Questions You Should Ask A Photographer Before Booking
As a photographer, I’ve been fortunate to work for and with many people, groups, and organizations. The experience to date has been nothing short of an amazing ride. However, that ride definitely has had its bumps in the road. What I mean is, there’s this heightened level of anxiety… particularly with new clients. They often exhibit a subtle sense of uncertainty due to not totally knowing what to expect from their photographer. So, after having numerous, similar experiences with my clients, I decided to provide my audience with a solution. A solution that matters. Answers, to all the important questions every client needs to know. If you need to hire a photographer, what questions should you ask them? What questions will put your mind at ease?
I’ve developed a list of essential questions for photographers that I highly recommend you commit to memory. These are the types of questions that will give you the best, most useful advice, and they’ll also help you understand how the photographer approaches their own photography. That way, the next time you run into a photographer you admire or you simply engage with a photographer on a website or forum, you know how to come away with the most helpful information.
Let’s get started with my first question:
- Published in Blog, Lifestyle, Photography
Should Christian Women Do Boudoir Photography?
I am a Christian, and I am also a photographer. Now, I’m sure that you’re thinking, okay, nothing out of the norm here. What I didn’t mention is the fact that I also shoot boudoir photography. It’s not too often that I get asked about how I am able to be both. But it comes up every once in awhile. So I wanted to share with you why I shoot boudoir photography, even as a Christian (or especially as a Christian) and why I believe all Christian wives, or soon-to-be-wives should do a boudoir shoot.
Now, I’m not sure where I’d begin or even if laying out boudoir photography in biblically context would make any difference. I’ll just say that the whole of scripture implicitly points Christians away from anything having to do with lust in thought, word and deed. Any type of sensuality or nudity apart from between marriage partners shouldn’t even be “named among us”.
Now, in my study and concurred opinion, sexual desire and sensuality between a man and a woman is a gift from God meant solely for the marriage. Anything outside of that, according to scripture, is out of bounds. Of course that’s all in context of this (nudity/sensuality in photography and in general). We’ll, enough of that, let’s get started!
I asked my client would it be okay for me to use some of her photos to write and illustrate this article.
What is a boudoir shoot?
Boudoir is pronounced Bu-dwah or Bu-dwar, and is technically defined as, “a woman’s bedroom or private room for dressing or resting.” So in the photography world, that involves a portrait shoot that a woman does privately for her man, usually in lingerie. Although the shoot is primarily done as a gift for her man, the women find that the shoot is very pampering and creates a space for her to feel feminine, lovely, and even sexy. Women spend far too much time comparing themselves to other women they see in magazines or on TV and feeling “blah” about themselves. Especially tired Mommies who feel more like a Mom than a woman, most times.
Why should Christian couples be interested in boudoir?
God created men to be highly visual. It’s the way we’re built. I once heard a pastor refer to a man’s brain as a Rolodex, where as men in general are bombarded with imagery of sexy woman all the time and no matter how committed men are to looking away to avoid lusting after the women in those images, it’s inevitable that some of those images are going to get in, and even pop up from time to time. And, whether he knows it or not, he remembers them. How great would it be if a man’s memory was chalked full of lovely images of his wife and the majority of the images popping up in his mind were images he could cherish and feel good about? I believe that boudoir photography is best used in the context of marriage. I think any man would be delighted that his wife (or wife-to-be) would think enough of him to give him a gift that takes a lot of courage and love to do.
The other point to consider is that in a healthy, Christian marriage, a woman should feel sexy, desired, and appreciated for her body even with it’s imperfections. (Obviously there is a lot more about her to be appreciated, but that’s a post for another day) But when a woman doesn’t feel good about the way she looks, she doesn’t bring to the marriage that needed energy that can really help fuel true intimacy. A boudoir shoot can give a woman that much needed confidence. It’s really amazing what a little sexy confidence can do for a marriage.
The Who, What, When of it all…
The photos are an amazing gift to give to a Groom on the wedding night. Valentine’s Day and wedding anniversaries are other occasions when a boudoir shoot would be a very special gift.
There are a lot of amazing photographers to choose from for your shoot and you should find the one that is the best fit for you. If you find that a female photographer would make you feel more comfortable, there are many that would happily welcome you into their studio. Or, if you’re okay with a male photographer, my style is very conservative, as far as boudoir photography goes, so if you are more on the shy side or you just want to keep things tame, I’m the photographer for you! My images are sensual but beautiful and tasteful and not over-the-top sexual. Although you can choose how far you want to go, nudity-wise, most of my clients prefer to wear lingerie or to do what I call “implied nudity” where you aren’t wearing much of anything, but all your girl bits are covered by your arms or legs or with sheets.
