Photography Business Brand Identity: Company Logo Design

Photography Brand Identity: Logo Design

Like many, I figured designing a logo couldn’t be that hard. All you do is open Adobe Illustrator, play around with some fonts, wait for something cool to appear on your screen, and you’re good to go. I couldn’t have been more wrong! Logo design is extremely difficult. Even when you can’t put your finger on what’s wrong, you know that getting the right look is out of your reach.

I must have spent a couple days looking for fonts (even though I didn’t know what I was looking for), vector images, and cool graphics. But eventually I came to grips with reality and admitted to myself and others that I needed a professionally designed logo. My homemade design was no longer good enough, and never had been, if the truth be told. There, I had said it. And so began the search for a designer.

Old Logo (left) vs. New Logo (right)

Designer Search

Searching for a graphic designer is an overwhelming task. With the Internet, countless thousands of designers that were once obscure and out of reach are now at your disposal. Searching Google doesn’t help as you find yourself lost amidst a sea of design blogs, resources, and informational sites. Fortunately, my friend Mike Tittel recently had completed a logo overhaul for his photography business and I decided to find out more about his designer. Mike had written a blog article about his experience and this led me to designer Brian Hoff of The Design Cubicle.

From the beginning, I was impressed with Brian’s professionalism, organization, work flow, and communication. He knew his stuff and it showed in every facet of his business. Although he didn’t display a large body of work in his portfolio, it was obvious that Brian was an expert in his field. The dozens of articles on his blog dealing with everything from type size, page layout, business cards, and fonts showed that he cared about his craft and did everything with excellence. As a consumer with little knowledge of graphic design, his expertise put me at ease and eventually convinced me that he was the right choice for Ten18 Photography.

Objectives

Our logo project had three main objectives that we laid out before beginning the design. First, it had to display well as a graphical watermark. We give clients Facebook copies of the prints they order and want Ten18 Photography to be well represented when their friends and family see their beautiful photos. Second, the logo had to look good both on our website as well as in printed promotional pieces. Finally, the Ten18 Photography look needed the flexibility to appeal to our large high school senior portrait market while not alienating those looking for family, kids, model, or commercial photography. This was no easy task as each had its own demands and challenges.

Concepts & Final Result

Throughout the design process, Brian’s guidance was invaluable. For those who have never worked with a designer, it can be a bit of an emotional roller coaster. Our initial concepts were nothing like I had expected and I wasn’t sure any of them fit. I almost freaked out, and that doesn’t happen easily! But the more I studied the options, the more one design in particular jumped out at me.

Brian kept assuring me that a solid brand identity is timeless and memorable, not swaying with the trends. His focus on our objectives once again demonstrated the mastery of his trade and reminded me of why I had hired him. He took our chosen concept and provided further font options, yielding the product you see now. In the end, he was right and came up with the branding we had wanted and needed. The font fit perfectly as it was both playful and professional while also meeting all of our stated objectives.

A Happy Customer

Now that we have a professionally designed logo, I can’t imagine going back to our old one. If you’re considering a new logo, check out The Design Cubicle and prepare to be impressed. A solid company logo from Brian will be one of the best investments you’ve ever made.