Florida-based lifestyle and travel photographer Clark Griffiths recently came to me looking for help with some email promo designs. This would be his first venture into the digital promotion market. In the past, he mainly relied on word of mouth for smaller clients, and used some nicely designed folded print mailers to land a few larger clients. His friend Chad Jarae, who works at a creative agency in the area called Encounter Creative, helped him come up with the branding incorporated into his print mailers and business cards. Clark filled me in a bit on the process:
I wanted a brand that was different, and most importantly, did not look like it was designed by me. Even with the rise of photographers in the market, a large percentage of them still don’t understand how important a distinguishable brand is. Chad did a good job of analyzing my personality, and the things that define me, to create my brand. The first month of the process was more about getting to know me than it was about picking fonts and colors.
My challenge: to take his existing brand elements and convert them into a flexible email template that he could easily swap photos into. Clark specified that he wanted two different layouts for the promos—one to fit a larger horizontal image and another to fit two portrait images side by side. I knew it only made sense for the layout and his sanity later on that the images not be slanted like they were in the direct mailer. I still, however, wanted to incorporate that slanted and layered effect, so I achieved that by misaligning the two portrait shots and angling the other elements in the design. I felt it created an effect similar to that of the direct mailers. I also made the design files easy to manage, so popping in new photos would be a snap for him.
Clark is hoping his new email promos will help him reach a wider national audience, since he can start to mix both web and print promotions as we move into the new year. I asked him about the photo market in the Tampa/Orlando area and he had this to say:
The photo market down here is great! There are a lot of large companies that are based down here as well as a lot reputable agencies in Tampa, Orlando, and Miami. I also like the fact that this area is a destination and a lot of brands and agencies shoot down here throughout the year. I think this area is great for a young photographer who’s just starting out.
Further Reading
Wonderful Machine: Print Promo And Emailer Template: Eric Tate
Wonderful Machine: Branding Overhaul: Joe Weaver
Wonderful Machine: Marketing Mentor & Client Introductions: Brett Deering
If you’re ready to take your marketing to the next level with print or email promos, reach out!