What kinds of photographic prints tend to appeal to business buyers?
Asked 1/21/2013
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I’m a photographer focusing on urban landscapes in London and I’d like to sell framed prints/artwork to businesses. My portfolio includes a mix of black-and-white images and evening/color city scenes.
For those with experience selling prints to companies, what types of photographs tend to work best in business settings? Does it usually depend on the industry—for example, finance or legal offices preferring black and white, while creative companies lean toward more colorful or dramatic work? I’m especially interested in what businesses typically look for when buying wall art for their premises.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
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Unfortunately there are a few too many variables here to be able to give a specific answer, but I will share some thoughts based on personal experience.
There's always the personal choice of somebody who's in charge of buying these prints; and as anyone who's ever tried to sell prints or exhibited knows that's a whole minefield, one which I'll certainly never decipher.
But more importantly, I find a lot of businesses seem to want imagery which I associated with the area in which they operate
I have sold this image to an estate agent chain in the vicinity of this bridge (Runcorn, UK).
I've also sold images from this series to a legal firm, again close to the area where the images were taken (Liverpool, UK).
I have friends who have sold images to architects firms of projects they have completed, and one who has made quite a number of sales of images of the building an organisation occupies.
My advice would be to have a wide portfolio of images of varying styles to show to prospective customers, and if you're trying to sell framed prints to have the ability to adapt the framing to your customer's requirements.
Originally by user5304. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user5304
13y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
There isn’t one style that reliably “sells best” to all businesses. From the shared experience here, the biggest factor is relevance to the buyer: many companies prefer images connected to their local area, industry, or identity.
Examples mentioned include estate agents and legal firms buying photographs of landmarks near where they operate, and architects buying images related to projects they designed. That suggests subject matter with local or professional meaning can matter more than whether the print is black-and-white or color.
So yes, company type matters—but often in terms of subject and connection rather than just visual style. Black-and-white may suit some offices, and more colorful evening work may suit others, but the decision is often driven by the tastes of the person choosing the artwork and whether the image feels relevant to the business.
If you’re targeting business sales, a strong approach is to show work that matches the client’s location, clientele, or brand character, and offer a range of styles rather than assuming one look fits every sector.
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