Will my photos end up on your website?
It’s fantastic when a woman feels comfortable sharing at least a few of her photos on my website so that other woman can relate and be encouraged to do a shoot that will enrich her marriage. However, it’s completely understandable when a couple wants the boudoir photos to be for his eyes only and I respect that decision and would never share your photos without your permission.
If you are ready to schedule your shoot, or if you have any questions, please contact me! I’d love to talk about it more with you.
Dewwond Mapp : Portrait, Wedding, Event, Boudoir and Glamour Photography, Chicago, Illinois
773.940.6959 info@kentylaartsdesigns.com
How to prepare for a Boudoir Session?
TO START OFF: WHAT IS AN EMPOWERMENT SESSION?
Boudoir is traditionally known as a style of photography that focuses on female sex appeal. It typically includes lingerie, a bed, and some slightly raunchy undertones. EMPOWERMENT sessions are my way of redefining the boudoir, while still keeping SOME of the aspects of the style.
So what is an empowerment session? It is an expression of your self-love. Each session is unique and tailored to who you are, and how you feel comfortable expressing your sensuality, self-love, and confidence.
I love to focus on details during these sessions. The little pieces of you that make up the full picture of who you are. I create a space for you to be authentically you; to break down the stigma and barriers around being natural and comfortable in your own body.
Empowerment sessions are a uniquely personal experience, that helps you find new ways of embracing the powerful body that carries you through life.
Learning to accept your beauty in your most natural of states, is transitional. With that said, everyone has their own preference of how they like their body to look and feel which allows them to view themselves in their best light. This is the time to have a good self-care day BEFORE your session so that your images reflect your most confident feeling self.
These are a few reminders of things you can do to prepare for your session, that you may not have thought of. Trust me, these little things will in some way be captured, and if you want them to look a certain way (for yourself) then these 13 ways you may not have thought of preparing yourself, will come in handy!
1. CLEAN AND SHAPE YOUR NAILS
Your Fingers AND your Toes!! They are both important. I love to grab close-ups of your hands connecting with the pieces of you that make you who you are. As for feet… Well, those usually aren’t the focus BUT they often make an appearance. You don’t want to have cracked nail polish and half-broken nails distracting you right from first glance!
2. CLEAN THE SOLES OF YOUR FEET
Once again, we’re on the feet topic! I know, not appealing BUT your feet will end up featured in some of your photos! Especially the ones with a focus on that peachy boottyyy! Trust me, you don’t want to have dark dusty feet from walking around barefoot! Either take a bar of soap or a baby wipe to those bad boys and let’s pretend we didn’t spend so much time talking about feet…
3. TAKE THAT HAIR TIE OFF YOUR WRIST!
Okay seriously, this is one of those little details that ALWAYS gets overlooked. Heck when I start a session, sometimes it takes me a few shots before I even notice! Hair ties are not pretty accessories, we don’t want those in all of your photos! Trust me, your wrists will be in a lot of images, so throw that thing anywhere but on your body and let’s get started.
4. DON’T WEAR RESTRICTING CLOTHING BEFORE YOUR SESSION
Trust me on this one pleasseee.. If you wear restricting clothing before your session, you WILL have lines imprinted on your body! I did a session where a girl had lines all over her booty! It took me hours to edit them out of every booty pic. Save your photographer’s life and wear loose-fitting, comfortable clothing before your boudoir or empowerment session.
5. DON’T CUT OR DYE YOUR HAIR LESS THAN 5 DAYS BEFORE YOUR SESSION
You may be thinking this is a weird one, but your hair needs time to settle after a big change! If you don’t wait, your hair will not be relaxed in it’s natural shapes or directions. And who wants to have pieces sticking up or into their face? I know when I get my front bangs cut, it takes a little while before the edges stop flipping outwards and actually lay on my face properly. As for color, you could have dye leak onto your skin around your face/neck/hands, etc. Yes, photographers can edit and manipulate images in posts, but it takes a lot of work to change things like that in every single image. And some things just simply cannot be done in photoshop. Plus most natural-based photographers (such as myself) are really not that skilled in photoshop because our goal isn’t to change things about people, but rather to capture what is true and raw.
6. STAY AWAY FROM SPRAY OR SELF-TANNER LESS THAN 7 DAYS BEFORE YOUR SESSION
I know that there are some people who like to add a little spice to their skin and that’s totally fine! It’s your body, you do you boo!! BUT just be wearing off when you do so. Plan ahead and add your color early. This will ensure a couple of things.
