Our launch day for our business was a big success. And to celebrate, we gave away one custom brand design package. One lucky participant had the opportunity to walk away with brand new photography branding. Meet the winner and find out how we took her from concept to a developed photography brand!
The Custom Brand Design Giveaway
As a part of our website launch day celebration, we gave away a free custom photography brand design package. To enter, participants were asked to sign up for our newsletter but could also earn extra entries by liking and following us on our social media accounts.
On launch day, we announced our winner— Megan Bochette Photography!
Getting to Know Megan Bochette
Once we announced Megan, we immediately began communicating with her to discuss her project. But, as with any good brand designer, we wanted to get to know her first.
After our phone calls and detailed questionnaire, we learned she:
- Is a newborn, child and family photographer in New Jersey and Philadelphia.
- Provides natural lifestyle photography.
- Believes in capturing the authenticity of the emotion and the moments she’s capturing.
- Is joyful and optimistic.
- Loves creating timeless memories.
- Relaxes with Target, Starbucks and a good book!
Capturing What Words Can’t Through Pinterest
There are just some things that pictures can express that can’t be captured in words– sorry, copy team. But it’s true. Especially with photographers and other creatives, sometimes there is a vision that we can’t quite put into words, no matter how talented of a wordsmith you are.
So, for that, we rely on Pinterest.
When we create a brand, we consider what you’ve said verbally on our calls, what you’ve expressed in writing in your questionnaire, but the design aesthetic is very subjective. What one person may call “professional” is another person’s “playful.” So we dig a little deeper to understand what you’re seeing for your photography brand in your mind’s eye.
Sometimes these are pretty nebulous. Other times, you see a very definite trend.
With Megan, we could see a prominent theme immediately. So here is Megan’s Pinterest board:
Creating a Mood Board for Your Photography Branding
After combining her photography, questionnaire and Pinterest, we could definitely see an overarching theme in Megan’s photography brand. So we set to work creating a photography brand mood board.
A mood board acts as a bridge between what you’ve said and what you’re imagining. It’s a combination of visuals that we collect at the beginning of the design process to present to clients as our “mood” inspiration for the custom brand design. It’s a way to ensure that we are all on the same page for the brand’s overall direction.
Taking everything given to us, this is the mood board we designed for Megan.
Megan loved her mood board! We got the go-ahead to keep moving forward.
Designing a Color Palette for a Photographer
Although some brand designers see the mood board as “fluff,” it is vital to a smooth and seamless experience. Agreeing on the mood board is huge! It means that we have a similar vision for the direction of this custom brand. It prevents having to go back to the drawing board further along in the process. An accurate mood board means you’re on the right path, right from the beginning.
The next part, the photography branding color palette, we pulled directly from her imaging and the logos she liked (and, if you noticed, snuck a peek of what we were envisioning into the mood board.)
Here is Megan’s custom color palette:
Megan Bochette Photography Logo Design
Now it’s down to the nitty-gritty, the part the REALLY sets a photographer apart from the rest of the crowd—the photography logo design.
Okay, so actually, your work sets you apart. Your photography catches their attention and evokes emotion, but your logo ties your photography directly to your brand – instantaneously.
But, if your logo is exactly like your competitors, you could risk splitting the notoriety and all of your hard work with them. If your dream client books with another photographer because the logo was vaguely familiar and the other photographer happened to hit their social media feed at just the right time, they’ve just reaped all of the rewards from your marketing. Don’t do that! A strong and recognizable logo should be your goal.
With Megan, we went with a typographical style logo. Her photography is very documentary, natural and traditional, so we didn’t want to go over-the-top with this one with an illustration or other icon in the main logo designs. However, we knew we wanted a fun font. What stuck out in our conversations, her questionnaire, her photography and even her mood board pulled from Pinterest were the words “joyful” and “fun.” We knew we wanted the brand and logo designs to reflect those words precisely.
This is what we designed for Megan’s complete brand:
Everything in this photography logo design oozes fun, from the thickness of the letters and the color to the fun curls and arches as accents seen in some of the letters. Even the specific choice to misalign the first and last name is playful. Each piece played into an overall vision, creating a “fun” and “joyful” design.
Putting the Photography Brand Design to Use
After the logo design is approved, all that’s left is to put it all together and learn how to use your brand new custom photography branding effectively. To be most effective, be sure to implement all the branding pieces together in every interaction with your clients, and not just with a watermark on your photos. Your branding should be present on your photography website, marketing newsletters, social media graphics and more. Take it up a notch and even take branding photos while you’re wearing outfits in your brand colors. Don’t worry about forgetting all of this, though. All of our clients, including Megan, receive a custom brand guide that explains all of the details and how to put them into place.
Here are some ways of using custom branding:
Congratulations, Again, to Megan Bochette Photography!
Megan, thank you for putting your trust in us for your professional photography brand. It was a pleasure getting to know you and sharing your story through this design. We’ve enjoyed watching it get put to good use and are excited to see what is next for your business. We know you’re going to do amazing things!
Ask for Your Free Photography Branding Consult
Do you need a fresh look for your photography business? A professional photography brand builds a foundation of trust for your business. Stand out and book clients for the price you deserve. Contact our photography branding and SEO website design team today to schedule your free, no-obligation consultation by emailing hello@avenlee.com. It’s time for you to stand out and get paid as the professional photographer you are!
