As some of you might already know, I’ll be traveling to Sydney Australia for the last two weeks of April. Specifically, I will be away April 20-28th. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns beforehand. I will do my best to answer some emails while away, but will also be recharging that creative battery a bit, so most things will be taken care of upon my return.

The Business of Branding: 9 Things To Know Before Designing Your Logo

Design magnate Steven Gilliatt said “[A logo] should look just as good in 15-foot letters on top of company headquarters as it does one sixteenth of an inch tall on company stationery.”

A logo or logotype as it is often called is defined as a graphic representation or symbol of a company name, trademark, abbreviation, etc., uniquely designed for ready recognition. In other words it is the color, font, the gives an instant impact and an overall feeling of who you are as a photography business. But before you put pencil to paper, or hire a designer to do the same, there are a few requirements you should have to your logo.

1)    Do your research: Know who you are and what you like before you get started. The more your designer knows about you, the better chance they have of nailing your design. The better you know your company and the image you would like it to have, the easier it will be for you to recognize it when it is presented.

2)    Design in black and white first. A logo should be simple enough to work in black and white first. Color is a very strong influence. It is much better to pick a logo when the playing field is even, you can see the fonts and shapes clearly in black and white.

3)    Make it memorable.

4)    Make it scalable (see opening quote).

5)    Make sure it has “legs.” In other words, will this logo work on every application you need it to? On your business cards as well as your website? Can you see it as part of your entire brand?

6)    Know the difference between a logo mark and a logo type. Not every identity needs both.

7)    Make sure it conveys your studio’s personality, style, and attitude.

8)    Know your audience’s demographics then make sure your identity speaks to your target audience.

9)    Ignore trends and make it timeless. A good logo or identity should last you and your studio 10 years. That is why it is worth the investment. Even after 10 years you may just need a facelift, especially if you have established yourself.

Does your own logo stand up to these rules? What are some of your favorite photography studio logos?

We are thrilled to be included in the LogoLounge Master’s series. We received the book last week, and to be represented in a publication alongside of Louise Fili and Duffy + Partners (two design firms we worship) is an honor indeed. We had so much fun creating the identity for Johse Parker it is a pure bonus to be recognized for our efforts.

LogoLounge Master Library, Volume 1, is the beginning of a new series of books by the authors of LogoLounge, featuring the ultimate collection of logos by category. The first book will focus on logos featuring crests and initials. As with Rockport’s other books on logos, this series has the same inspirational draw, featuring over 3,000 logos. Constantly looking for fresh inspiration, designers can use this new series to take a more focused look at core logo applications.

This was some of the inspiration we received to help us understand what resonated with them. Notice, the rooms and fashion. You can start to feel their look starting to brew. The final brand felt very much like a magazine, including the layout of their site.

Words to describe their style, work and brand:

sophisticated
classic
fashionable
a little sassy
1960’s
subtle
friendly
boutique hotel
european
spunky
crisp
fun

We decided to keep the moon shape (for goddess Diana), as it had been a recognizable representation of her business for over 20 years. We then streamlined the type giving the moon more importance as it now replaced the O. We also created a separate Weddings and Portraits logo. Below is the before and after.

Their extensive custom portfolio blogsite was custom designed with their collective needs in mind. Author driven blogfeed with silhouettes taken from the inspired photo shoot by Nicole Wolf of Sota DZine. It includes separate sections for weddings and portraits and multiple galleries for each photographer. They also include a “People We Love” section, so their brides can experience their extensive wedding expertise when visiting the Studio Diana site. Visit Studio Diana here.

We are honored to be a part of their new brand. Beautiful digs for some gorgeous ladies. On a side note, since launching their new custom portfolio blogsite last month, they have booked twice as many weddings as the same time last year. And that is just the beginning.

And the winners are…(drumroll)

Kia Gregory
Mapuana
Scott Kretschmann

Offer good through Feb 26, 2010.

Writing for our website over the last few weeks meant logging quite a bit of time with dictionary.com. Coming from the world of print, spelling errors can be quite costly. A good few rounds of spell check can make a big difference. This article from The Huffington Post made me chuckle. One might suggest before committing to something as painful permanent as a tattoo, check your dictionary.

We’re giving away an identity…because 40+ is how many business identities we have created for photographers, photography studios or photography related, since 2008. We are so grateful to be embraced in this world of creatives and entrepreneurs, who are nothing short of amazing. We’ve been to your seminars, sat in your forums, read your periodicals, followed your blogs and tried out your products. We humbly thank you for accepting us into your fold, and appreciating our work, and keeping us employed.

We would like to take this time to give back to the photography community that has given us so much. We will be giving away a scholarship of 1 identity ($3000 value) to an up and coming photographer. Photographer must be in their first year of business; wedding, portrait, or commercial. Submissions of: contact info, url and 3 sample photos (saved for web please) must be sent to info@identitykitchen.com. Feel free to nominate someone you know to be inspirational, phenomenal and on their way to be the next… Deadline for entries is March 1, 2010.