1. Your tan won’t rub off your surroundings.
We will be rolling around, twisting, arching, crawling, etc. If your ran runs onto the bedding, carpets, or client wardrobe, that can mean a lot of extra cleaning after your session and maybe some ruined materials.
2. Maybe you missed a spot?
Self-tanners especially, can sometimes turn out uneven or with missed spots. Leaving this time before your session to get your tan done, can ensure that you have time to fix any mistakes!
7. TOUCH UP YOUR EYEBROWS
This one is not for everyone! If you like your eyebrows natural and you don’t pluck, wax, thread, or anything else, then more power to ya babe. But if you are someone who likes to get those bad boys shaped and pampered, you will definitely want to get that done a day or so before your empowerment/boudoir photoshoot. For waxers/threaders, go at least 3-5 days before your session so that you aren’t red or puffy!
8. DRINK LOTS OF WATER THE DAY BEFORE
Honestly, we should all be drinking lots of water daily but sometimes we just get too distracted and busy with life that we don’t. But drinking water has so many benefits and can really change the way you look in your images. Drinking water before your session gives you beautiful dewy and glowing skin. It may sound counterproductive, but in reality, drinking plenty of water can help keep bloating down because it naturally flushes our systems of excess water and sodium that we might retain, helping to keep bloating down.
9. DON’T EAT OR DRINK ANYTHING WITH DYES ON THE DAY OF YOUR SESSION
This is a huge one actually. Eating foods with dyes, especially orange and red, will stain your mouth! It is really not a flattering look in your final images. Stay away from any pasta, deep-dyed candies, colored drinks without a straw, etc. as much as you can.
10. IRON YOUR OUTFIT
If you are wearing something that wrinkles really easily, iron it before your session! Wearing wrinkly outfits is really not the look. Boudoir and Empowerment sessions are meant to be seen as soft, sensual, and empowering. There is nothing soft about a million lines all over your beautiful silk slip or robe.
If you have a piece that you are dead set on wearing to your session, and it is made out of a fabric that wrinkles easily, iron it before your session. It will lay more elegantly on your body.
11. STRETCH
Make sure you stretch because babe this will feel like a workout! You will be arching your back and pushing that booty out more than you ever have before. You will also be hanging out on your tippy-toes a little bit so stretch those legs! Stretch before AND after your session. Your body will ache for a little bit, but it is that kind of ache that feels good – like that refreshing achy feel after a workout.
12. TRY USING GEL OR SPRAY DEODORANT
To avoid white pilling/buildup in your underarms try a gel or spray deodorant. Your underarms will be seen! This means that sometimes you will have your arms up, in your hair, over your head, across your body and anywhere else I think will look creative and sensual.
13. EAT SOME DAMN BREAKFAST
Not eating in the morning will NOT help make you look thinner during your session!!!! Please eat food before your session. If you don’t, you are likely to end up feeling sick and lightheaded during your session. Remember, this isn’t just laying down relaxing, you will be moving around and holding positions – basically doing yoga. Working out without food and water in your system is unhealthy and can cause some serious safety issues.
Plus, who tf doesn’t like breakfast foods? Start your day right and fill that hungry tummy!
BONUS. BRING YOUR FRICKEN BOO
Empowerment sessions are ultimately about love. So how about instead of just expressing your self-love, why don’t you try sharing the experience with your significant other and capture your beautiful, intimate, love! Steamy couple’s sessions are so personal. Your connection is important and something you will look back upon someday, wishing you had captured more of. Steamy sessions are a whole new level of empowerment. You are in your natural and comfortable state WITH your loved one. You share these intimate moments together on a daily, so why not create beautiful art out of your love?
NOW GO ROCK YOUR BOUDOIR / EMPOWERMENT PHOTOSHOOT LIKE THE BOSS BABE YOU ARE!
Building A Successful Brand
There is no one definition that actually captures the essence of brand building in its entirety. Many people think that brand building is all about communicating and exposing your brand. That is just one side of it. The best way we can define it is that it is a process of creating value to consumers. It encompasses all things that consumers know, feel, and experience about your business in its entirety.
Having defined brand building, let’s take a look at 3 popular types of brands and what they stand for.
- Service brand- this brand is built on knowledge, culture, and experience that one has with the service delivering agency/company/people. Think of Geek Squad or Molly Maid.
