When I did some of my first styled shoots to show off my rentals, people immediately noticed my skills at styling. Very quickly I got many inquiries for styled shoots and vendors wanting to be a part of the magic.
I was so flattered that so many people are wanting my skills. I decided to re-brand the rentals to styling and rentals. I have always loved weddings so I thought, I will be a wedding planner. I have already been doing it for friends and family and thought it would be a good fit for me.
So I reached out to weddings vendors and sent lots of emails to people trying to get my name heard. And it worked! I started working with people that I only dreamt of meeting and soon found so many new friends. For the first time I felt like I found my place and knew where I was headed.
In my attempt at building my portfolio and proving to the public that I knew what I was doing, I was getting brands of all kinds asking to be a part of my styled shoots.
And one of the things I learned is that although I love planning weddings and being a party of something so huge in someones life, I also really love being a small part in building other businesses and branding their products.
So Katie Creative director was born and I also plan on re-branding once again. It will be a slow process because I am taking some time to slow down and really make sure I make the right decisions as far as my business is concerned. I want to work with people that are cohesive with my brand and also appreciate my talent and my aesthetic. So in other words, I don't want to just work with anybody I want to be an exclusive designer! I am so excited for the things to come with my brand.
So I am going to toot my own horn for just a minute and help people understand the need for a stylist. What do stylists do and why you need one for your business.
Pretend I own a company and I sell kids pajamas. You can call up a photographer and find some people that are attractive and put them together and get some images. Then you put them up on your website and social media. You might believe that since you used a professional photographer and not just your phone for your social media that it must be awesome and represent your brand well. And then you wonder why you aren't maybe getting the clients that you want.
The truth is that every website you shop from whether it is nordstrom, urban outfitters, pac sun etc. They do not pick a photographer and call up a model and put them together. Someone put that together. Someone styled the outfit, picked the model for the right theme, chose a photographer that goes along with the desired feel, they styled the hair and make up, they picked a location that fit the styling of outfit, they told a story for the customers to read. Most people don't know that when they are mindlessly online shopping, that the items that are most appealing is not a hot model, it is not awesome photography skills, it is how the image made them feel. It made the customer feel like the wanted and NEEDED to be in that picture. They needed to be in that location, with that cozy blanket, with that pair of jeans. And what makes someone feel that way?
STYLING.
Before you hire anyone else to represent your brand, whether it is a web designer, logo branding, photography, etc you hire a stylist FIRST.
If my brand sells kids clothing and you use mainly soft neutral colors, you want your photographer to represent that brand with light and airy/whimsical images. You won't hire a moody wedding photographer. A stylist will pick the right look for your brand with the right photographer. And if you sell pajamas you don't want the children to be outside in a field. That does not feel realistic for a child to be wearing pajamas in a field.
The biggest mistake that brands make is believe that if they pick a pretty outdoor spot for their product they will have great photos. You can't do all outdoor photos if your brand is not typically used outdoors. You have to pick the location that tells the story of the brand.
If I have a outdoor clothing brand, you want the majority of your photos to be outside. If you own a soy wax candle company, you want your items to be styled in an indoor setting. It just makes more sense.
Of course as a stylist I love challenges in editorial and artistic type photo shoots. Sometimes you do things out of the typical norm to create a magical environment. The trick is it STILL has to make sense. It has to feel realistic in its own artistic element. It has hard to explain to people who do no style, which is why it is important that you hire a stylist.
Another mistake brands make is believe that their entire feed has to be their product. If you own a company selling handmade wreaths, you don't have to have a million pictures of wreaths. Life styling branding with a stylist, will create a reason that people want to buy YOU. Not your wreaths. You can do flat lays with wreath making supplies, you can have yourself in action, you can even have a few things unrelated like baking in a kitchen with a wreath in the background. And make your item come to life. And make people HAVE to have your product.
Since I have been doing this kind of styling for so many brands, I have neglected my own company. I am going to team up with some really awesome people and create this for my own brand. And I invite any of your entrepreneurs and husselers to join me on creating your new company or re-branded business to slow down and create something right the first time.
You can see some of my recent work on my design page instagram
And I have been slowly adding more killer photos to my website, and you can check it out
www.havenwoodesign.co
Bloggers, Brands, Companies, Small business owners, events, newly weds, Call me up because I can style your next adventure.
xoxo
