind though is that you need an active membership to use their content. Once you cancel, you lose the right to use most images. They do offer extended licences for individual photos so you can use them forever, but those are quite expensive. Personally, I haven’t used Death to Stock commercially yet for that reason.
That said, I still check in often as their imagery is really inspiring.
7. Editorial Stock Images
Editorial Stock Images is a smaller, curated platform with warm, authentic photography. The images feel personal and natural; almost like they were taken from a lifestyle feature rather than a stock library.
For brands that want to tell honest, human-centred stories, this site is a valuable resource.
The collection isn’t huge, but it’s stylistically very consistent. Expect natural light, organic colours, real locations, and a calm visual atmosphere.
Style & Aesthetic
- Warm, natural lighting
- Real people, real moments
- Organic compositions
- Soft colour palette with a cinematic feel
Licensing
- Commercial use allowed
- Check model and property releases for advertising use
Best for
- Value-driven brands
- Sustainability, NGOs, creative studios
- Brand storytelling, websites, campaigns, annual reports etc.
Price
- From $15 per image
- Membership from $49 per month
Why I like it
Editorial Stock Images strikes a beautiful balance. The photos aren’t overly polished, but they’re not gritty either.
They feel human and sincere, which makes them ideal for brands that communicate transparency, connection, or purpose.
There’s also video content available, which is perfect if you want to build a consistent visual narrative across different media.
8. Stills
Stills is one of the most artistic stock photo platforms on the market. Browsing through it feels less like scrolling a stock image library and more like exploring a curated photography archive or gallery.
The images are created by renowned photographers and artists, and the quality shows. You’ll find atmospheric lighting, strong emotions, striking compositions, and visual storytelling at a very high level.
Stills sits at the premium end of this list in terms of pricing—but it’s still more affordable than commissioning a photoshoot of comparable quality.
For brands that value aesthetics and emotional impact, this can be a worthwhile investment.
Style & Aesthetic
- Cinematic and atmospheric
rich textures and depth - Minimalist but emotionally powerful
- Artistic, editorial look
Licensing
-
Commercial use allowed
-
Always check rights for ads, campaigns, and wide distribution
Best for
- Premium lifestyle brands
- Creative studios and campaigns
- Campaigns, brand systems, hero visuals, etc.
Price
- Starting at $147 per image (depending on resolution)
Why I like it
Stills bridges the gap between traditional stock photography and fine art. Here you get original artwork from established photographers like &Walsh, Theo Gosselin, and Joe Pettet-Smith. These are the kinds of visuals you’d usually see in magazines, galleries, or high-end campaigns.
I haven’t used Stills myself yet because it’s a little expensive for most of my clients. But if you’re looking for unique, expressive image worlds that stand out from the crowd, this platform offers exceptional material.
Other stock photo sites worth exploring
I’ve focused on a selection of the best stock photo sites in this guide, but there are many more that are worth exploring—especially if you’re looking for a specific visual style or want to expand your image library.
- Mockup Maison: Originally known for its mockups, the platform now also offers curated photo collections. The style is modern, minimalist, and quite brand-friendly.
- iStock: A huge library with mixed quality. Useful if you already have a subscription. I use it for one client and find it solid, but not particularly unique.
- TONL, Nappy and CreateHER Stock: Platforms with culturally diverse photography and a strong focus on representation. Ideal if diversity and inclusion matter to your brand.
- Lummi: Pretty good quality AI-generated stock images. Great if you’re looking for something fresh or need visuals in very specific styles that are hard to find elsewhere.
- EyeEm: A community-driven marketplace with artistic images that often have a documentary feel. A good source for more authentic visuals beyond the typical stock look.
- Burst by Shopify: A free stock photo library created for small businesses and start-ups. Practical and versatile, although some images can feel a little generic.
- Rawpixel: A creative and versatile platform offering everything from contemporary lifestyle photography to vintage illustrations and design assets.
- Westend61: A premium European photo agency offering natural, high-quality lifestyle imagery. Their photos have a realistic yet polished feel and are perfect if you want your brand visuals to look relatable.
Wrapping up
Even with a small budget, stock photos don’t have to look generic or cheap. With the right sources and a clear visual strategy, you can build a professional and cohesive visual identity for your brand.
Here’s how to get started:
- Define your visual direction. Decide what visual style fits your brand. What mood do you want to create? What kind of light, colours and atmosphere reflect your positioning? This becomes your filter for selecting authentic stock photos.
- Choose the right sources. Use platforms that align with your style and values. Pick a few favourites and stick to them if possible. This helps you maintain consistency.
- Build your own image library. Save fitting images in themed folders or collections. This saves time for future projects and keeps your brand visuals consistent across your website, social media and marketing.
If you’d like help defining your photography style or building a consistent visual system for your brand, feel free to get in touch via my contact form. I’d be happy to help.
Title image by RF._.studio _ via Pexels
