Rules for Parents

This is a great article from Kimberlin Gray Photography out of Virginia Beach, Virginia. As she points out, the new school year is quickly approaching - the perfect time to update those photos of your kids!

“The Rules for Parents”

1. Come to the session with well-rested, well-fed children.  Nap times might need to be adjusted on the day of our session for the littlest, or dinner time might have to be a couple hours early.  It truly makes a WORLD of difference if you plan your day around our session – even if it means a schedule that is non-typical for your family.  A good photographer will interact with your child, play games, chat with them and make them feel comfortable.  But we cannot take a tired, hungry, writhing ball of meltdown (can you tell I HAVE toddlers?! ) and create a beautiful portrait!!

2.   Don’t prep your child too much for a photo session.  Talking about it for days on end (or even all day on the day of the session) only raises the stress level for your child and creates an atmosphere of “you’d better…or else!”.  It’s better to let your child become comfortable at the session and have their personality shine through.  That said, bring a “backup plan”.  If you have wee little ones, bringing a non-messy snack (for babies: puffs, small cookies, etc.) and a drink is essential!  For older toddlers, a special snack (something a bit exciting even!) might be just the thing to get that big smile!  If your child has a lovey or special friend that you don’t mind being in some photos, it can be a great comfort item.  I am not above bribery, but be sure to keep it positive and specific.  “Give two beautiful smiles and you get a special treat!” is great.

3.  Allow your photographer to interact with your child.  Don’t answer for them – or chime in with your own thoughts.  The photographer needs to spend a few moments getting comfortable with your child and allowing your child to get comfortable with her.  Many times I will ask children questions about what things they like, about their teacher or friends, or find something in common to chat about.  It helps to break the ice and allows the photographer to get a sense of your child’s personality.

4.  If you have a baby,  allow the photographer to interact with her and try to get her to look at the camera and smile. This is a hard one for parents. If there’s a particular thing that “works” – a game, a sound, a word, a song – tell the photographer at the beginning of your session together and allow her to try it with your baby.  The goal of the photographer is to get your baby to look directly into the camera. If you are standing to the photographer’s left or right, even slightly, and shouting your baby’s name to get her to look up, she is going to look AT YOU!  Why is that a bad thing?  Because even though she could be giving the best, most beautiful and perfect smile to you…when you see the photo, it looks like she’s smiling at someone outside the frame.  I never really understood this until I started photographing children professionally, but now I notice it all the time.  In most studio photos, the children are almost always looking at someone above the camera’s level.   My goal as a custom photographer is to capture your child(ren) looking right at me – so that when you see that photo, it looks like they are smiling directly at you every time you look at the picture.  You will see the twinkle in their eye, you will see the mischievous grin, you will feel the connection!  It is hard to step back and not interact with your own baby – but let the photographer try first.  She’ll let you know if she needs help!

5. If your child is between 12 months and 2 1/2 years old, expect your session to be a lot of “follow the baby around”!  This age is the most unpredictable.  Since bribing, cajoling, and joking doesn’t work yet, we are forced to go with the flow!  The best thing to do is to see where he wants to play, sit, stand and then position yourselves around him for a group shot.   When he moves, you move!  Again, interact like you normally do – if that’s playing peek-a-boo or clapping, we’ll capture it, and maybe a few smiles in the process!

6.  If you have older toddlers or elementary school children, allow the photographer some space to work with them.  If you “disappear” or hang back a bit, photographers can often work more easily with your child – especially siblings!  Trust us, we have interacted with many children and have a few tricks up our sleeves!  Oftentimes, children will act up when their parents are around and watching just to get their attention – but they wouldn’t dare misbehave with a stranger!  (Just ask their teachers – they are angels at school, right?!)   I sometimes take a child by the hand and we take a walk to a new location so that we can start fresh and not have mom and dad watching our every move.  Most of the time, I capture the truest smiles that way!

7.  Try not to threaten your child or coerce them into smiling.  You are most likely not going to get a genuine smile if you’ve just told them that they must smile or you will beat them within an inch of their lives not take them for ice cream.    Please, whatever you do, don’t tell your child to SAY CHEESE!  It does not capture their true smile and we’re probably only going to get that smile the rest of the session.  (That’s why they call it a cheezy smile!)  Your photographer will help with fun things to make your child smile – or you could always just start a tickle fight or say something really silly that makes everyone laugh!

