One of the hot questions I got while I was on the Pass Tour this summer was about logo & branding for males in the wedding photography industry. Check this out:

Matt asked:
“How do I incorporate my personal style in my logo and branding for my wedding photography business while also attracting my dream client? Stylistically, my target market (a 20 something bride) is on the opposite end of the spectrum.”

A lot of men feel that they have a hard time attracting their ideal clients (brides) because they don’t have the shade of light peach in their visual identity. I can definitely see where they are coming from considering that the hot marketing tool is leveraging your visual identity and brand to reflect that of your personal style, design aesthetic, and your dream client. That’s right… birds of a feather flock together and you boys are seeing those brides flock across the street to that female photographer whose visual identity looks like a dream wedding day inspiration board.
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A few of my blog readers requested that I touch on a few of the topics that I covered in my presentation for the showit freedom tour. So…over the next few weeks I will be posting a few thoughts on branding and seeing your business through a different creative lens.

In this post I want to talk a little bit about getting inspiration FROM your logo. I know the title “get inspiration from your logo” sounds a bit funny. But maybe after reading this you can try looking at your logo in a new way… and maybe even be inspired to try something new. This is my first time trying to describe the process that happens inside of my head… so I hope this makes sense. If it doesn’t just ask questions in the comment section and hopefully I can clarify.

A lot of creative small businesses can get carried away being inspired by OTHER creative businesses. And even get caught up thinking “WOW i wish my branding looked like theirs”. Therefore they end up copying that business’s website, brochure, or business card and just replacing their logo with their own. Well, instead of getting distracted by other’s looks… why not be inspired by your own logo and create your design piece around the shapes and structure of your own logo?!?! Does that idea make sense?

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You have seen alot on my blog about my hair stylist, Kim Cornwell. Well, She moved into her own salon space with a couple of friends and needed a new business card and gift certificate. WOOHOOO for me! Kim is a little adult version of a punk kid and I LOVE IT! haah. IT’S AWESOME! Her style is RAD and I was so excited that she asked me to do something funky that stands out.

Remember that Valentine free desk top background? That came from working on this project with Kim. Although she is a hairstylist she does not like to have hair, scissors, or anything cheesy that represents what she does. Instead, I decided to use subtle hints of what she does in the design. I snuck a pair of scissors in at the perforated edge to instruct the user to tear it off. I also used an abstract vintage photo of a woman with her head turned away hinting that HAIR is a focus.

All of Kim’s clients refer their friends to her, so we came up with a card that HELPS her clients do that even better. Its like 3 cards in one. The cards are folded accordion style and are perforated so they can be torn off and given to others. Sound cool? We packaged them in my favorite clear bags for an ever so chic and readable look.
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I am really excited to show you the branding that I have been working on for the lovely Ashley bugg Photography. How CUTE is her name first off?!?! Tell me that won’t stand out among the sea of other photographers. haha. She is a lover of all things vintage, modern, fresh, antique, crafty, creative, love, and family. Her husband is her second shooter and they are an amazing life capturing team. With three cute young kids their life is crazy with a full time photography business.

Ashley has become a great friend in the last year. We share a little esty shop together and she took those awesome photos of my dinosaur necklaces. haha SO FUN!

So, her vintage inspired branding package contains a logo, letterhead, business cards, thank you card, and a gift tag thingy for all her crafty photo products. I hope you enjoy!! Here is her website, definitely check it out. The new branding hasn’t transfered over yet… but I am sure you will be captivated by her photography.
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WARNING: This is my very first post EVER without images, pictures, or photos. Just my thoughts. These thoughts are only my opinion. I am not the queen of branding nor do i claim to be the best at anything. But i think this may help some of you. this is going to be a random rant… so spelling and grammar will be terrible.

In the past couple of months i have received an OVERWHELMING amount of emails regarding a re-brand for their photography/home business. That is great.. right? Well except most of these photographers, or business owners HAVE AMAZING BRANDING ALREADY. Dont get me wrong, i want to make money too. haha. But i am also an artist, and as a peer I want to help you out.

It has got me to thinking… WHY? What is the motive for a rebrand? I mean seriously… some of these photographers have beautiful, tight, cohesive, strong branding and they dont feel like it’s good enough.  Why is that? Is it because they see one successful photographer or business owner and they think that if their branding looks like theirs that it will be successful?  Well, if so…That is not true..and they have started comparing too much.

Think back to what branding really is and why we have it. Your branding should do a couple simple things. It should:
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A few weeks ago I flew out to Burbank to give a presentation of the designs i came up with to John Debney and his lovely crew. I just wanted to share them with you. I am displaying my favorite two out of six options i had. I printed all the designs out on 11x17in white paper for them to sift through and see the actual size. I then printed out and put my favorite design comp on black presentation board so they would stay in place nicely as i explained the process and my reasons for choosing what i did. I then put the design together for them to look at. I actually handmade the cd covers, cd discs, business cards, double-sided stationary, and envelopes. Its great to get a good idea of what the product would look like finished, ya know? what do you think? can you guess which design they chose? They loved the presentation and the designs.

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i know.. there are a few of you that have been waiting to see these. I have been crazy busy working on editing wedding photos, senior photos, updating my website, bringing this blog up to speed, and then WEDDING PLANNING. hahhaa. oh my. This is what I have come up with. They wanted a rich ornate feel. Classy, professional, artsy, modern. I think i have captured that, although I always love your feed back. The colors are just example colors. I will work with them to decide what is best for them. A lot of people get confused with the patterns displayed. Those are extra pieces that bring the look together that can be used on the printed materials. Your thoughts? A question for the boys in the house… IS IT TO FEM??

logo concepts

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