Hello, dear readers of the KtoNaNovenkogo.ru blog. The word image can be associated with a person, a company or a brand.
It is formed to achieve certain goals that are difficult to achieve in other ways.
Let's look at what it is, what it is like, what characteristics it is made up of, what functions it performs and by what rules it is formed.
Image: concept and types
Today there are many definitions of image. If we generalize different points of view, we can characterize an image as a specially created image of an object, used for certain purposes. Depending on the object, the image is divided into types.
Types of image:
- person's image;
- image of the organization;
- image of the territory;
- image of the subject.
In fact, an external image can be created for any object, you just need to understand for what purpose this is being done. At its core, an image represents a short amount of well-chosen, most beneficial information that needs to be conveyed to a person.
The significance of the discoveries obtained
Image is a powerful tool of influence, which in the process of communication has a dramatic impact on the perception of the message. This phenomenon itself is the result of social interaction, without which there can be no talk of any image. It always has a symbolic nature, since it is thanks to signs and symbols that it is possible to assign an individual with a certain image to a particular social group. The sign has the function of replacing certain objects or phenomena. Thus, an individual image is a way to tell the audience that its bearer is the owner of certain qualities and properties.
The need to create an image
The types of image and the functions that it performs should help a person interact with the world around him most effectively. The functions of image include:
- the opportunity to demonstrate the best qualities, individuality, and moral values of a person;
- the influence of image on a person’s psychological comfort (increases self-confidence and one’s capabilities, has a positive effect on a person’s communication abilities);
- opportunity to demonstrate business qualities and professional competence;
- the ability to smooth out existing shortcomings by refocusing attention on the advantages;
- the opportunity to attract attention to your person and make the right impression;
- the ability to interact with different categories of people, ensuring greater efficiency in the business sphere.
When creating an image, it is important to use reliable information about a person and his real qualities, because the deception will quickly be revealed and the person will ruin his reputation. An image that is far from a person’s real personality is very difficult to maintain and broadcast to others.
What is imageology?
Imageology is the science of image formation, designed to help make exactly the impression that was planned. Imageology was formed in the Western community in the 60s of the 20th century; it appeared in the Russian-speaking space 20 years later. At first she was engaged in creating images of politicians, later in science the areas of personal, pedagogical, medical, managerial, personnel, corporate, and legal imageology emerged.
Although imageology was formed relatively recently, the basic elements of style and personal image appeared in Ancient Egypt . The image of the pharaoh combined the characteristics of a person and a deity and was closely associated with the image of the state. The appearance of the pharaoh personified the omnipotence of the supreme leader, and later became a prototype of government. This practice spread to the countries of Mesopotamia, Ancient China, and Ancient Persia.
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In Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece, more attention was paid to the image of the state. Later in Medieval Europe, a religious and secular aspect was added to the image of the ruler. Increased demands were placed on knights or nobles: they had to be able to read poetry, wield a sword masterfully, stay in the saddle, and serve their master. During the Renaissance, ordinary people began to understand the importance of a beautiful image. The reputation of families, individual households, and working dynasties is formed.
In modern times , with the development of production, the general image of the individual bifurcated into external and internal. On the one hand, a person had to fit into society, on the other, to develop his inner qualities. In Russia, personal image has become the main component of a businessman. The external image of the merchant (beard, solidity, physical strength) and his internal appearance (honesty, decency, faithfulness to his word) were formed. When paper contracts did not yet exist, the “merchant’s word” had great power when concluding transactions.
Today, a multi-stage strategy for building a personal brand is being developed by politicians, actors, television presenters, businessmen, and bloggers.
Personal image
Each person has an individuality that is unique to him. It consists of a set of certain qualities, temperament and character of a person, his worldview and moral principles. Types of human image:
- Personal.
- Business.
Using various individual qualities of a person, various types of personal image are created. For example, in order to fit into a new team, a person creates a reputation for himself as a “simple guy” or “the soul of the company,” etc., depending on the qualities that he possesses. Personal image consists of certain characteristics that help build the desired image of a person. They take into account the various channels of information perception that a person uses.
Characteristics of personal image:
- Habitar (person’s appearance): clothing style, hairstyle, makeup, manicure, perfume, neatness and grooming. A well-groomed, well-dressed person is subconsciously perceived as worthy of trust and attention.
- Mimic: facial expressions, eye expression, smile, mobility and artistry of the face. The ability to express emotions through facial expressions makes a favorable impression on the interlocutor.
- Verbal: sound of voice (timbre, intonation), semantic content of speech, expressiveness of speech, literacy and accessibility of presentation. A person who masters the art of communication is able to influence and make the necessary contacts.
- Kinetic: human movements, gestures he uses, gait, posture. The human body transmits its internal state through movements and postures.