8. Get close.  When you stand next to each other, you should always be touching!  Wrap your arms around each other or hold hands.  Even a few inches of space looks like a wide gap in a picture!  I often tell people to, “act like you like each other!” (which always gets people to smile, by the way!) because I want them to be close.  Kids sitting on laps, or standing with their arms around their parents legs or shoulders are natural “poses”.  Your closeness and love for each other will shine through if you are close to each other when standing or sitting for a photograph.

9.  Your job, as parents is to look at the camera and smile when we attempt the big group shot.  When your photographer poses you and is doing her best to get the childrens’ attention, don’t look down at the kids!!!  My job is to get the baby to smile.  My job is to keep the kids looking at me.  My job is to see whose head is turned or fingers are in their mouth.  Your job is to plaster that (natural!) smile on your face and look at my camera!  There have been too many times when I’ve gotten home, downloaded a family session, and found that by the time I got all three or four kids looking at the camera and smiling, the mom and dad had dropped their smiles or were “just checking” to see if the kids were smiling.  So, I either have a great shot of mom and dad with wild monkeys or beautiful children with parents who look completely over it!  Remember to just look at the camera and smile – your photographer will do the rest!!

10.  Be yourselves and try to have fun!  The absolute best family photographs are those where the family looks comfortable and connected.  If you are silly, be silly during your session.  If dad is the comedian, by all means, bring on the jokes!  If your kids like to play Ring around the Rosy (or Superheroes!), let’s get to it early on in the session so that we can capture your family being you.  After all, that’s what you want to remember in ten or twenty years, right?

 Check out the original article here.

Interesting Creations - Chipotle

We are always looking at design and photography where ever we go. Some people, even those close to us, sometimes tease us because we are always analyzing a design for it's layout or a font used, or looking at a picture trying to figure out if it's been manipulated or not. Occasionally, we come across a design or a photograph in which we can't find anything to pick apart- a rare occasion, yes- but it does happen. One of these occasions happened recently after a meal out at Chipotle Mexican Grill. The new design for their cups is amazingly interesting, yet unique! We love it! Especially the larger cup! We feel that it closely communicates the type of personality found at VERVE. We're laid back, and we like to have fun - but we're serious about what we do.

Story time: While analyzing the design as I normally do, I quickly noticed that the water-cup design is shaped like a water droplet. The group I was with teased me about being a "design nerd" for noticing - because none of them noticed. It's these little details that make these designs so cool! And for the record, I don't mind being a "design nerd." It's just who I am, and me doing what I love!

Product Photography & eCommerce

We found an interesting article on product photography and eCommerce. Just thought we would share it. For those of you who sell a product or service, and have not yet looked into selling or promoting online- it's a very valuable and profitable tool! And having the best product photos can only enhance that experience!

 

 

PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY AND IT'S IMPORTANCE IN eCOMMERCE
By Pete R., May 2007

Whether selling products, vacation spots or services it can be very difficult to make your products look appealing to potential customers. Attractive web design and complimentary copy writing will help, but ultimately the image you choose will pique the viewer’s interest, and hopefully, a desire to purchase the product.


When choosing a style of photography for your products you need to consider the potential buyer’s opinion of what they find interesting and appealing; what one buyer finds professional, another may find bland or boring. So in a world saturated with banal and boring imagery, making it increasingly difficult to get noticed on the web, the goal is to maintain a balance between creativity and professionalism while still producing a flawless photograph of the product.

Poor photography will communicate to the customer that you don’t care about your products. Unique photography is the key to standing out and showing customers that you’re serious about how you look and what you’re selling. Each product has traits that need to be emphasized and therefore every picture should be customized per item. If all your product shots are the same one after another, the customer will tire of looking and move on, however, if you use interesting photos and give the customer an opportunity to interact with or use their imagination to affect an image, it will stimulate a more responsive reaction. People notice time and effort, and they will be more willing to expend energy paying attention to details of each photograph if someone else did as well.

