A brand new identity... {personal}

While my blog has been very quiet these last two months, I've been busily re-working my brand.  These last two years have passed in a flash - in truth, I didn't expect the business to have taken off at quite the pace it did.  I left me gasping for breath just focusing on my clients, let alone keeping up with marketing (which I LOVE) as well as boring things like bookwork!  So, my brand management has been less than ideal.

Before my blind-leap into the photography business, my working life was all about branding! Over my twenty years in tourism marketing, I was there for the birth of a number of brands including Brand WA in the late 90's and amazing albany about 5 years ago.  

In the case of Brand WA, it was drilled into me by the "Brand Manager" (AKA "Brand Nazi") the importance of a brand management... and I am not kidding when I say it was drilled! Leisa took her job very seriously!    But with the amazing albany brand, it was ME who was the Brand Nazi.  This brand was my "baby" and I was an overly protective mum!

So, there's not excuse for me to have dropped the ball when it came to my own brand, other than the usual -  not enough hours in the day!  

As a small business owner, I am, in many ways, the brand! My brand is a reflection of what I do, say and how my traits come through in every aspect of my photography. So, its  the way I've built and maintained relationships in this very small City, the way I do business and treat other people that has laid the foundations for my brand re-fresh.

Yes, I did have a logo.  And yes, it was a match to where I was when I first started out - it was fun and frivolous - I was very fond of it. However, I had outgrown it - my clients now valued my services for different reasons (although I hope there's still SOME fun!).

With help from some of my fabulous clients and very loyal followers, I was able to shortlist two of the strongest characteristics of my business that has made my word-of-mouth marketing so strong;
                1. my genuine authentic personalised customer care - nothing but the best will do
                2. my LOVE of what I do and the flow-through effect that my enjoyment has

One very clever friend summed it up ;
             "...you have an interest in people and their situations and you are able to  
             capture what is important and real. Your pictures, therefore, do not look 
             posed or over styled.    Ultimately it is your pleasure at taking photos that 
             shines through. It is not just another job for you - it is a joy and delight - 
             and that is reflected in the pictures you take. They are full of joy and delight! 
            Simple, without fuss or too much trickery..."

So, based on these two core elements, I embarked on a new brand.  I worked with a fellow photographer,  Leah, who actually lives near Seattle and who helped me come up with the logo (based on my core business values) and some basic templates I needed for my business. And because Leah uses the temples in her own business, it truly was so easy to come up with a complete new look.  I am sooooo very grateful for all of Leah's help - and especially for her late nights - she was often up at 2.30AM just so that we could chat across the time-zones! And this is what we came up with...

I hope you like it!  Its just the beginning - I have soooo many things planned for this brand, including a WHOLE NEW WEBSITE dedicated solely to my brides and grooms!  So, watch this space!

And, I promise the next posts will be back to LOTS and LOTS of photos from recent fun jobs - my blog looks unrecognisable without photos!  But I just couldn't wait to share this!