- Material: property, things surrounding a person. A person’s house, the car he drives, the things he uses can tell a lot about a person.
- Mental: beliefs, worldview, morals, principles, stereotypes. A person’s worldview and beliefs make him interesting to others or, conversely, unpleasant.
- Background: what friends, colleagues, and the media say about a person. A person's reputation can play into a person's hands or against him. Therefore, the image largely works for the reputation. And when the necessary reputation is created, it works for the image.
- Internet: activity on social networks, what a person writes, what photos he posts on the Internet. The Internet has become an integral part of human life, so it is an excellent source of information about a person.
Socio-psychological analysis of image
The concept of image with a high degree of confidence can be called an interdisciplinary concept, since its formation occurred in many sciences simultaneously, generalizing knowledge in accordance with the goals and objectives of each science. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the process of formation of this concept was studied mainly by psychologists and sociologists.
A person today, in the twenty-first century, living in a new information society, is valuable only as an individual capable of self-expression and having undeniable success in all areas of his life. At the same time, the individual expression of each person occurs increasingly with the help of information technologies: social networks and virtual communication. Live human communication in this case is simply replaced by symbolic communication for the purpose of exchanging information.
The roles that a person performs every day in the family, at work or in a cafe also become symbolic. A certain image and reputation of an individual are created depending on the environment in which a person has to be on a daily basis.
A person, mainly due to the influence of the media, has formed his own idea of the concept of image. This is the image of a person through the eyes of other people, a whole range of stereotypes attached to our personality in people’s minds, as well as our idea of ourselves, which in one way or another can be transmitted to others; a person's overall image on social networks and his attractiveness to other people, read through “likes” on his social network profile.
Features of the image
When creating a personal image, you need to take into account some other characteristics of a person. In addition to personal qualities and abilities, there are also important factors that influence the success of a reputation: age, gender, ethnicity, social, regional.
It is necessary to understand that the image of a man and a woman will differ according to their gender. A businessman and a businesswoman have the same tasks, but their image will be different. Age characteristics, ethnicity, region of residence - all this will influence a person’s image. It is especially necessary to highlight the social factor - this is belonging to different social strata of the population. This is also an important factor taken into account when creating an image.
Tips for building an image
- Rely on your personal qualities, rather than inventing an image from scratch. Practice shows that an image created solely for commercial purposes and completely inconsistent with the temperament of the individual is quickly exposed. Why pretend to be bright and active if you like to stay at home and wear total black? It is much easier to write down existing characteristics and tastes, and build a personal brand on the basis of this. You can work on the individual missing qualities that you plan to gain, but breaking yourself is not the best solution.
- Define your target audience. This is where you should start forming an image after you have described yourself. Who are the people you plan to attract? Whether it's for work or socializing, it doesn't matter. They may be similar to you in some ways, but they don’t have to be your copy. There are enough intersections at certain points and the similarity of a number of tastes.
- Consider what colors, styles and styles convey. Everything here is quite flexible, because even in each environment the attitude towards color and style is different. Therefore, it is worth taking into account the meaning of images specifically for your target audience. Let me give you a trivial example. Red dreadlocks with shaved temples on a lawyer may be perceived negatively and considered a sign of frivolity. But a similar hairstyle for a hairdresser-colorist will, on the contrary, be perceived positively and indicate excellent knowledge of the profession. Now the boundaries are blurring, we are moving to the point where appearance is not taken into account too strictly. However, in many cities people are still assessed based on such small details, and sometimes even the wrong color of a blouse can affect the decision to hire.
- Find people you like, but don't copy their style. Try to list their qualities and compare them with yours. What are you lacking that you would like to measure up to? Why do you like their image and what transmitted character traits are hidden behind it? If you like people completely opposite to you and want to be like them, then think about it: perhaps you do not accept yourself and do not understand your strengths. A psychologist can be of great help here.
- Bring everything under your image, from appearance to behavior. I have already repeated many times that it is better to choose your appearance based on your personal qualities. Then the image will be harmonious for others and comfortable for you. Here's a simple example. A girl who does not like to iron clothes, do daily hair styling and makeup should not choose the image of a pin-up lady. After all, it requires impeccable appearance and manners on an ongoing basis. In this case, if you are interested in images in the spirit of the past, you should try on a retro look for a shoot or on an outing, but do not settle on such an image. Rather, the style would be relaxed casual with occasional retro elements for every day.
Let's summarize. Image is important for any person, not just for a star, blogger or owner of a large company. If you define it for yourself and live up to it throughout your life, then you will be remembered exactly the way you would like to present yourself. And this is the main goal.
Image of a business person: appearance, behavior
Business image has its own characteristics, since it is associated exclusively with a person’s business activities. Therefore, a person’s appearance and behavior will be aimed at achieving success in professional activities. A business image will be created with the aim of demonstrating the business skills and qualities of an individual, her competence and prospects.
