Take a look at most of the big companies, and they have a Graphic Standards Manual containing guidelines for the proper use of their identity, logo, and style of marketing. It describes authorized usage for communication of all kinds, with consistency and with purpose. You would never see the Nike swoosh above the Nike text part of the logo, as it always is placed below the text. You would never see more than one Apple logo on the same product, and there is an order to which the style, size, colors and organization of everything is used. Every company has what is called a standards manual, where the designers of the logo give parameters for the color, logo, size and the details for every possible
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The Photo Life Podcast- An Interview with Miki Johnson
You Are the Sum of Your Bytes In this week’s episode we visit with Miki Johnson, former senior editor at American Photo Magazine, and discuss ideas for mastering social media and her exciting Matchstick Workshops, a program encouraging multi-discipline collaboration between creative professionals. Post a review on iTunes for a chance to win a LowePro Fastpack 350. Email podcast@pictage.com after leaving your review. Get to Know Miki Johnson Below Miki shares her background as well as images that shed light on her life and her love of photography. I was born in Athens, Ohio, and received a journalism degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. As editor of the liveBooks RESOLVE Blog, and before that as senior editor at American Photo Magazine, I both
How to Use Photoshop to Get Your Blog Images Ready- FAST!
Everyone knows how a regularly updated blog can be great for your business. Everyone also knows how time consuming writing blog posts and exporting images can be. I created this quick tutorial and Photoshop action to get you thinking about ways you can expedite that process. One thing that used to take us a considerable amount of time was creating the 2-up vertical images with our logo at the bottom. I used to have an action that simply added the logo (or watermark) to the bottom of the image but no really fast way of combining two selected vertical images. Take a look at the video below and the included action, it just might get you thinking about ways you can speed up your bloggin
Questions to Ask When Developing an Associate Photography Brand
Though our wedding photography business has always been a boutique studio, over the last two years, we made a decision to build and develop associate photographers. We looked at this as a market opportunity as we continued to grow our business – especially in our home market. We wanted to offer a service line that would be accessible to more clients, while adding to our bottom line as a business. Since this is such a common subject of discussion, I thought it might be helpful to break down some of the important questions we had to answer when diving into this new area of business. Here are a few of the steps we took as we learned the best way to bring on Associate photographers.
An Outsider’s Perspective: Tips for Developing Your Brand
Early in 2008, I was introduced to the photography world by my good friend, Justine Ungaro. Upon hearing that I was a brand designer and seeing my work she exclaimed, “You should do this for photographers.” To which I responded, “How many photographers can there be?” Two years later, after attending a few conventions, I realized there are quite a few of you…and your industry is growing. Which is why the PartnerCon message of “differentiation” is very sound marketing advice indeed. Being a designer in a sea of photographers, at PartnerCon, I spent quite a bit of time listening and watching. I could not believe how transparent photographers are with their businesses. I was so enthralled by how supportive and generous you are with the
The Business of Branding: WordPress and Google
When it comes to the business of branding, going hand in hand with having a cohesive brand, is findablity. It’s kind of a “if a tree falls in the forest” thing. No matter how awesome that tree is, if no one hears it, it’s just not good for business. Photographers have always been on the forefront of the findability (or SEO) game. Blogging, Twittering, Facebooking. But are these social media efforts increasing your ranking as separate entities or are they all pointing to one domain? It is important to consolidate and maximize your online marketing. A WordPress site can concentrate your web presence and according to Matt Cutts, Head of Webspam at Google (pretty much THE authority on SEO), “WordPress takes care of 80-90% of
Who Is Your Ideal Client? Questions to Ask Yourself
Listed below are 15 questions to ask (discover) about yourself as a photographer. After answering the questions ask yourself this: Is my website attracting the clients that I wish to work with? Is my blog a true reflection of the work I wish to create? 1. Who is my audience (i.e. brides, artists…etc)? 2. Who do I want my audience to be? 3. How big do I want to grow my audience? 4. Can I manage my audience’s needs? 5. What kind of photographer are you (i.e. creative portraiture, journalistic)? 6. What subjects do you relate to? 7. What are you trying to accomplish through your photography? 8. What and who are your artistic influences? 9. What effect do you want your photography to have
Is It Your Policy, or Is It Your Ego?
Is it Your Policy, Or is it Your Ego? If your business is anything like mine, you’ve probably had a few clients that tested your patience – if not your will to live! You know the type, the father of the bride that wants to rewrite your contract, or the bride who asks for a 12 page shot list. Maybe you’ve had a client suggest that they’d like to pay their balance once they’ve received their photos, instead of before the wedding. Every time it happens, I find myself wanting to dig my feet in and stand on “principle.” I find a frustration and indignation inside, that someone would question the way I’ve set up my business, and that they aren’t willing to play by
Becoming a Certified Photographer- The “How” and “Why”
Making a living as a professional photographer is tough. Especially these past few years. With the relatively low-cost of entry into our profession, thousands are picking up cheap DSLRs, turning them to P-mode, and calling themselves professional photographers. The low-end and middle-markets have been hit hard for the past few years, with the new photographers pumping out action-covered sub-par work and undercutting the long-time professional photographers on price, and giving it all away for nothing. The high-end market has not escaped this either. Even the five-star hotels are giving deals on weddings now, if that tells you anything! So what sets you apart from the influx of new and “faux” photographers? How does a client know you are legitimate? Obviously client testimonials, longevity in business,
How to Incorporate Holiday Cards Into Your Business This Year
Holiday Cards are good for any client and any photographer! Even you male photographers out there that might think they’re a tad too girly for you. Your lady clients will love them. And they mean free advertisement for you! *Wedding, portrait, and even some commercial clients (think realtors) are great clients to offer them to. First start by either designing or purchasing Holiday card templates that you like. We offer them on our Art-Is website here: http://www.art-isdesign.com/ Second begin contacting your 2010 past clients and share that you’re offering Holiday cards this year. Even if a brides wedding was in February, this is a great way for her to share her awesome wedding photos with friends and family! And of course begin offering the cards