Poor preparation is obvious and can make or break a picture. Whether it’s ironing t-shirts, cleaning off glass or rearranging lighting, every product needs to be properly prepared before it’s photographed. Beside proper preparation and technical acumen, there is really no way someone can say that one style is right or wrong, but what is best for the customer and product.

Photographing a t-shirt on a person can be better than putting that t-shirt on a mannequin, but it has to be a fitting model. It wouldn’t make sense to throw a Bob Marley tee on a metal head, unless it was in jest. In the same vein, it also wouldn’t make sense to have a female college student wearing a fairy princess necklace for adolescents.

It’s very important that your photos makes sense and are appropriate for your target demographic. When a 14 year old girl sees another teen wearing something that piques her interest, while in a setting she can relate to, her impulse is to buy or at the least consider. So in addition to the product, the surroundings are an important element of the photo, creating an organic selling environment to entice buyers with this pre-designed lifestyle image. In the end, customers want to feel that others are buying the same products they are; and a photo with said product in an appropriate setting is a good way to create that illusion.

Great photos let you show your customers and clients the benefits and key features of your product. Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words, but a great picture is worth ten times that when it increases sales, promotes your brand and distinguishes you from the competition.

Click here to view the original article.

Question of the Week[end] #1

Question of the Week[end]:

If you had to describe your business or passion in one word, what would it be?

Give your top 6 words, and don't use the name of the business or passion. (Example photography = photography, camera, etc.) Try to use a variety of verbs, descriptors, etc.

Good examples:

photography (business/passion) = "brilliance, specular, colorful, capture, vignetting, contrast."

scrap-booking (passion) = memories, capture, create/creativity, embellish, share, release

We're excited to see what you all come up with! Don't forget to tell us what your business or passion is! Happy Saturday!

Design Brief: How to get the Design You Want

The design department at VERVE uses a design brief based on some of the questions and points covered in this article when beginning a new project. This helps us get better insight into what exactly the client is looking for, and a little background about the client and/or company. We hope this helps our clients to understand what helps us, help them. Enjoy!

How do you get the design you want? The perfect design you envision in your head? … The design brief is the answer. Whether you are a designer or a client, an effective design brief is the single most critical factor in ensuring that a project is successful. This article will tell you how to write an effective design brief that will be both beneficial to the client and the designer. This article will be based from the client’s perspective.

What Is A Design Brief?

First off, you may want to know what a design brief is. A design brief is something that is vital to any design project as it will provide the designer(s) with all the information needed to exceed your expectations. A design brief should primarily focus on the results and outcomes of the design and the business objectives of the design project. It should not attempt to deal with the aesthetics of design… That is the responsibility of the designer. The design brief also allows you (the client) to focus on exactly what you want to achieve before any work starts on the project. A good design brief will ensure that you get a high quality design that meets your needs, providing you have  chosen the right designer.

How To Write An Effective Design Brief

If you answer these questions below in an ordered and detailed fashion, your design brief will be 90% done… the other 10% will come from further questions from the designer after you submit your brief.
Have fun answering the questions and remember, provide as much detail as possible! This does not mean one line answers.

What does your business do?

Tip: Never assume that the designer will know anything about your company. Be clear and  concise  and avoid jargon when replying.

• What does your company / organisation do?
• What is your company’s history?

What are the goals?  Why?

• What is the overall goal of the new design project?
• What are you trying to communicate and why?
• Are you trying to sell more products or get awareness of your product / service?
• How do you differ from your competitors?
• Do you want to completely reinvent yourself or are you simply updating your promotional material?

Tip:  You should also provide old promotional material to assist the designer.

Who is the target market?

• What are your target market’s demographics & phychographics? ie. the age, gender, income, tastes, views, attitudes, employment, geography, lifestyle of those you want to reach.

Tip: If you have multiple audiences, rank them in terms of importance.

What copy (text) and pictures are needed?

Tip: The copy and pictures used in a design are as crucial as the design itself and you should clearly state who is going to be providing the copy and pictures if needed.  You may need to look into getting a professional copywriter / photographer – ask your designer for some recommendations.

