Digital Branding

[pbalko]

<p>What sort of studio branding do you consider is appropriate for digital media products, especially with regard to slide show titles, DVD labels and DVD case labels? Opinions on anything I may be missing are welcome also. Thanks.</p>

[art_tatum]

<p>Can this question be answered the way it is framed? I think not.</p>

[pbalko]

<p>Help me out Art. Whaddaya need?</p>

[david_schilling___chicago_]

<p>I'm not sure exactly what you're asking here. Branding is rather conceptual and represented by studio logo/graphics that are relatively consistent in presentation and style from product to product and across company literature and marketing media. Can you be more specific with your question?</p>

[pbalko]

<p>Sorry, I tend to ramble so try to use as few words as possible when posting. I'd like to determine how intrusive I can (should?) be on a couple's wedding product. Right now I've got an 8 pt copyright notice along the bottom arc of the DVD. I'm considering adding a line above that with website and contact info. I've got all of that, again in 8 pt, on 4 lines, on the back of the DVD case. The DVD case may be moot because, the more I look at it, the tackier it feels. I'm leaning heavily toward a leather DVD case with nothing but the couple's imprint on the front. (Just because we *can* go rococo doesn't mean we should.)<br /><br />As for the slide show, a while back I worked up a show for a friend, on a lark, including full-blown, Hollywood-esque title slides: black screen; <em>Fanfare for the Common Man</em>, fade in local landscape and fly in <em>"Phil B Productions;"</em> new slide; <em>"A Phil B Studios Company;"</em> new slide; <em>"In Association With Phil B's Employer...Presents..."</em> It was great. I still get chills when I think about it, but, no doubt, that's a little over the top for most wedding clients.So, what sort of branding, or intrusion, if any, would be appropriate on the wedding slideshow? Opening slide? Closing slide? Nowhere?<br /><br />And yes, logos. Beyond the small copyright notice, dedicate what, 20-30%, 10%, 50%, none, of the disc real estate to studio branding? I don't know. Help?</p>

[david_schilling___chicago_]

<p>On my slide shows I do a short splash with 3 slides, the first has "D'Wesley Portraits", 2nd page keeps the first line and adds: "photography by" in smaller print, and the 3rd page adds my name...all three slides are about 15 seconds total and no music intro or fanfare. Music begins just after the title slide of the show which also starts the Ken Burn style simple transitions from image to image. Keep the transitions extra simple and consistent throughout the show. I would suggest that no more than about 10-15% of the disk space for the logo. A small gold or silver imprint on a leather case would be extra nice touch and look kind of "old school" classic.</p>

<p>A semi-small logo on the front of the DVD case with the contact info in smallish font on the back would be my suggestion. I'd go a bit larger with the logo and extra conservative with the print. Be sure that your logo and colors are consistent from product to product and match your website graphics along with any print advertising. Good luck.</p>

[pbalko]

<p>Just the sort of guidelines I'm looking for. Thank you David.</p>

[david_schilling___chicago_]

<p>You're welcome. I'm wondering why more people aren't offering contributions to this topic....</p>

<p>Here's a couple of samples of branding that I think are worth sharing. Jeff & Kathleen Hawkins from Florida, use Jeff's name in their studio logo. If you visit the website you'll see the logo, font style & size, and colors are consistent from page to page. You can also see the gold imprint that they use for their client wedding albums. Sample here: <a href="http://www.jeffhawkins.com/products_classic.htm">http://www.jeffhawkins.com/products_classic.htm</a> Many album companies will also offer an imprint that is void of color which can be a good choice to put a small studio name or logo on the back of the front cover or back cover of album.</p>

<p>Another excellent sample of branding from here in Chicago is JR Geoffrion who approaches branding with a graphic treatment of his initials "JR" nd also has a graphic treatment of his studio name which is also his website address. Homepage here: <a href="http://www.weddingology.com/">http://www.weddingology.com/</a></p>

[William Michael]

<blockquote>

<p>"Branding is rather conceptual and represented by studio logo/graphics that are relatively consistent in presentation and style from product to product and across company literature and marketing media."<br>

+<br>

"I'm wondering why more people aren't offering contributions to this topic...."</p>

</blockquote>

<p>My answer to your second question is because you answered for me, in the statement above of yours, which I quoted. . .</p>

<p>Phil,<br>

Several years ago, my Business Partner and I were deciding how we would take our businesses to the next level. At the time it was a simple Partnership and included our Photography Studio – (Not sure exactly what business structures there are in the USA – but what I mean is we were NOT a Company)<br>

We spent several weeks discussing what “image” the Company would take. The “Branding” is the outward visible bit of that image. The nuts and bolts of this process were basically: we decided upon a Company Name, firstly. The we wrote a company mission statement and the most general of goals – OUR goals.<br>

With those elements decided, we then went about the minutia, examples are: the TYPING FONT; the COLOURS; the LAYOUT of all written material; the layout of the Office to reflect the COLOURS; LOGO; the TYPE and COLOUR of CARS we would use . . . it goes on and on, as much as you want it to, or as far as you feel it is significant and applicable<br>

To address your question as written I don’t think it is appropriate to LIMIT the Business’s branding to just the Digital Media you are supplying or showing.<br>

IMO: <em>The leverage of BRANDING - is the holistic approach and repetitive but NON-INTRUSIVE nature of the BRANDING.</em><br>

So, in this regard, (no longer do we cover Weddings) but our DVD cover for Photographic Assignments has the name the font and the colours of our Company. The First Image is the Copyright and Release and it has the Company Name in the same font and colours – usually overlayed on a key image of the shoot the scene having similar colours. The DVD itself, has a label print, similar. The last image is simply a message from us, in the same font and colours. If a slide show is given in my office then the same first and last images are viewed - just the first and the last image, that's all which are branded.</p>

<p>WW </p>