Working with Photographers

Thought this bit of info from Iain Lauder at Redpath might be useful for those of you working on the Spirit project.

"On the photography brief, the way I tell our designers to deal with any collaboration,
be it photography, illustration or copywriting is sort of the same.

It's basically about being organised, having a clear idea of what you are looking for, but also remembering that certainly in the real world, the person you have approached has a style that you like, which is why you've chosen to use them. I appreciate that here it is slightly different because you're being told who to work with but that can happen too and when this is the case, it's even more important to get the other person on your side. Make them feel that they are also there to contribute and have a wee creative brainstorm if need be. Also, the most obvious but important thing is to arrange a meet and get them to talk through their portfolio, show interest in their work like you expect/hope people to do with yours and listen. Listen to what they like doing, ask them questions, make them feel important and then steer them onto your project and what you're looking to do. Even show them the layouts, so they can see the format and space their images will work in. This will have a huge bearing on how they shoot, whether they need to keep any spaces clean for copy etc. Preparation in advance is so important. A tip is often to pull out a few examples of the style or image you're looking for and chat these through.

The final point though is to keep it upbeat and don't be too dominating, too heavy on the art direction."

This is an exciting opportunity for both Designers and Photographers. It will be a challenge for both groups but one that will hopefully be mutually beneficial.

Hand in for this project Wednesday 2nd December - watch this space!