Whether you are starting your business from the ground up, or have decided to undergo a full-blown restructure of how you do business, branding is something that is key. It is the jumping off point for your entire operation. Branding is more than just logo design, but a logo is an excellent place to start. If you’ve been in the professional photography industry half as long as I have (and I haven’t been in very long!) you’ve been bombarded by all kinds of suggestions by the Pros on how to go about doing this. I’m going to take you through my journey based on my years of experience as a web/graphic designer, everything I’ve learned in the last year since we started our process of the creation of the Arken Studios brand.
I created New Skin Media back in ‘06. By that time I had been working for another web development company as a designer, but the entrepreneur in me needed to create my own brand. I’m sure many of you can relate. I went in with no real business plan, I just knew I wanted to create something that was an extension of myself, without simply using my name. Long story short, the decision process consisted of a combination of picking the name of a favorite song that had a double meaning in the design world, as well as seeing what domain names were available. It’s amazing how much Godaddy can influence your decision-making process! So, I had my name. I knew I wanted a logo to reflect a design skin, and I literally drafted up my current logo in about 2 hours. Now, I wouldn’t recommend this! It just so happened to work out for me 4 years later. The creation of Arken Studios was a different story. Arken Studios has been a work in progress for a few years now… I have been working with my mom and dad on building a photography studio – and we wanted to do everything right the first time instead of just diving in.
First step: Who is my target audience?
What kinds of clients do you want to attract? This is hugely important to the rest of the creation process. Are you a wedding photographer that wants to cater strictly to high-end clientele? Do you shoot children (I can’t help but giggle when I say that) and want to present yourself as colorful and playful? There are so many options here I cannot even begin to discuss, or even recommend, which direction to go here. All I can tell you is you need to go in knowing exactly who you want to aim at. It is the cornerstone of who you will become as a brand. Early on in the Arken Studios brainstorming process, before we were even calling ourselves Arken Studios, we knew we wanted to be a high-end boutique-style studio, with an emphasis on weddings and portraiture.
Second: What do I call myself?
Since we were coming from a place where there were three people involved, it made more sense to go with a studio name that was more than just “Ron Crain Photography” or “Crain Studios”. My dad is the senior photographer right now, but one day I will be, and I might not be a Crain anymore! We decided to go with Arken because that was the name of my dad’s Mechanical Design company that he had run for over 20 years – Arken Designs. He had had that name since I was a lil tyke, so it was just as much a part of the family identity as our name, as far as I was concerned. My dad came up with Arken based on the Arkenstone from one of his favorite books, J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit… “the jewel of all jewels”, it was called. (It was also a good idea to have a business name that started with an ‘A’ so it could be near the top of alphabetical business listings.) But most of all, it was a good fit for us. We wanted to portray ourselves as a high-end boutique studio. We were able to pick something that had meaning to us, that could also sound very high-end.
So, my advice is, go with something that means something to you, and that coincides with the target audience you have selected. And don’t forget to check and see that there is an appropriate domain name available to match! It will make your business a lot easier to find for your clients. (Try not to make it something terribly long either.)
Third: Logo design
The Arken Studios logo creation process was a long and arduous journey, to say the least. Let me start off by saying, I highly recommend working with a professional graphic artist here. There are so many things to consider that you may not be aware of. I’m going to give you some suggestions, but unless you know how to work some magic in Adobe Illustrator, you probably won’t get the results you want.
Take into consideration what you know so far. You know who your target audience is, and you know your name. How can you deliver the message of each with just one simple image? You want it to be something that people look at and identify as you. It has to be unique, it has to speak for you. Arken Studios was high-end… so we wanted something that would portray that. What do you know about us by looking at our logo? We are classy. We are elegant. We are wine country. Keep in mind also that in most cases you will also be using your logo as a watermark. Will it look good in one solid flat color stamped on your images?
You MUST have your logo in vector format. This means it is fit to be applicable for both web and print medias. If you don’t know how to do this, all the more reason to work with someone that knows what they are doing. Work with your designer, no matter how much or how little of an idea you have for your design.
Fourth: Color Palette
When you have your logo set, and you are beginning to think about your key marketing tools (ie website, business cards, etc), it’s time to start thinking about color scheme. One can come before the other, or you can work on them at the same time. But both are very important. People often don’t think that the color scheme of your business is as important as your logo, but it can make or break you. Pick colors that compliment your image. Don’t pick more than 3 primary colors for your designs. Be careful not to over-do the eye. Often times simplicity speaks more loudly than intricacy.
A really good tool to use when thinking of color schemes is Adobe’s Kuler website. It’s easy to get lost in there, it’s really fun. 
Finally: Putting it all together
Remember, a sweet logo is just the beginning. You have to have some real design know-how to create what you do with it. Your website isn’t a good marketing tool unless it’s put together correctly. Your business cards and print material shouldn’t be too busy. And also remember that your brand extends to you, too. Dress to suit your brand and present yourself in a manner that backs up everything you’ve worked so hard to produce. People will feed off of your personality and your confidence and are more likely to hire you when they feel you are consistent with your image.
I hope I have maybe helped give some direction and pointed you in the right direction. Let me know if anything is unclear and I will try to clarify, or if you’d like any feedback on what you’re working on. Thanks!!
I am happy to announce that New Skin Media will be at WPPI this year as a special guest at the SmugMug booth! If you are dying to meet me in person and ask me a bunch of questions about customizing your SmugMug site with a new SmugSkin, be sure to check us out at booth #s 1518 & 1519 (also the Bay Photo booth) on:
