1. YOU’RE NOT QUALIFIED.

No matter how savvy you think your design skills are, there is a reason why this is a separate career path photographers. There is intensive research and training involved to get that amazing typography and logo of your dreams. You stick to making awesome photos and let someone else make awesome type. I’ve seen too many silly camera logos and comic sans brochures to not have an opinion on this one.

2. MISTAKES ARE COSTLY

I’m actually inspired to write this because like a chump I decided to take it upon myself to design my most recent brochure….. and am having to reprint them because of a silly mistake that could have been avoided had I just picked up the phone and called my designer. And in case you were wondering, YES she laughed at me, and YES I almost cried, until she told me she would make it all better.

3. YOUR BRAND IS YOUR MOST VALUABLE ASSET TO YOUR BUSINESS

Your brand is represented by whatever typeface and logo you choose. You want to make sure it says what you want it to. Many times you might not be sure what that is. A GOOD designer, one that you click with  will help you answer those questions and give you a branding system that reflects your goals and where you’re going. Don’t just stop at a logo and a business card though. Keep it consistent and have your designer go the whole shebang. Even if you can only pay for one piece at a time. Make sure that card, letterhead, dvd label, website, portfolio, promo, thank you card, are all CONSISTENT. That is the key to successful marketing using a brand. Consistency.

4. INSIDER DEALS ARE KILLER!

Most often, a professional award winning designer, like Kristine from Cognition Studio, will have established and long standing relationships with vendors that will lower the overall price point making the really-awesome-show-stopping-jaw-dropping business cards an attainable amount of money for you to spend. They might be higher than Kinkos, but trust me, you’ll reap the benefits when whoever you hand it to decides it isn’t destined for the bin.

5. RESOURCES GALORE

They keep up on design trends, it’s kinda their job. They know what the latest and greatest promos look like, they know what promo is going to be original and wow the Art Buyer when it lands on their desk. They’re also extremely well connected with their industry peers. If you’re looking for something in particular that your designer isn’t familiar with, they probably know someone that is.

Now go get um Tiger!

I should have written this in reverse and had it overflowing with sarcasm, but I think Pi Design Blog did it better than I could have dreamed. Check it out for a good laugh.

©Kristine Johnson, photos courtesy of Cognition Studio Design.

My brides are SO clever! A couple of weeks ago in the mail, I got the sweetest little thank you note from a bride. We had an engagement session a few months back and she used one of the images from the session to create this easy DIY return label! There are so many details that can cost a fortune, so it’s nice to see one that is easy on the eyes and the budget! She used plain Avery labels you could get from any office supply store, but I also like these ones from Paper Source that come in fun shapes and modern colors. Drop the picture in Word, type in your address and PRINT! Presto chango!

Meghan and Shad added a the photobooth option to their wedding coverage. Brides, this is an awesome way to keep your guests entertained, and can also double as some serious blackmail material after the day.

Here are some of our favorites!

To view the rest of the images or to purchase them please visit our website here: http://web4.sendtoprint.net/proofbook/071109_mcgill/base.asp?ig1=ig&ww=1112&js=1

In our universe, when two things go together nicely it creates history. People rejoice, write songs, poetry, art, carve it in stone. Fred and Ginger, Oreos and milk, spaghetti and meatballs, honey bee and the rose, turkey and cranberry, mashed potatoes and gravy, ice cold beer and college football, dark chocolate and smoked sea salt (thank you Fran’s), rainy days and umbrellas….. Most of them are food, don’t judge my inner fat kid….. What I’m getting at here, is that yes each of these things can exist on their own. But with it’s compliment, it changes the way we see this one item, the way we interact with it. It becomes more, it MOVES mountains!

Ok so maybe you’re thinking turkey and cranberry sauce can’t possibly move mountains. But PEOPLE, come on. We have an entire holiday based around this pairing. Family members fly from all over the world to be together for this meal. It’s one of the largest travel holidays of the year, that’s big no?

Megan and Shad are two people that make a perfect pairing. There is a softness between the two of them, the type of love that isn’t loud or boisterous. It’s kind, and loving, and intimate. Meghan and Shad have known each other for a long time, years and years in fact. Their love started in the best fashion, as a friendship. And like all great loves do, their story developed into a great passionate love, then fizzled, then rekindled, then fizzled, then rekindled….  Over the years they learned that Shad without Meghan and Meghan without Shad just didn’t sit well. It was like eating the noodles without the sauce, WHO DOES THAT. Weird.

In the past two years, family and friends have witnessed as their love for each other has become something more, something indescribable. Then they put the icing on the cake and became parents to Carmody. The most beautiful, deliciously loved child in the universe! Yes I eat babies when they smell nice and have perfect chubby rolls.

I feel so honored to have been their photographer at their wedding, and it was a true celebration of their love for each other.

Ceremony: St. Anthony’s Reception: Adriana Hill Grand Ballroom Dress: Alfred Angelo Kilts: Kathleen’s of Dublin

Priceless:

Oh the look of intense concentration: