I honestly could not be more excited to be finally sharing my new branding with the world. As many of you know, I recently got married in February to the man of my dreams. Since becoming Mrs. Matei, I knew that I wanted to change my business name as well to keep things consistent and not cause confusion for my clients. I am so happy and proud to announce that I am Aly Matei Photography.
The importance of branding.
Branding is more than just a logo. It is how a person runs their business and the little things that make them unique. Since starting my business, I have created something so much more than a photography service. I have created a true experience for my couples. My brides aren’t just my brides, they truly become my friends and I have always felt that the friendship I create truly sets me apart from other wedding photographers.
I needed my branding and logo design to reflect my personality and experience that I deliver for my couples. Your branding sets you apart from your competition. It defines who you are. It allows your target audience to identify you easily. This is why it is so important to define your branding for your business.
Why I thought I didn’t need it at first.
I will be 100% real with y’all, I did not think I needed to invest in my branding when I first started. *cue all designers cringing right now* Yes, I was that person that thought to herself, “hey, I’m creative & took a class or two on design in college so I can do it myself.” If this is you, stop, do not pass, do not collect $200, turn around. Nope. My friends, brand design in a career. Designers train for years to be knowledgeable and creative to make unique branding for each and every project that they design.
If you’re a photographer, let me put it into this perspective for you: a bride reaches out to you for her wedding, you are so excited and go through the process with her. You have this gut feeling that she is going to book, but then she reached out and says, “my [insert family member here] has a good camera and offered to photograph our wedding for us for free instead.” Did that hit home? Because that is exactly what doing your own branding feels like.
As photographers, we train to create such a beautiful product for our clients. Branding designers do the same thing.
Why I waited to invest in my branding.
As you read above, I thought I could do it myself. But once I finally realized that I needed to invest in a designer, I did still put it off. I kept telling myself that it wasn’t the right time and it wasn’t in my budget. I am so glad that I kept telling myself those things. When I first started this was my logo:
Now there is nothing wrong with this logo; however, there is nothing unique to me as a photographer to this logo either. In my beginning months of being a wedding photographer, I thought that I was this beautiful super light & airy photographer that fit into the “script font” personality. I fought it for months, I kept feeling that this was not me. And simply put, it was not me. I am not that photographer. The script font worked for the time being. But I knew that in the long haul, I didn’t want a logo that just worked for me. I wanted a logo that had meaning and a full brand behind it.
It took me a while to figure out who I was as a photographer. It wasn’t until the end of last year that I finally 100% figured out who I was and what I wanted my business to look like. I found my editing style and allowed my personality to truly shine through my business. I was no longer the “light & airy, script font” photographer. I realized that my editing style perfectly matched my personality: bold, vibrant, colorful, energetic, and passionate. After fully defining my editing style and business structure, I knew that I needed a logo and brand design that reflected just that. With my wedding and name change coming up, I knew that this would be the perfect time to rebrand to become Aly Matei Photography.
Choosing a Designer to work with?
This was a no brain-er for me. One of my best friends is a branding designer and I knew I wanted to work with her. But for other business owners, it might not be that easy. It is important to find a brand designer that is perfect for you. When looking for a brand designer here are a couple of things to look at and ask:
- Availability – does their availability fit into your timeline of when you want to launch your new brand?
- Portfolio – does their portfolio reflect brand concepts and designs that you can connect with?
- Personality – not only do you like their personality, but do you feel that they can fully understand your personality?
- Communication – is their communication method something that you think you can comply with? Do you feel confident telling them yes or no?
Brianne of Bee Creative Company was a gem to work with for my new brand. I am usually quite hesitant to mix business with friends, but in this case, it was the perfect match. Brianne was able to bring my personality perfectly into my branding. We started with some questionnaires, then a mood board for inspiration. She wanted me to pin anything that I felt connected to, including, drinks, outfits, quotes, colors, etc. From there, she created her first concepts for me. They were a great first step for us, I was confident in telling her “yes and no” as needed. From there, she went back to work and created the beautiful branding concept that I now have as my new design. She truly created Aly Matei Photography
The meaning behind my branding.
As written by Brianne of Bee Creative Company
Aly Matei Photography’s branding was developed with a bold, fun, energetic & joyful personality in mind. The brand design was inspired by Aly’s fun & outgoing experience she not only provides her clients, but carries out in who she is as a person. Aly wanted a brand that was characteristic of her personality, as well as emphasized her personal approach to photography.
Her vibrant color palette is warm & welcoming. The colors are soft, yet bold; fun & full of energy. The color psychology behind the brand suggests a sense of romanticism, compassion for others, and energizing creativity.
Aly Matei Photography’s primary logo is playful & fun. With a “dancing” letter e, this font and color combination makes for a gorgeous & sophisticated, yet playful brand design. The typographic combination of serif & sans serif fonts creates a pleasing visual to the eye. Serif fonts often communicate a sense of modern and sleek design while sans serif fonts communicate a sense of friendly, clean design & minimalism.
Why I am happy I invested in my branding.
Overall, this was a great experience for me and my business. I finally feel 100% about my brand. If you are on the fence about branding yourself or even rebranding, ask yourself these questions:
- Does your brand reflect you and your business?
- Is your current branding attracting your ideal client?
- Do you feel 100% confident with your brand?
- Is your current branding just working for you now?
These are the questions that I asked myself and the answers to the were not positive until today.
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