- Retail brand- this brand is built on a mixture of products and service experience. Think of Chick-fil-a, Kroger, or KFC
- Product brand- is built on the experience that one has with a specific product. Think of Nike, Ford, or Sony.
Having looked at the 3 popular types of brands, let’s now proceed to look at steps involved in brand building.
1.)Define Your Brand
The first stage in brand building is defining your brand. This is a very critical step as it ultimately determines what your brand truly stands for. When defining your business brand, you should create a checklist of its core strengths. Similarly, if you’re defining a personal brand, you should look at the skills and expertise that you possess especially those which stand out. On the same token, you also need to know what your brand stands for and what is important for your brand (brand values). Your values should in one way or another show that you are contributing to environmental, social, and economic well-being of consumers. You may not realize some of these important aspects of brand building immediately, until you look at them objectively.
2.)Differentiate and Position Your Brand
Before embarking on brand building, you have to take time to differentiate it so that you can attract attention and stand out from competitors. To differentiate your brand, you have to create a unique advantage in the mind of consumers not merely getting attention by brand building colors or logos or other superficial elements. Once you come up with a unique value proposition, you should use a good branding strategy to position your brand in a way that will help consumers see and appreciate the greater value of your brand over competing ones in the market.
3.)Build and Expose Your Brand
As I indicated earlier, brand building is not a one off thing. Building a unique and powerful personal or business brand takes time and consistency. To build your personal brand, you have to keep reinforcing your values and skills by taking up new roles and assignments that will give you more exposure. Alternatively, you can use promotional channels, blogs, forums, and social media (LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook) to create a voice for your personal or business brand.
When building your brand, you should also endeavor to develop brand personality (what people know, think, and say about you). This is what drives or motivates people to identify with and engage with your brand. The truth is; if you execute your brand building strategies consistently, then you will easily establish a pattern that will forever be associated with your brand name.
4.)Personalize Your Brand
If you want your brand building campaign or brand to be successful, then you have to personalize it. It is important to give your brand an identity. Let consumers see and experience the personality of your brand in its entirety. Look at your brand as something that a consumer wants to identify with pretty much as they would with their favorite cars, cellphones, or computers.
As you engage in brand building, you should also invite customers to be co-creators of brand values so that they can feel that they also own it and relate with it. Top brands encourage consumer-brand interaction by personalizing products to meet the needs and preferences of consumers. When you personalize your brand, you give consumers reason to participate and engage with your brand for a lifetime.
5.)Review Your Brand
Your brand is not static; it will go through a range of motions in its lifetime. Depending on your brand strategies, your brand will either grow in strength, or remain dormant, or recede with time. In the brand cycle, new events, changes, and circumstances bring challenges and opportunities to enhance the value of your brand or re-establish it. All these possibilities should give you the impetus to take charge of your brand building activities.
As your brand name grows, so do the responsibilities and expectations to continue with brand building. The best way of ensuring brand growth is reviewing your activities and evaluating your successes through metrics such as levels of brand awareness and levels of engagements. Regular reviews will help you seize and exploit new opportunities while upholding your commitment to remain true to your vision and brand strategy. It will also help you steer your brand in the right direction and keep it relevant as you move into the future.
As you can see, brand building is not a one off thing. You have to define your brand, differentiate, present it, and review what your brand stands for from time to time. It is very important to be clear about your branding strategies and how you’re going to implement them. You should also adopt brand strategies that will add value to your consumers and help them develop the right impression of your company and what it truly stands for.
- Published in Blog, Branding, Marketing, Networking
Dewwond Mapp Photography
The Bottom-Line: With regards to Professional Photography, you absolutely get what you pay for! Inexperienced, non-professional photographers will often make several critical errors during your event. They can not be re-done as there just one opportunity to capture certain moments! Therefore, ask yourself this question: If I could hire a Professional Photographer and know that my images will be captured and kept safe, is this worth it to me? If the answer is “yes” then you have made a wise decision! If the answer is “no” then keep in mind the risks involved in losing precious moments forever.
Here at Kentyla Arts Designs, we run a multi-faceted design company. Non-the-less, we strive with zealous ambition to produce the optimum product in every department. Photography is a huge part of what we do here. And, we understand how detrimental it is to capture the important moment. We have provided services to an elongated list of satisfied clients. We’re on a journey to continuously expand our creativity when it comes to photography. — KAD Founder Dewwond Mapp
Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever… It remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.
— Aaron SiskindPhotography for me is not looking, it’s feeling. If you can’t feel what you’re looking at, then you’re never going to get others to feel anything when they look at your pictures.
