When was the last time you looked at your personal branding? Have you ever looked at it? Your clients do, every time they hit up your website or your social feeds.
As a photographer you're (hopefully) visually literate. You can read, deconstruct and explain why an image works. However don't assume your skills extend to graphic design. Working with a great graphic designer will open your eyes to things you've probably never considered.
When I reached out to Larisa Mazilu (see Larisa’s work here) I'd had my 'branding' for coming up to 10 years and largely put it together myself in photoshop. It was starting to look dated and I felt it no longer did what I wanted or needed.
My brief was straightforward, loose and probably frustratingly vague:
I want evolution not revolution
I don't want my name written out in black Helvetica at the top of my site
Other than that, I gave her full access to my portfolio and offered her an open mind.
The first part of her process was research. What came back was basically:
Most photographers do just use Helvetica (or some variation) in black to spell out their name. I guess it has something to do with "let the images do the talking” or the fact that most website templates allow you to put your name at the top in Helvetica.
Some clearly had branding input and had invested in a strong, clear personal identity
Of the latter, the following resonated with me as really great examples of the impact of a personal brand:
After looking at Squarespace site after Squarespace site of virtually identical identities these were fresh and individual. They confirmed that I definitely wanted something 'different’. Admittedly, that still wasn’t an ideal brief for anyone.
Next came logo iterations. I saw artboards with dozens of ideas, variations and refinements. Together we narrowed down what I responded to, how I wanted my brand to reflect me.
I'm going to focus purely on the identity aspect here, but what came back blew me away.
It was strong, unique, infinitely flexible, modular and clean. I immediately felt it was 'mine'. I was excited. She'd read my mind, focused my attention and delivered everything I never knew I needed.
Let me break that down:
The basic shapes (circle, square, triangle), each with it's own typography, is distinct. I tend to shoot many different styles, not just tied to a signature ‘look’. The different fonts, weights and cases sitting together as a still cohesive whole I feel reflects this.
The logo is infinitely flexible and it's as strong on its own as it is overlayed on an image.
Each of the graphical elements can sit on their own and still convey the brand.
It's modular, in that it can be configured in a square, landscape or portrait orientation without losing any of the impact. With so many different digital media demands it means I can make it work anywhere without a struggle.
Any element can be used solid, inverted or overlaid on an image and is still perfectly legible.
The circle can be used to seamlessly utilise the full icon real estate offered by those social platforms that use circular icons.
The J A Y lettering within the circle is bold enough to be read on small screen sizes.
I'm scratching the surface there, but I’ll happily admit that I hadn't considered a single one of those aspects when I 'designed' my original logo. That thought process is all the remit of a great graphic designer. Making it look effortless - easy - is the hard part.
I’d previously stopped short at a PSD file and a few randomly sized PNG files. Now I have at my disposal a full Creative Cloud library of graphics and colour palettes of scalable Illustrator designed vectors which makes creating anything so much easier.
And that’s just a logo. That's your brand right? Nah.
What fonts are you using - how do they complement and contrast?
Which one for headlines and which for body?
Is your written collateral - your presentations, your bids, your treatments, your invoicing - all cohesive?
Does your identity flow seamlessly from social feeds to website to printed materials to the stickers on your kit case?
Are all your touchpoints up to date with your branding? Your email signature, your Google icon, your WeTransfer? Behance? LinkedIn? Pinterest? Login Screen?
Brands spend millions on their identity. They have custodians to ensure the brand values are met. Identities are engineered to engage, to tell a story and to define. Reflecting a consistent aesthetic is key. As small brands we can take something from that. We can have a look at and take control of our own branding. But - as with photography - it's best done by a professional.
The rebrand that Larisa has delivered has made me more confident in and more engaged with my own brand than I have been for a long time.