How to Plan | Photography & Web Design for Your Brand

This week’s topic is how to plan for both your photography & web-designed experience when building your brand! Being that Katie & I aren’t the only creatives that specialize in these topics, be sure to keep in mind that not every photographer or designer works or thinks this way! With that being said, let’s dive on in!

A little bit of both perspectives … Photography & Web Design-based questions!

• As a client, should I do a branding photo session coinciding with a rebrand or should one be done before the other?
  • Katie’s answer
    • In my experience, I’ve seen great results when people do branding first (at least the strategy part–where we get to know YOU, your audience, your industry, and what makes you stand out. And even dabble a bit into colors/mood of what you’re going for), then the photoshoot. That way you can use the brand strategy we create to plan for a really useful and on-brand photo shoot. After the photoshoot, it’s a good time to start work on the website. So sandwiching the shoot in between brand identity design and web design. 
  • Madalyn’s answer 
    • I love the idea of sandwiching the shoot in between, a great way to put it, Katie! So I’ve been in this situation before! When I was refreshing my website back in 2020, I also had a branding session scheduled. My session was before my website launch and I found that very convenient because my web designer was able to tailor my website to my photos! 
    • But if I had to tell you an either-or answer, I’d say have your branding session BEFORE your website rebuild! This also plays into if you’re hiring a branding photographer or just a photographer because if you’re hiring someone who knows about branding, there is a great chance, they will educate you on the importance of branding which is great to know a little about before you rebuild your website! 

From Katie’s perspective … Web Design-based questions!

• What format of photos should a client be asking their photographer to provide? Landscape, Portrait, etc
  • For a website, you’ll probably need some of each! Don’t forget to also get some close-ups and some with a lot of white/blank/not-busy background space. This is so helpful for overlaying text on images for promos.
  • Also, it helps your site run smoother the smaller the file size. So where possible, cut the resolution (PPI) down! Your photographer will know this!

• What is something someone can do to prep for a website rebrand or refresh?
  • Get a copywriter
  • Understand what pages your clients will need from you
  • Get a Mailchimp or Flodesk
  • Get your freebies together
  • Understand your services

Have more general web designed based questions for Katie? Be sure to check out her Q & A Tab on her website!

From Madalyn’s perspective … Photography-based questions!

• Should I be focused on wearing my brand colors for my shoot?
  • A great way to look at this is, you want your images to complement your brand but not be a walking advertisement for your brand. I tend to have one item that is a brand color and then the other pieces are neutral that way it doesn’t seem overdone! If you don’t want to wear your brand color, then maybe you can accessorize with it! You also want variety – so think of the seasons! If your branding shoot is scheduled for the Fall, maybe sure to bring a variety of clothing that you could still use in the winter.
• Should I come with a “pose list”?
  • So, this will vary depending on your photographer! I don’t suggest a pose list so to speak but I ask for any requests that my clients might need for a specific announcement/project/etc. I also don’t share my shot list with my clients because then there is pressure on me to finish everything because my client is expecting it. Now, before the shoot, I will have a call with my client to walk through my thoughts so that they know what my shot ideas are. If this is at all confusing, feel free to DM me! 
• What kinds of questions should I be asking myself so that I bring the right props? Or maybe just “what kinds of props should I bring?”
  • So if you know me, I will try to avoid a lot of computer shots, photos that scream photographer or hairstylist, etc. We want to go beyond your title and dig deeper. So a good exercise I give my clients is to take your about me section and come up with props that bring it to life. Then, go through your services page and bring that to life. 
• What are the best types of locations for branding shoots?
  • Location, location, location. What a topic, haha! This really depends on the client. We don’t all have beautifully curated offices or spaces that we want to showcase so in that case, renting an Airbnb or a venue is best. Then there are also people that want the location to be authentic to their every day so renting a space wouldn’t be ideal. So it depends; ideally, you want to authentically, comfortable where you are, and able to connect with space. 

If you’re interested in learning more about Props, Locations, or Outfits for planning your branding experience, I have blog posts for each! Be sure to check them out! 🙂 As always, thanks for popping in! xoxo