— Don McCullinIt’s one thing to make a picture of what a person looks like, it’s another thing to make a portrait of who they are.
— Paul Caponigro
- Published in Blog, Photography
Personalized Stationery Items | Print’s Not Dead! A Short Guide To Help You Rock Your Business Stationery
Personalized Stationery Items | It’s safe to say that the way we communicate nowadays is a lot different than the way our parents used to communicate. It’s a huge leap going from one generation to the next one, and when you think about it, we’ve seen many means of communication change, evolve to keep up with the times, or go completely extinct. We live in the age of emails, smartphones and social networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, after all. So why should you care about stationery items? Aren’t they a thing of a long-gone past?
Not really! Even though the way we use stationery items changed, it doesn’t mean that print is dead. Printed stationery items are still alive and well, and are just as important for your business as ever, if not even more. Your stationery can say a lot more about the services and products you’re providing than you think, and it will oftentimes represent your business and make an impression long before a potential client decides to pick up the phone and call.
Do Your Homework | Personalized Stationery Items
Stationery is defined as writing materials, including cut paper, envelopes, writing implements, continuous stationery, and other office supplies. Stationery included materials to be written on by hand (e.g., letter paper) or by equipment such as computer printers. Since business stationery covers a wide range of supplies, you’ll want to take a step back and determine the items that you’ll actually use. It doesn’t matter how appealing your stationery items are, or how much you invested in them, if you don’t actually use them.
Who, What, Where, Why? | Personalized Stationery Items
Let’s get the basics out of the way first here – the point of stationery items is to provide your potential clients with all the information they need at a given time. And just like each stationery item will be slightly different, so will its intended purpose – some items will only provide your potential clients with your contact details, like your business cards, while others will allow you to include other information, such as a list of the services you’re providing, which means you’ll want to figure out the most appropriate contact information for each item, as some won’t be large enough to fit all of them.
Don’t Be Afraid Of Using Color | Personalized Stationery Items
Even though using too much color in your stationery design can add to the cost of printing, keep in mind that color can be an incredibly powerful tool when used right – it can help make your stationery stand out from even the largest pile, and it can actually guide the reader’s attention to the most important information. However, when choosing the color scheme, make sure you choose the one that matches your other branded materials, and that the color actually work well together.
Never Underestimate The Power Of Simplicity | Personalized Stationery Items
You’re investing a considerable chunk of your budget into the stationery for your small business – and you want to make every inch of it count, so you pack your stationery items with all the information that comes to mind. However, this might backfire and end up only overwhelming your potential clients. Never underestimate the power of white space in design – it can be used to organize long paragraphs of text into digestible chunks and help you emphasize the important information.
Ensure Readability | Personalized Stationery Items
You want your stationery items to stand out and be memorable, sure, but you don’t want to put their visual appeal before the functionality. At the end of the day, your stationery items are a delivering mechanism, whether for your message or just the contact information, and you want to make readability one of your top priorities. No matter how interesting that calligraphic font you like is, if it’s difficult to read, instead of straining their eyes, your potential clients will simply move on and throw your piece of stationery in the garbage.
Invest In High Quality Stock Paper | Personalized Stationery Items
Humans are tactile beings, which means the quality of the paper you use for your stationery items is just as important as the design itself – a thicker paper often feels more luxurious and can help portray your business as an established and reliable company, while a thinner paper can seem tacky and cheap. Is that a message you want to send to your potential clients about your products and services? Think of your stationery items as you would of a handshake – no one likes limp handshake, so why would they like limp stationery items?
Double-Check Everything | Personalized Stationery Items
When you decide that the design you came up with is just perfect and you’ve chosen the right paper for each stationery item, it’s best to order a test print to make sure everything looks just as good on paper as it does on your computer screen. Make sure the colors are just right, that the fonts aren’t too small, that there are no typos, and that all the contact details are up to date and correct.
If you’re between jobs, moving between two locations or simply changing your phone number, don’t have your stationery printed before you have all the relevant information ready – even the most appealing business card won’t do you much good if you scratch information on it and write down a different phone number with a pen before handing it to a potential client. As great as your business card might be, this will only portray you as a bad professional that doesn’t care about their business image.
- Published in Blog, Publications
Using An App To Enhance Your Business
The Importance of Mobile Apps for Your Business
The customers in today’s world are on the move and they’re using mobile application platforms to get there. Whether they use mobile phones, tablets, or other mobile devices they have all the information they need. That’s why mobile apps are so much important in today’s market.
