Image is an important component of human life. A lot of things sometimes depend on the ability to present oneself on the favorable side. Often a person does not even think about it, but all people strive to make a favorable impression on others. All people play certain social roles and seek to interact with each other most effectively. The image helps in this, it is a reflection of our aspirations and desires for ourselves, other people and the world as a whole.
Image: concept and types
Today, there are many definitions of image. If we summarize different points of view, we can characterize the image as a specially created image of an object used for certain purposes. Depending on the object, the image is divided by type.
Types of image:
- image of a person;
- 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 done. At its core, the image represents a brief amount of well-chosen, most beneficial information that needs to be conveyed to a person.
The need to create an image
The types of image and the functions that it performs should help a person interact with the world most effectively. Image functions include:
- the opportunity to demonstrate the best qualities, personality, moral and value attitudes of a person;
- the influence of the image on the psychological comfort of a person (increases self-confidence and their capabilities, positively affects a person's communicative abilities);
- an opportunity to demonstrate business qualities and professional competence;
- an opportunity to smooth over existing shortcomings, redirecting attention to advantages;
- the opportunity to draw attention to your person and make the right impression;
- the ability to interact with different categories of people, providing 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 fraud will quickly open, and the person will ruin his reputation. An image that is far from the real person’s personality is very difficult to maintain and broadcast to others.
Personal image
Each person has an individuality inherent only 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:
Using various individual qualities of a person, various types of personal image are created. For example, to fit into a new team, a person creates a reputation for himself as a “simple guy” or “soul of the company”, etc., depending on the qualities that he possesses. A personal image is made up of certain characteristics by which the desired image of a person is built. They take into account the various channels of perception of information that a person uses.
Characteristics of a personal image:
- Habitational ( human 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, expression, smile, mobility and artistry of the face. The ability to express emotions through facial expressions makes a favorable impression on the interlocutor.
- Verbal: sounding of a voice (timbre, intonation), semantic content of speech, expressiveness of speech, literacy and accessibility of presentation. A person who knows the art of communication is able to influence and make the necessary acquaintances.
- Kinetic: human movements, gestures that he uses, gait, posture. The human body through movements and postures translates the internal state.
- 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, morality, principles, stereotypes. The worldview and beliefs of a person make him interesting to others or, conversely, unpleasant.
- Background: what friends, colleagues, and media say about a person. A person’s reputation is capable of playing into or against a person’s hand. Therefore, the image largely works for a reputation. And when the right reputation is created, then it works for the image.
- Internet: activity on social networks, what a person writes, what photos he uploads on the Internet. The Internet has become an integral part of human life, so it is an excellent source of information about a person.
Image Features
When creating a personal image, you need to consider some more features of a person. In addition to personal qualities and abilities, there are still important factors affecting the success of a reputation: age, gender, ethnic, social, regional.
It must be understood that the image of a man and a woman will differ according to 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 affect the image of a person. Especially it is necessary to highlight the social factor - this belongs to different social layers of the population. This is also an important factor taken into account when creating the image.
Image of a business person: appearance, behavior
A business image has its own characteristics, as it is associated exclusively with a person’s business activities. Therefore, the appearance and behavior of a person will be aimed at achieving success in professional activities. A business image will be created in order to show the business skills and qualities of a person, their competence and prospects.
There are several varieties of business image:
- mirror (reflects the view from the side);
- current (reflects a person’s self-image);
- Desired (reflects what a person strives for);
- corporate (reflects the image of the organization as a whole);
- charismatic (reflects the image of a leader, leader).
In the business sphere, a person is given the opportunity to show all his abilities and talents. However, this is a sphere of competition, therefore, a person striving to achieve success must constantly develop and improve his abilities. A business image does not tolerate falsehood and ignorance; it requires knowledge and observance of business etiquette, ethics of business communication.
Self-presentation
One of the components of a successful image is self-presentation. This is the ability to show one’s abilities, present oneself, attract attention and interest people. Not every person possesses these qualities, but they can be developed in oneself. Of course, not all spheres of human activity require self-presentation, but it will successfully fit into various types of image. Basically, it is necessary for people in creative professions, especially in show business, as well as in politics.
Corporate Image
Any corporation needs a successful image. Its popularity and demand in the market will depend on him. Corporate image reflects the perception of the 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, well-chosen, can ensure organizations success in the business sphere, customer demand, popularity and influence among other companies, as well as competitiveness.
The image of the corporation includes:
- corporate philosophy;
- corporate history;
- appearance;
- famous employees and staff;
- environment;
- relations with society;
- general background.
Organization Image
Various types of organization image are united by a combination of internal, external and business qualities of the company. They are composed of eight components:
- Product (service) image: people's ideas about the unique characteristics inherent in a product.
- Image of consumers of goods: demonstrates the status and nature of consumers.
- The internal image of the organization: reflects the culture of the organization.
- The image of the founder and the main leaders of the organization: characterized by ideas about the personal qualities, abilities and intentions of the founder or leader, formed on the basis of parameters that are accessible to perception: behavior, actions, appearance and activities of the leader.
- Personnel image: reflects the image of personnel with characteristic features.
- The visual image of the organization: reflects information about the office building, its interior, the appearance of the staff, branding.
- 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.
Image building
The relevance and popularity of the image led to the emergence of a scientific discipline - imageology. She is engaged in the study of the image as a developing information product with a combination of unique characteristics and created in the minds of people. Formation and creation of the image is done by specialist image makers. Using various types of image and current consumer needs, they are able to create a popular and working image for a person or organization.
Activities as a component of the image
The image of a type of activity includes the analysis of a specific kind of activity in order to create the most effective image. It takes into account such components as the focus of activity, knowledge and skills necessary for its implementation, presentation and requirements of society to a specific type of occupation. By type of activity, the following types of image can be distinguished:
- image of the organization (PR-technology, reputation);
- personal image (shared by the image of specialists, politicians and show business);
- territorial image (housing, recreational facilities, economic zones);
- social image (promotion of various ideas, ideologies).
Territory image
The image exists in different territories, it includes a combination of rational thoughts and emotional impressions, which arise on the basis of knowledge, rumors and experience regarding all the characteristic signs of any territory that are available for perception and evaluation.
Types of territory image:
- formal (consists of an assessment of natural and produced resources, GNP per inhabitant and the size of human resources inherent in the territory);
- household (formed by local leaders, rumors and the media, therefore it is considered unreliable and unsystematic).
In today's fast-paced world, information is paramount. Anyone who knows how to use information technology to their advantage will always be successful and in demand in society. The image is directly related to information technology, therefore it is very popular, especially in business and politics.