• What copy needs to be included in the design? Who is providing the copy?
• What pictures / photographs / diagrams etc need to be used? Who is providing these?

What are the specifications?

• What size is the design going to be?
• Where is it going to be printed / used? The web, business cards, stationery, on your car?
• What other information should the designer know in regards to specifications?

Have you got a benchmark in mind?

• You should provide the designer with some examples of what you consider to be effective or relevant design even if it is from your main competitors. This will set a benchmark for your designer.
• Provide the designer with things not to do, and styles that you do not like or wish to see in your design. This will give the designer an idea of what to avoid and will avoid disappointment on your behalf.

What Is Your Budget?

• Providing a budget prevents designers wasting valuable time and  resources when trying to maximise your budget.
• Providing the budget upfront also allows designers to know if the project is going to be worthwhile to complete. Make sure you are worth their time.

What is the time scale / deadline?

• Give the designer a detailed schedule of the project and set a realistic deadline for the completion of the work. You should take into account the various stages of the design project such as consultation, concept development, production and delivery.

Tip: Rushing design jobs helps no one and mistakes can be made if a complex job is pushed through without time to review, however, there are times when a rush job is needed, and in these cases you should be honest and upfront about it.

This article was written by Jacob Cass and published September 26, 2008. Visit Jacob's website for more interesting articles.

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How to Create a Visual Identity

An oldie, but goodie! It's recommended that you update and/or change you visual identity every 7 to 8 years. You're visual identity is the first impression your company has on your potential clients, as it spans from your business cards and mailers, to your website and blog. Every piece of media that your clients see should fit within your visual identity, to maintain a clear and consistent image of your company. Read on for more interesting information!

HOW TO CREATE A VISUAL IDENTITY.

Published by Soft-Letter, May 7, 1990

"Visual consistency involves more than just putting your logo on everything you print," says Lynne Marcus, a Boston-based graphic designer. "The secret is to define common visual themes--colors, types styles, publication grids, even text messages--and to repeat those themes over and over."

However, creating a common look can be surprisingly difficult, Marcus concedes, especially for companies that have already hired several different artists to design their magazine ads, packaging, direct mail, documentation, trade show booths, and other graphical materials. "Still, the effort is definitely worthwhile, because a common 'look and feel' really helps establish brand awareness among customers."

Marcus offers several suggestions for creating visual consistency:

• Make a List. Even a small company is likely to produce "literally dozens" of printed pieces--business cards, boxes, letterhead, manuals, order forms, labels, spec sheets, and the like. Creating an inventory of these materials is a good starting point for planning a design upgrade, says Marcus. "Even if you don't plan to make over every piece of printed material, it helps to have a good overview of the company's current look."

• Look for production economies. Before designing new printed materials, Marcus says it's a good idea to consider such issues as the length of print runs, the availability of in-house desktop publishing tools, and the use of common boxes for different products. "If you only produce a few hundred disks at a time, it's probably better to come up with a generic disk label that you can modify than to stock a two-year supply of four-color labels."

• Create a master style guide. Rather than redesign every piece of printed material all at once, Marcus recommends that a company should first bring in a designer to write a general-purpose style guide. "The rules don't have to be tremendously complex," she says, "but they should provide a framework that imposes some basic consistency on every appearance the company makes in print."

• Leave room for differences. "The really tough problem," says Marcus, is to find a balance between rules and the need to change messages and styles occasionally." Generally, strict consistency is less important when printed materials don't show up in the same context. "For example, a direct mail piece doesn't have to have exactly the same look as the product's package design."

• Don't get bored. Companies often get overexposed to their own visual campaigns and decide that customers will also want a fresh, new look. That's a mistake, Marcus warns. "It takes at least four or five repetitions before people even begin to notice you," she says. "When I was at ComputerVision, we ran one ad for a whole year. The ad ran everywhere, and response never dropped off."

To read the original transcript by Soft-Letter, click here.


VERVE Creative Solutions offers several levels of Identity and Promotional/Marketing packages for small businesses. Contact us today for more details on creating a consistent image/identity for your business! www.vervecs.com