The cover photo is an important introduction to your Facebook page.  It is one of the first places a visitor to your page will look (Krug) so it’s important to make a good first impression.  Proper use of Visual Communication techniques is vital.

A Towing Company, to properly introduce themselves and gain business, will want to use their cover photo to establish tone, evoke emotion, convey sentiment, elicit an action, connect people to ideas and transcend language.

Krug further suggests that we muddle along and satisfice, so, “Don’t Make Me Think”

Purpose:                 Abrams (y/n)                           Heavy  (y/n)

Establish Tone                    Y                                      Y

Evoke Emotion                   Y                                       Y

Convey Sentiment            Y                                       Y

Elicit Action                          Y                                       N

Connect                                 Y                                        Y

Transcend                             Y                                        Y

Don’t Make Me Think!      PASS                             FAIL

While both images successfully satisfy most of the purposes, only Abrams successfully completes Elicit Action and satisfies Don’t Make Me Think by incorporating contact information into the photo itself.

The impact is judged on factors like intent, colour, motion, and text.  Both images are impactful and convey motion but Abrams uses more colour and is eye-catching, while Heavy’s image is drab and neutral toned.  Abrams also has a clear intent, to tow, while Heavy’s intent is not … is it news, is it interest, is it a recovery, is it a tow?  It’s a bit like thinking, something we don’t want!

Heavy also successfully meet many of the purposes, especially evoking emotion and conveying sentiment, but if all of the purposes are not satisfied, the image cannot be considered effective.

Altogether, I might still use Heavy’s service, the next time I break down, but based on a quick scan of the Facebook page, I’d probably choose Abrams, mostly because I would reach a faster decision about what they do and how they do it.