Candidates and Their Images: Concepts, Methods and Findings, by Dan Nimmo and Robert Savage, is the seminal work in the specific research area of candidate image. Published in 1976, Nimmo and Savage utilized an expansive approach in their examination that not only produced useful findings in regard to candidate image but also helped direct the course of future research in the subject. Nimmo and Savage made significant contributions such as defining candidate image, providing a conceptual framework for study, and offering methodologies conducive to exploring candidate image.

Nimmo and Savage define an image as “a human construct imposed on an array of perceived attributes projected by an object, event, or person.” Interested in the relationship between images and messages, the authors offered a transactional view of ...