We recently visited Anna from We Make Brands in her design studio in Galway, Ireland for a photo shoot.
We had a great chat about the importance of brand photography and how best to present yourself and your business online. Before we started taking photos Anna walked us through her studio and showed us the various machines and tools she uses when she is making paper products for her clients, such as business cards. We made a shot list to make sure that we captured all the different processes that Anna uses when she is working. It was a wonderful experience for us to watch how her products are made.
Below you can learn more about Anna and see some of the photos from our shoot.
About We Make Brands
We Make Brands is a boutique design studio that helps small business owners with all their branding and website needs. It is run by a graphic designer, Anna Ciosek, who is based in Galway but works with clients both locally and internationally. Anna normally works with creative entrepreneurs such as photographers, artists and makers as well as foodies and shop owners.
She is fascinated by all things clean, elegant and black & white photography. When you work with Anna, she’ll ask you a lot of questions that will make you think about your business. It is to make sure that she can properly express your brand’s personality – that way your business can connect with your ideal clients. She thinks that she spends too much money on fonts and she finds coding a great pastime.
What is branding and why it matters
"Your brand is your promise to your customer. It tells them what they can expect from your products and services, and it differentiates your offering from that of your competitors. Your brand is derived from who you are, who you want to be and who people perceive you to be." (Entrepreneur.com)
This quote summarizes very well what your brand is. Branding, on the other hand, is an art to make people think and say the right things about your business. If a brand were a person, your branding would consist of your style, haircut, clothes… But it would also be reflected by the way you carry yourself, the way you talk, treat other people – all these things create an image of you in people’s minds.
Your branding can be divided into 2 main categories: tangible and intangible. For a Michelin star restaurant, the tangible components include their logo, business cards, menus, interior decor or their website. The intangible aspects of the restaurant are things like the way the staff greet you and serve you, the ambient music or the language they use. Both are equally important for your business. If done right, branding can help you create a desirable image in your customers’ minds and win their attention. It also differentiates you from a ton of competitors and makes your business recognizable and memorable. If done wrong, people may perceive you as incompetent and an amateur. They will more than likely choose to do business with somebody else.
People think branding is a logo – it’s a whole system instead
You’d be surprised to know how many business owners think that branding is a logo. “I just need a logo” is what you hear the most from beginner entrepreneurs. It is a huge mistake. Your brand identity is a whole visual system of elements and a logo is just a part of it. Your colours, patterns and typography, even your photography, play a huge part in creating a visual representation of your business. My advice is don’t get fixated on a logo and please, don’t try to cram everything into it. A simple and timeless logo may be exactly what your business needs to look serious and professional. Look at all fashion brands’ logos - the majority of them are wordmarks (font-based logos that focus on a business’ name alone) that stand the test of time.
It’s all about your target audience
So many creative entrepreneurs are not aware that branding needs to reflect the values, and preferences of your target audience. Your style can be translated into your visual identity as long as it is aligned with that of your audience. Imagine that your favourite colour is hot pink and you’re a wedding photographer shooting boho brides. You could see how this colour won’t attract boho brides, it will probably drive them away. You must always focus on your clients’ tastes rather than your own. From the graphics you post on social media and the emails you send, to the way your website looks and feels – always ask yourself, “ Will this resonate with my clients? Will it delight them?”
Lack of clarity - need to plan and then design
Speaking of the ideal client - you need to know who they are. Another mistake that a lot of creative entrepreneurs make is a complete lack of strategy, they just want to get into designing. A successful brand has a clear vision of what their business is, who their clients are and most importantly, what makes them different from their competitors. When you work with a brand designer, they take you through a brand strategy process that will help you understand what your business stands for and where it’s headed.
Think of your workflow - customer touchpoints
You have decided to work with a brand designer and their package includes 4 collateral items. How do you know what you need? More than likely you need a business card but what else? The best thing you can do is to outline your client experience from start to finish. This way you’ll be able to identify customer touchpoints – when you know them, you’ll know what design items you need. Let's say your client finds your business on social media, visits your website or shops at your local store. You know you will need social media graphics, website headers and a catalogue or menu display.
You have a great opportunity to delight your customers every time they come in contact with your brand. You need to create a visually consistent and seamless experience for your customers. When you know your customer touchpoints, you can identify the collateral items you need.
Invest in photography
All your visuals help you convey your brand consistently across different media. Your visuals include your logo, fonts, colours, illustrations...and yes, your photography. If I work with a customer who doesn’t have good quality images, the final product falls short. Some businesses neglect photography which makes their branding, websites and social media look disjointed and amateurish. The best results are from clients who have photos taken by a professional photographer.
These days you can find photographers who specialize in brand photography. They understand the needs of small businesses and provide you with a variety of images for different uses – vertical for Instagram or Pinterest and horizontal for your website. Don’t underestimate the impact of good brand photography. With the rise of social media, photography is more important than ever. Your clients’ feelings, thoughts towards your brand and buying decisions are influenced by the images you show them.
Great photography can help tell the story of your brand, but poor photography just detracts from your professional image.
Stay consistent!
One of the most important things you can do for your brand’s recognition is consistency. I cannot tell you how important it is. You have to be consistently on-brand across all things print and digital.
It may seem boring to you to use the same colours, fonts and layouts over and over again. You’ll feel the need to change and shake things up a bit - don’t! You look at your brand every day but your customers interact with it from time to time. They expect you to stay the same. It is like when you go to the same cafe to get your favourite truffle and the same consistent service. The only way to create brand recognition and trust with your visuals is by using the same ones over and over again. If it starts to feel repetitive and boring, it can only mean you’re doing it right.
Make sure to check out Anna’s work on her website We Make Brands and follow her on Instagram @wemakebrandsstudioa
During the photo shoot Anna was making business cards for Road for Dreamer