Part of my learning curve in my photography business has been branding and packaging.  It has been an interesting if somewhat bumpy ride!  My logo took time to evolve and many mistakes were made along the way!  Initially, I allowed other opinions to sway me and to be honest that is in no way their fault ..the fault was all mine as it took time for me to develop my own style and understand what I liked and how important branding was in my business!   The same went for packaging.     I looked around for quite awhile …but what was on offer was what everyone else was using …and I felt that I needed to stand out from a very oversaturated market and have something that was uniquely mine …that suited my business branding!  Creative Albums have been extremely patient with me on my path to find the “right” packaging and worked alongside me every step of the way to making it all come together!  I will admit that finally I had a lightbulb moment and realised that I am not a designer …I am a photographer and that it was time to outsource this to the two very talented ladies (now three) who make up Two Sugars Advertising!  I was amazed at how quickly the packaging was sorted due to their experience in the world of design and marketing and this was purely because of their knowledge and knowing how to make the brand evolve!

“Packaging is powerful because it tells consumers why your product and brand are different. Apple is known for its clean, minimalist packaging. If you’ve ever watched an unboxing video for a new iPhone, you know people love Apple’s packaging.”  I believe the packaging should be an important part of the hand-over experience to my clients and hence the reason that I have spent a lot of time researching it.

The quality of my Photography should also be communicated by good packaging!  My aim is for it to be a sensory overload!  It should definitely be a texture and visual experience!  I do believe touch is as important as the visual experience!

What I love about the new packaging is that it is subtle ..its timeless, classic, beautifully textured and luxurious!  It can carry on evolving with my business!  It is not going to date or go out of style!  It will always be uniquely mine!

A Jo Stokes experience!

Research material :

Inc

Interpak

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The Dysel Family at Blaauwberg Beach

I met this lovely family for the first time  in Greyton in 2013.  Candice & Graeme’s wedding was special in more ways than one!  It was great to see long lost friends, Brenda & Gary and to meet their truly delightful extended family!  Some of my most vivid memories of that day was watching these two cute children, Kyra & Zac!  Kyra has the most beautiful colour hair you could possibly imagine and is such a sweetie …and Zac is an imp of note!  Definitely going to be a charmer …plus he has a wicked sense of humour!  So when Melode & Brendan contacted me to do a family shoot for them when they visited Cape Town recently …I was happy to meet this lovely family again!  Blaauwberg is always a winner for photography …especially when you have amazing sunsets and then you add to the mix the loveliest of families …..needless to say, I went home with a smile on my face!  I do get to meet the loveliest of families!!

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