Wednesday, February 27, 2013

An Example of Branding

Several weeks ago, our wedding photographer (Derryn Semple) contacted me to say our photos (which we were going to get in digital format on a disc) were ready, she was just waiting for packaging to arrive. My highly impatient self was like, Packaging? Really? Can't she just stick the discs in an envelope and mail them?! A little while later when we finally got the photos, I understood :-)

My grandmother always says "Feast the eyes" when she's making her food (i.e. presentation is just as important as taste), and Derryn certainly feasted the eyes with the beautiful presentation of our photographs :-)

So the point of this post is to show you, an author who's been told over and over that you need to create a "brand" for yourself, how Derryn creatively incorporates her brand into everything she produces.

 First of all, here is her logo:


And here is what our photos came packaged in:

Click to enlarge
 And when you open the box, this is what's inside:

Click to enlarge
The coffee smells so good! (And I'm not even a coffee drinker ;-) ) I love that little bird on her logo, and I'm not likely to ever forget what it represents -- Derryn's photography. I've seen it on her website, her Facebook page, now the box, and the little keyrings that are so pretty we will HAVE to use them somewhere (and so that we'll never forget our anniversary ;-) ).

Oh, and the photos themselves are gorgeous too! I'll be sharing some here soon.

What represents you as an author? A logo? Font type? Colour?


20 comments:

Annalisa Crawford said...

That is so awesome - so much nicer than just an album. She's really thought about her stuff, hasn't she? I'm off to check out my branding (erm... I don't have one...)

Unknown said...

I think it's great to work with such proffesionals. Photograpthers are artists and they need branding too. Tell me that after such a lovely surprising packing you won't use the same photographer!

Unknown said...

Annalisa - I find the branding thing quite difficult as well. I've settled on using the same font for my name wherever I can. Blog header Facebook page, Twitter page ... I hope that counts!

Adriana - Exactly! I will definitely recommend her to others :-)

Summer Ross said...

Very pretty- I love the packaging.

Cherie Reich said...

So beautiful and professional. That's awesome about the branding the photographer has done.

For now, I use a hand-drawn and colored bookworm as my Surrounded by Books logo. I haven't incorporated it everywhere, though. That's a good idea to do so.

Shana said...

Gorgeous packaging! That's definitely a great example of branding.

I'm trying to work on developing a real brand for myself. Like you, I have been using the same font for my name on all of my books and in my website header, so I guess that's something! ;)

J.L. Campbell said...

This bears thinking about. One series has a distinct look, but I hear you on the 'author brand'.

Johanna Garth said...

Beautiful presentation and I agree with your grandmother. I'm always telling my kids that you eat with your eyes first.

Camille Picott said...

I'm really into branding. I think it's so important for authors. For me, I developed a tagline (Science Fiction & Fantasy with Asian Influence) and a symbol (a creature from Chinese mythology).

I also keep branding in mind when I work on book covers with my designer. There are usually key elements that I try to really emphasize, like either the series title or my name.

Thanks for sharing the photo presentation!

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

wow! What an extra treat to get in the mail!!! This is certainly good branding!!

DL Hammons said...

That is awesome! I guess all I have going for me right now is a persona. I do have some idea's though! :)

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

"Ninja Captain" and my satellite logo.

Sheena-kay Graham said...

Lovely packaging.

Anonymous said...

brilliant post!

Meradeth Houston said...

Hmm, that's a very good question--probably something I should think about :) Absolutely adore the photo set-up, that's just too cute!

Mark Murata said...

They obviously care about their product. That's much better than getting the photos in a manila envelope.

Gwen Gardner said...

That is nice! It's those extra touches that make it extra special. I don't have a brand yet, but one day I hope to think of something awesome :)

Anonymous said...

All that looks gorgeous!, and yes, branding is important!

Kittie Howard said...

Not only is the presentation beautiful but the inclusion of the coffee is pure genius (even if I'm also not a coffee drinker). Forever and a day, one will associate classy, boutique coffee with the photographer's brand.

Unknown said...

Your writing has impressed me. It’s simple, clear and precise. I will definitely recommend you to my friends and family. Regards and good luck.
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