Get­ting To Know Lauren

I have long been a fan of pho­to­graphy, in fact, I dab­ble a bit. I enjoy it, but if I am honest, it’s not often that another per­sons pho­to­graph makes me stop and say “Wow, I wish I had taken that!” That is why when Lau­rens work makes me say that to myself time and time over, I know that there is something spe­cial there.

I jum­ped at the chance to help Lau­ren define her­self as a pro­fes­sio­nal and create an iden­tity for her busi­ness. Wor­king with Lau­ren was great, every time I came up with a hair-brained idea for her new brand, she was always enthu­sias­tic and trus­ting, she really let me do wha­te­ver I wan­ted … within reason.

Defi­ning A Pro­fes­sio­nal Identity

Early on in the design pro­cess I spent time tal­king with Lau­ren, trying to dis­co­ver just what it is that makes her style so uni­que and attrac­tive. I even asked Lau­ren do my wife’s mater­nity pho­tos, which was a great oppor­tu­nity to watch her work and try to get inside her pro­cess and personality.

The main thing that sets Lauren’s work apart is that she uses day­light to give life and warmth to her pho­to­graphs. Her work often comes across as very nos­tal­gic and thought­ful. It is clear that Lau­ren is ins­pi­red by a vintage-esque aesthe­tic. We trans­la­ted this warm-vintage vibe into a color pallet, cap­tu­ring the right mood.

Crea­ting A Mark

I don’t usually start a bran­ding pac­kage with a color pallet, but in this case it see­med right. After doing so, I rea­li­zed that to actually inc­lude the pallet in the mark would dis­tract, and pos­sibly take away from the pho­to­graphs that would most likely accom­pany the logo in any mar­ke­ting mate­rials. Opting for a typo­graphi­cal treat­ment, I felt that the neu­tra­lity achie­ved by not using a glyph or any color (we used an 80% black tint) allo­wed her pho­to­graphic work to be the actual “iden­tity” of the brand.

Mar­ke­ting Materials

Set­ting a strict rule that the brand colors could only be used when there were no pho­to­graphic assets in pro­xi­mity, the design of mate­rials such as busi­ness cards, let­terhead, pri­cing gui­des and others were a great venue to rein­force the feel of the brand through the wide color palate.

Selec­ting Minion Pro as the offi­cial type­face for Lau­ren, I was able to rein­force the nostalgic-vintage appeal by using the fonts exten­ded character-set, and its many clas­si­cal ornaments.

Deve­lo­ping A Website

The web­site that I built for Lau­ren uses a “maga­zine” as a metaphor for the way she dis­plays her work. Each post is now an “issue” con­tai­ning 5 “pages.” Her archive acts as a back issue cata­lo­gue. The issues can be tag­ged into sub­jects like “baby” or “cou­ples” and in this way, orga­ni­zed into a gallery. The best part about this metaphor is that it allows Lau­ren to main­tain a uni­que and per­so­nal narra­tive as she show­ca­ses her work.

Conc­lu­sion

Lau­ren now has a pro­fes­sio­nal and uni­que brand iden­tity. The result of this bran­ding pro­cess is an inc­rease in her per­cei­ved value. Lau­ren will now stand out more clearly in the minds of her cus­to­mers and clients.

This pro­cess has been one of the most enjo­ya­ble for me as I was allo­wed to really start from scratch and Lau­ren freed me to follow my ins­tincts and dis­co­ver where they lead. As a result, her brand is fresh, dis­tinct, and memorable.

Find Lau­ren Online

If you are as impres­sed by Lauren’s work as I am, let her know. Hire her to take your pic­ture or the pic­ture of someone you love — I did!

» Phone // 702.465.2983
» www.LaurenCastoPhotography.com
» Hello@LaurenCastoPhotography.com
» facebook.com/LaurenCastoPhotography
» flickr.com/LaurenCasto

2 Responses

  • Lauren Casto says:

    i am in love with the web­site, tra­vis! thanks to your bri­lliance. can’t wait to get some shots of little par­ker on there soon. :)

From an early age Travis could be found with a sketch pad trying to capture the beauty and structure in the world around him. This desire to engage and create stayed with him. In his Adolescence he was able to find solid footing for his childhood passion by creating posters, flyers, web sites, t-shirts and album covers for his and other local bands. It was during this time that Travis decided on the direction of his life’s work.

As a Creative Director, Travis has been recognized by the American Federation of Advertisers, the International Association of Business Communicators and the Association of American Marketing. His designs have been featured in national magazines, branding textbooks and influential design websites. In his role at BRAINtrust Marketing he is responsible for all design and creative direction for the client portfolios. From websites and advertisements to annual reports and brochures, Travis brings his creativity and fine eye for design to produce world-class commercial art.

He is married to the love of his life, and in his spare time he tells jokes that are only moderately funny.

Name: Travis Neilson
Email: travisneilson@gmail.com
URL: www.travisneilson.com
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