Insights Vol.1
Detailed photography guidelines form the backbone of any great brief
Occasionally I come across photography guidelines as just a couple of pages at the back of visual identity guidelines but photography and film styles are a crucial and integrated part of the brand visual identity (VI). Detail is needed to ensure that any commissioned or sourced content is relevant to the brand look and feel.
So how should they be done and how much detail is needed? This all depends on the complexity of the VI and the number of photography styles it requires.
Global brands with multiple businesses or sub-brands may each have their own variation of the main brand style.
Here are some simple steps to consider when developing photography guidelines.
Define your photography style
Articulate the style beyond just keywords and explain what it means to the brand purpose and values. The same keywords are often used across multiple brands - but what do they mean to your brand? Define them.
Get technical
Style is more than just a theme, to understand how to execute it you need to fully define the technical aspects. Light, colour, focus, composition, mood and post-production treatment are all equally essential components.
Execution
Like a designer, a photographer or DOP is your creative partner and needs to understand the brand strategy and the visual identity if the assets are to work across multiple communications and media formats.
Help them deliver for that.
Showing how crops are applied, shape of assets, graphic overlays, copy-space and the file sizes are all important considerations when shooting. Being prepared helps avoid tricky file extensions, expensive retouching and most importantly bad execution.
Best practice
Continuity in the process is just as important as the creative. Outlining best practice methods to source or commission content ensures everything is fit for purpose.
Consider the practicalities and documentation needed around production, scheduling and planning, file formats, file naming and licensing information.
Make your production run smoothly by being equipped with the tools needed to make it a success.
Extend your creative control
If you have gone through the rigorous process and effort of identifying a style, list those you would recommend to shoot it. Build a roster.
A roster can support global marketing teams and creative partners to maintain continuity in the look and feel.
A briefing template to extend your support to other teams can also be hugely beneficial for maintaining consistency.
Guidelines are more than a mood board
Remember that guidelines are a commercial document - make sure that any visuals used are licensed.
Published 29 November 2024