The past few weeks have been full of questionnaire deep-dives, brand voice sleuthing, Pinterest rabbit holes, and the best kind of back-and-forths with clients who are ready to show up and stand out. These guides are the secret sauce to a strong branding shoot—and lately, I’ve found myself really enjoying putting them together.
If you’re new here, the Creative Guide (aka the branding brief) is basically our visual roadmap. It’s how we go from "I want new photos" to "This feels like my brand." It covers everything from location ideas to wardrobe suggestions to how you want your brand to feel when someone lands on your site.
Yes, it’s strategic. But it’s also collaborative and creative. We get to play with color palettes, think about how you want to connect with your audience, and brainstorm visuals that make your brand personality shine. It’s the phase where I learn your quirks, your goals, and how you want to show up in your space—then translate that into photos that work across platforms.
Is it nerdy that I get excited about brand adjectives and prop lists? Maybe. But this step really does make a difference.
So if you’ve got a session coming up: don’t skip over the Creative Guide. It’s not just pre-work—it’s where the vision starts to come together.