You need to understand that mobile apps allow customers to have all your information at their fingertips. Also, it is important that your app works on multiple mobile application platforms. But for beginning, start with one platform.
No matter what your business is, a mobile app can help you get and retain customers., and that’s a fact. We all know that the first place customers go to search for a product or service is online. If your business is available online, and plus you have an app that users can download to their devices, your business will make really good impression. At a glance they will be able to see and open your app and purchase from your business.
Here are some of the biggest benefits of mobile apps for businesses. You can:
- build loyalty
- reinforce your brand
- increase your visibility
- increase your accessibility
- increase sell-through
- increase exposure across mobile devices
- connect you with on-the-go consumers
There are more of course. These are just some of the biggest. As you can see, benefits can be huge.
Not only that your business will have benefits, but your customers as well. Here are some of the benefits of mobile apps for your customers. They can:
- easy access to your inventory
- get notifications of special events, launches, etc.
- have one-touch access to your contact information
- get directions to your location from wherever they are
- make fast, seamless appointment scheduling
Until now, it should be really clear – the future of your business depends on your ability to get your business implanted on the phones of customers all around the world. You need to go mobile and be prepared to grow.
Important fact to note: Promotional email messages receive about a 4% read rate. PUSH notifications 97%.
Not only will your mobile app be a cool marketing tool (allowing you to say things like, visit our website to download our free app!) that will help get people returning to your website, but it will allow you to engage with your customers in a whole new way.
The Importance of Quality Logo Design
More than 40 years ago, Nike bought its logo from a college student for $35.
When companies hear that logos can come with such a low price, they often don’t understand why we might charge more than that.
Non-designers also sometimes think that a logo shouldn’t cost much because of its scope — since it’s just one measly design, it should cost way less than, say, a website.
When KAD offers a logo design proposal, we present every option available, but our statement is this:
“You’ll use this logo everywhere.”
Logos are used hundreds — if not thousands — of times. Potential clients must understand that the logo will appear on everything from websites and business cards to email signatures and social media profiles. Depending on the organization or business, the logo could end up on movie screens or billboards, too.
Kentyla Arts Designs is most certain to communicate to potential clients the important fact that, because a logo is so widely used, it’s incredibly valuable. It is not just a simple file.
“It takes time to make the perfect logo.”
People tend to think that a skilled, professional designer should only need a few hours to throw a logo together. Non-design types don’t always understand all the intricacies of a quality logo design.
There are a few reasons logos take a long time.
- A designer should spend some time getting to know a company’s values, goals, and mission to design accordingly.
- Because logos are so important, the revision process is often lengthy — which is expected and OK, but important.
- Finally, the company should want the logo to be pixel-perfect. And perfection takes time.
“It’s more than just one image.”
Some clients seem to think their logo design will come in one 300-pixel square. They don’t always understand that a professional logo design will result in a folder full of different sizes and formats of the image.
Here at KAD, clients are educated and made aware of a list of images they’ll get:
- They’ll receive full-color, one-color, and black-and-white options.
- They’ll get horizontal, vertical, and square designs.
- They’ll get colorful backgrounds and white backgrounds.
- They’ll get images with and without the company name.
- KAD will also throw in a style guide, detailing the specific colors, fonts, and other elements the brand could use in other projects moving forward.
The above list has option packs that do not comprise of all the above. None-the-less, our clients understand that the more quantified the final product, the more value it will appear to have.
“A Brand You Can Trust.”
Our experience will show in our design. And, we have a clear understanding that, clients don’t care about your personal experience — they just care about their logo. However, we will always take the opportunity to explain to them how our expertise will affect their corporate image. Hiring an amateur will result in an amateur-looking logo — which won’t reflect well on their company. On the other hand, hiring an experienced (albeit pricier) professional will give them better results. Ultimately, they’ll look more credible, authoritative, and trustworthy.
“It’s not just an image — it’s a copyright.”
When KAD sends over the final logo design, the client will gain copyright ownership of the image (depending on your agreement). Oftentimes clients are not be well-versed on copyright law. That’s our opportunity to explain the value of ownership. We explain that they’ll have unlimited access — they can use it wherever, forever.
That might not be the case with a less-than-professional (read: cheap) designers. We let them know that the cost of ownership is factored into your fee.
“You get what you pay for.”
Sure, the client could go the way of Nike and purchase a quick $20 logo on some sketchy website or attempt to design their own in Microsoft Word. But there’s a big chance it won’t look as good as a experienced designer could produce.
As a design company, KAD knows more than just how to make something look pretty — we understand how to make a design match your brand’s style and values.