There are several types of business image:
- mirror (reflects the view from the side);
- current (reflects a person’s idea of himself);
- desired (reflects what a person strives for);
- corporate (reflects the image of the organization as a whole);
- charismatic (reflects the image of a leader, manager).
In the business sphere, a person is given the opportunity to demonstrate all his capabilities and talents. However, this is a competitive field, so a person striving to succeed must constantly develop and improve his abilities. A business image does not tolerate falsehood and ignorance; it requires knowledge and adherence to business etiquette and ethics of business communication.
Self-presentation
One of the components of a successful image is self-presentation. This is the ability to show your abilities, present yourself, attract attention and interest people. Not every person has these qualities, but they can be developed in oneself. Of course, not all areas of human activity require self-presentation, but it will fit well into various types of image. Basically, it is necessary for people in creative professions, especially in show business, as well as in politics.
Image for the corporation
Any corporation needs a successful image. Its popularity and demand in the market will depend on it. Corporate image reflects the perception of an organization by various public groups. They purposefully form a holistic image of the corporation based on information about its activities.
Various types of corporate image, carefully selected, can provide organizations with success in the business sphere, demand among clients, fame and influence among other companies, as well as competitiveness.
The corporation's image includes:
- corporate philosophy;
- history of the corporation;
- appearance;
- famous employees and staff;
- environment;
- relations with society;
- general background.
Image of the organization
Various types of image of an organization are united by a combination of internal, external and business qualities of the company. They are made up of eight components:
- Image of a product (service): people’s ideas about the unique characteristics inherent in a product.
- Image of product consumers: demonstrates the status and character of consumers.
- Internal image of the organization: reflects the culture of the organization.
- The image of the founder and main leaders of the organization: is characterized by ideas about the personal qualities, abilities and intentions of the founder or leader, formed on the basis of perceptible parameters: behavior, actions, appearance and activities of the leader.
- Personnel image: reflects the image of the personnel with their characteristic features.
- Visual image of the organization: reflects information about the office building, its interior, the appearance of the staff, and corporate symbols.
- Social image of the organization: characterizes the organization’s participation in the social and cultural life of society, the organization of environmental and social programs.
- Business image of the organization: characterizes the organization as a subject of a certain activity, having a business reputation, business activity and the degree of development of innovative technologies.
Material perception
It is formed by the presence or absence of a personal car, the furniture among which you live, and the dishes in your kitchen. This includes your home interior, certain family values, your books, personal film library, family photo albums, paintings on the walls of your home. All these details tell about the real you.
Therefore, before inviting strangers to visit your home, think carefully, perhaps your home can somehow significantly change the image you created earlier.
Activity as a component of image
The image of an activity includes the analysis of a specific type of activity in order to create the most effective image. Such components as the focus of the activity, the knowledge and skills necessary for its implementation, the perceptions and requirements of society for a specific type of activity are taken into account. By type of activity, the following types of image can be distinguished:
- image of the organization (PR technologies, reputation);
- personal image (divided into the image of specialists, politicians and show business);
- territorial image (housing, recreation areas, areas of economic activity);
- social image (promotion of various ideas, ideologies).
Image of the territory
Image also exists for various territories; it includes a combination of rational thoughts and emotional impressions that arise on the basis of knowledge, rumors and experience relating to all the characteristic features of a territory that are available for perception and evaluation.
Types of territory image:
- formal (consists of an assessment of natural and produced resources, the size of GNP per inhabitant and the amount of human resources inherent in the territory);
- everyday (formed by local leaders, rumors and the media, and therefore is considered unreliable and unsystematic).
In today's fast-paced world, information is of paramount importance. Anyone who knows how to use information technology to their advantage will always be successful and in demand in society. Image is directly related to information technology, and therefore is in great demand, especially in business and politics.
Symbolism of individual image in folk memory
Symbolism in the image allows a person to become quickly recognizable. There are many examples of people who are imprinted in the memory of peoples and cultures thanks to one or another symbol:
- J.V. Stalin. The leader could be easily recognized by his smoking pipe.
- Adolf Gitler. The symbol with which the villain was remembered by millions of people was his aggressive mustache and bangs, laid on an unusual side.
- Fidel Castro . The leader of the Cuban revolution always wore a military uniform.
- Yulia Timoshenko. The politician is famous for her braid. Which, in turn, is a symbol of Lesya Ukrainka, the great Ukrainian poetess.
- Kurban Berdyev. At every match, the coach appears with a rosary in his hands.
In other words, an image is always a certain image that has a symbolic structure; it is “something greater” than the person himself. If you look from the position of semiotics - the science of symbols and signs - it is directly related to the values of humanity.
