The research found that one third of the British public would still like to see people wearing masks in visual communications. In comparison, 27% are against seeing people wearing masks in visual content and branded media, while half of the public report feeling indifferent either way.

The consensus around indoor vs. outdoor socialising and dining was much clearer, with 91% of the British public stating that outdoor visual content is still preferable. The continuation of social distancing being reflected in visual comms was also fairly unanimous with 83% saying it would be good to see this continue being represented.

However the following results contradict this opinion, with 85% being in favour of seeing images that reflect life before the pandemic. Jacqueline Bourke, head of creative insights EMEA at iStock, says “Our Visual GPS research tells us that while people will be relieved to have restrictions lifting, many are still concerned about safety and social distancing and want to see that represented in visual communications."

"What that means for advertisers and businesses is that they need to carefully balance the present and future with a multi-layered visual strategy which is respectful and inclusive of all audiences,” adds Bourke. The goal of the research was to better understand the consumer sentiment of UK restrictions lifting, in order to offer guidance to creative comms teams when choosing appropriate visuals.

The research was conducted by iStock in partnership with global research company, MarketCast, for iStock’s in-house insights platform, Visual GPS.

Image credit to SolStock.