Ultimately, when it comes to logo design, value-based pricing is more important than the time it took to create the design or the complexity of the project. A logo is a company’s identity — it’s invaluable.
The Importance Of A Great Website
THE ROLE OF YOUR WEBSITE
In a world where people stay online for most of the day, a standard website just doesn’t cut it. Depending on the product, up to 83% of consumers visit a company’s or service provider’s website before making a purchase. And as more and more consumers make decisions based on their online experience, the appearance, usability, and accessibility of your website is more important than ever, especially if you are in a competitive market.
Having a right understanding of your website’s role can greatly benefit your business. Think of it as an extension of your sales staff. In the same way you wouldn’t send out an unkempt salesman to represent your company, neither should you send out an unremarkable website to the consumer who is specifically searching for your product or service.
Working on a website is the ideal time to consider the rest of your branding as well – message, color palette, and logo. The worst thing you can do is invest in a well-built, mobile friendly website, and not have the proper design elements to make the website stand out visually.
EVALUATING YOUR WEBSITE
We mentioned earlier that your website is an extension of your staff, and just like you formally evaluate your team on a yearly basis, you should be doing the same thing for your website. Recommendations vary, but most agree that every 2-3 years you should consider updating the design of your website. But, you should also be making tweaks to the website throughout the year – offer new information, update pictures, and add any new products, services, or staff members – this is simple, routine maintenance.
Here are a few things to look at when evaluating your website:
- Have you added any services or products?
- Has your target market changed – expanded or tightened?
- Has your competition created a new website or branding that is stronger than yours?
- How do you rank on search engines for the services or products you provide?
- Is your website mobile and tablet compatible?
- Is the overall design up to date, fresh, and current?
- Is it easy for you to make small changes to your website?
If you answered yes to a couple of these, it’s probably time to consider a new website.
NEW TECHNOLOGY
About a year ago a major shift in website design occurred – Responsive Website Design (RWD) arrived. RWD allows your website to automatically resize and reconfigure its layout based on the device it is being viewed on. So, whether your consumer is viewing your website on their desktop, their tablet, or their phone, they are seeing the appropriate version. The reason this is great news is that it has eliminated the need for maintaining two websites – a desktop and a mobile. This cuts costs and saves you time, only having to update one website.
If your current website is not responsive, you should consider the potential downside to this. Over the last year, the percentage of traffic to websites via mobile devices has increased by 78%. As of quarter one of 2013, nearly 25% of all website traffic is derived from mobile devices. If your website is not mobile friendly or compatible, you are potentially losing out on 1 out of every 4 consumers. 2013 has been called the Year of Responsive Web Design.
Another feature, though not quite as new, is Content Management System Websites (CMS). These websites use a platform that allows the owner to easily make changes to the website without any software – just an internet browser. The days of relying on your web developer to make every little change to your website are over, which is great news. This means keeping your website fresh and up to date with current information is easier than ever.
If you are considering a new website, these are the first two questions you should ask the web developer – will it be responsive and will it be built with a CMS?
SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION
With over 650 million websites, and another 51 million added each year, there is plenty of online competition for your services. We looked at a few ways to make your website stand out aesthetically, but there are also ways to help it stand out on search engines. Being on the first page of a Google search for your services is crucial to your online conversions.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is what helps your website rank well with search engines. There are several SEO services that can be performed on your website, both one time and ongoing. This is another factor you should consider when building a website; much of the SEO work is done during the website build, so be sure to ask early. This is a much larger topic and one we may revisit in a future article.
THESE DAYS, IT’S LIKE A BUSINESS CARD
Having a business card has been necessary for years and years. Websites have become just as necessary. It’s expected and it has become a major component to the consumer’s decision process. Even if they learn about your company through a trusted referral, at a sponsored event, or in a meeting with you, before they make a final decision they will visit your website. Make sure it looks good, functions well, and clearly communicates your company’s goals.
The Importance Of Industry Publications
Just over the last few years, countless reasons have been given to explain why print advertising is no longer a sensible marketing investment. First, there was social media marketing. Then there were all of the “bright and shiny objects” that fall under the social media umbrella. Foursquare, the platform that allows you to “check in” to locations, was far more important than print advertising. Then it was Quora, the question and answer platform. Pinterest, Instagram, and now content marketing have all been presented as better investments of time and money than print advertising.
We can’t say that all companies should be investing in print marketing today, just as we can’t say that all companies should be investing in social media marketing today. KAD has worked with a client whose industry is steadily moving away from strong print publications and more towards white papers, webinars, and more. As a rule, however, especially in the Business-to-Business world, we still believe that industry publications are important. Here are a couple of things to consider.
