I'm looking for examples of websites that incorporate photos of people
effectively.  We want to make our site warmer, friendlier looking and
images of real people seem to help a lot with that.  Can you suggest a
handful of site that do this well?

I'm particularly interested in ways to have the people deliver a
message to the visitor, sort of a comment or advice, without looking
silly with a word bubble like a cartoon.  Any suggestions or samples
would be much appreciated.

Good Day curiosity-ga,

Depending on the level of importance of the message you are
delivering, you will have some different solutions that may fit.

Any message that is crucial should be displayed in a way that leaves
very little to interpretation.  While a bubble is not the most
creative approach, it is probably one of the least likely to get
misinterpreted in most cultures. There are of course cultures which
would have a very tough time understanding of the "bubble".

One approach I feel is very successful and professional is to have an
image of a person combined with a body of text in regular paragraph
form.  Imagine conveying a message about how easy it is to stay
physically active:

a) You could have an image of a person on a bike, smiling from ear to
ear, with a bubble over the head stating "I stay active by riding my
bike instead of driving."

b) The same message can be conveyed with a small side paragraph, while
the other side of the page simply shows a person riding a bike.  The
paragraph can say something like "Riding your bike on short trips can
save you money, help our environment, and deliver a healthy dose of
physical activity".

While both methods deliver the same message, the second one is a
little more open and less restricting. The viewer now can use their
imagination a little more, trying to think how they might incorporate
the idea into their life style.

Another example along the same line is one I just used to develop a
home page for a client. The client is a professional speaker on topics
of communication. In her brief write up, right on the home page (the
home page is just one screen, no scrolling), she invites the user to
"to access the key that will unlock the power of communication for
your organization".  Beside the paragraph that includes the quoted
phrase is a photo of my client, holding a large skeleton key. Now the
image is tied in with the picture in a more imaginative way than a
bubble over the clients head. Due to the fact that this project is
still under development, and not yet public, I do not have the liberty
to post a link to the visual. I have however provided some links below
to web sites which I feel convey a message with words and images, in a
professional manner.

Web Site 1
A merger between a "bubble" and my described method. The method leaves
a little less to imagination than the model I described, but still
does a pretty good job.

Clickhost.net - Canadian web hosting company
http://www.clickhost.net/


Web Site 2
This web site is the original source for my clients inspiration, as I
described it above. The text describes how "Susan Sweeney guarantees
results. If it's online success you're looking for, you've come to the
right place"... the image beside portrays Susan herself in a confident
pose: a visual version of "Susan Sweeney guarantees results".

Susansweeney.com - Professional Speaker
http://www.susansweeney.com/


Web Site 3
An image strip forms a message of professionality and excellence.  The
TV lines add a little "tech" feeling to the design.  Less fancy, but
very effective.

IDYIA Inc.
http://www.idyia.com/


Web Site 4
A sense of comfort and happiness.

Dayhaven Adult Care Services
http://www.dayhaven.com/


Web Site 5
This page uses some very nice images of people to visually present
services tailored to specific groups of people.

AT&T
http://www.att.com/


Web Site 6
Again, this image speaks satisfaction... and just in case someone
misses that, some nicely worked in text emphasizes the message.

Qwest Home Page
http://www.qwest.com/


Please don't limit yourself to ideas off the web. Pick up a magazine
for example, and see how messages are conveyed and displayed. Think
about if you like something, or don't, and why? Because the web has
many web sites that are not very professional, sometimes looking
through a magazine, or even TV can be a much better investment of time
than searching the web. How about your local fliers? Anything
interesting in there? Try it, and you might be surprised!

Should you require any additional information, or more specific
details, please ask for a clarification before rating my answer.

Thank you for your question.


Regards,
slawek-ga

Thank you for a quick and thorough response.  Your answer was well
thought out and organized.  The Qwest example works particularly well
for our situation.

Much appreciated.  I will use Google Answers again.