1.)Audited Circulation
Although not all publications are audited, certainly, many key industry publications are. This takes the guesswork out of your company’s media buy. An audit from an auditing company like BPA or AAM (formerly ABC) will not just tell you how many people receive the magazine, but you will also learn the geographic distribution of the audience, what job positions are reached by the publication, and more. This can tell you whether the publication is a good fit for you and can also help you hone your message so that it has the most impact for that specific audience.
2.)People Trust Magazines
Last, but certainly not least, magazines remain credible. On September 23, 2013, Nielsen released a report on marketing trends, including what forms of media were seen as the most credible. The report notes, “Sixty percent of global respondents trusted ads in magazines, an increase of four percentage points from 2007.” Think about that. In the face of social media, content marketing, and all of the hype about how print is dying or dead, people actually have increased their trust in print magazines over the last six years.
As we said at the beginning of this post, print advertising may not be a good match for your company. However, if you are not sure whether print advertising is a good match, our advice is not to dismiss it out of hand just because so many people say print advertising is now “out of fashion.” As with all marketing tactics, do a little research and see what is happening in your industry. You may find that adding print advertising to your 2014 marketing campaign turns out to be a great strategic move!
5 Desirable Qualities Every Good Photographer Should Have
eing a good photographer is more than just mastering your camera or owning the latest and most expensive camera gear—it’s about the inherent qualities that allow you to see beauty in the most unexpected places and capture that beauty in a photograph.
So what makes a good photographer? It depends on what photography niche you’re in. Every niche demands different desirable qualities—pet photographers need to know how to properly interact and connect with animals; sports photographers need to be quick, strong, and agile to get the best shots; and so on.
But, of course, some of these qualities will always overlap.
Here are five desirable qualities every good photographer should have:
1. Creativity and Imagination
Photography, for all intents and purposes, is a form of art. Therefore, it requires a creative mind—and plenty of imagination. A good photographer must be able to look at something ordinary, or even extraordinary, and find a million different ways to interpret what he’s seeing and convey those interpretations in beautiful and meaningful photos.
As you may have already heard, a composition is everything in photography. Even if you aren’t concerned about the artistic side of your craft, the composition is still key in producing good photographs. Sure, some basic composition rules can guide you, but at the end of the day, creativity and imagination are the best guides for stellar compositions.
2. An Eye for Detail
A good photographer must have a very keen eye for detail to ensure that all elements within the photo—the lighting, the composition, the subject, and everything else in between—work together harmoniously to convey the right vision or message.
Key elements that make up a photograph:
- Lighting
- Composition
- Storytelling
- Emotion
Even the tiniest detail can make or break a photograph. So having an eye for detail, and being meticulous when scrutinizing every single element to ensure cohesiveness, is very important in producing the perfect photograph.
3. Patience and Flexibility
No matter how much you try to control every variable, things just won’t go your way at times. There will be days when the lighting won’t cooperate, when your models or clients will be exceptionally difficult, or when your camera just won’t give you the desired results.
And of course, there will be times when you’ll have to take a billion photos just to get one perfect photo.
Whatever photography field you may be in, patience (lots of it) is always an essential quality to have. You need to be patient enough to wait for the perfect lighting. You need to be patient enough to deal with crying babies, hyperactive animals, and difficult clients. And most of all, you need to be patient enough to keep trying when you simply can’t get the right shot.
In addition to patience, you also need to be flexible. The two qualities go hand in hand—you need to be patient enough to deal with whatever comes your way, and you need to be flexible enough to make the best of undesirable conditions.
4. Good People Skills
Being a professional photographer means working with people—whether it’s a client, a model, or even a fellow photographer. Thus, being a good photographer requires good people skills. You’ll also need to network to obtain clients and partnerships, so knowing how to connect and communicate effectively with others is imperative.
When you’re photographing people, knowing how to take a good photo simply isn’t enough. You also have to know how to interact with your subjects to make them feel at ease, get them to cooperate, or draw out all the right emotions out of them.
5. Passion
What sets a good photographer apart from the rest? Passion.
When you’re passionate about what you do, it will always shine through in your work. It takes a lot of time and effort to make it as a professional photographer, and the ones who do succeed and manage to make a name for themselves are those who are truly passionate about their craft.
Passion makes the photographer—it will always make you work a little harder, push a little farther, and strive to be better than you were the day before.
- Published in Blog, Photography