I've been obsessed with fonts since I tried designing my own wedding invitations in 2003. I spent an embarrassing amount of time making sure every detail was perfect, including the letterpressed Weimaraner and English Black Labrador that had to be included in our "brand". I searched high and low for the perfect printer with the perfect paper (that I could afford) and the exact Pantone color ways I wanted to incorporate. I guess it could go back to my upbringing. My dad owned an art store in Montana called McIntosh Art Co. (where I borrowed the name for my own business) and he regularly supported local artists by giving them paint or displaying their work in his co-owned gallery. So, with that, and the invitations, for probably forever, I see design everywhere I go and I'm always fascinated by the font choices made and the placement of the words. The effect or ill-effect a font choice can make for a consumer can be extremely positive or deadly detrimental, depending on the execution. I am constantly looking at menus or billboards or signage from a place of learning and curiosity about the choices and the why. My font obsession has translated into many hours in Adobe's Creative Suite, all over the web learning and studying typefaces and their effects on the consumer, classes at PNCA while living in Portland and a wealth of travel.
Soon, I started designing holiday cards, birth announcements, wedding invitation packages, and logos for various friends and family. Most of the time, I've done it via a trade or spent hours and hours designing for someone, only to have them buy a cheap canned logo online or change course altogether and not go forth with their business idea. Hence, a lot of frustration and time batting away my kids as I get so excited to work and create that I can’t allow for many distractions.
Eventually I was working part time for a sustainable farm nearby. They'd come to me with an ad request or an event poster need and I’d work relentlessly until it was perfect. I really wasn’t asking for a fair wage for this work but I liked the impermanence and the infrequency of the jobs during a very busy season with four young children.
This spring, I begrudgingly attended the Blair & Thurston Retreats in Sonoma, California. My husband and I are friends with Elena and he bought the seat immediately when the retreat went on sale (and sold out in ten minutes). I lost my camera (which was a Canon 5D Mark II and I spent years in frustration only to realize later that it’s kind of a subpar piece of equipment) in an accident in 2017 so I hadn't shot much in a year and I didn't have a portfolio, I didn't value my skills, and I knew I would be absolutely mortified attending or sharing with this group of very talented and established professional artists.
However, Elena and Bre are magical fairies that help photographers expand their business via more streamlined systems for marketing, financials, and social media presence. Where Elena and Bre really shine is by taking ridiculously talented photographers (that also have a sense of humor and an appreciation for being real) that inevitably question their own abilities and helping them believe in their work, define their work and skillset, and giving them positive forward momentum with a ton of resources to help them thrive. Bre and Elena have cultivated a safe place for women photographers to ask questions, learn, be vulnerable, share insecurities and challenges without judgement. I was certain that at least one of the women there was going to be a Debbie Downer (we’ve all watched at least one season of the Bachelor, right?). Fortunately for me and my extreme embarrassment for attending a PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP WITH A NEW CAMERA I HADN’T TAKEN OUT OF THE BOX YET, I was welcomed with open arms, lots of support and encouragement and with that came an almost rejuvenation of my life and artistic passions.
When Bre and Elena were conducting portfolio reviews, I was able to easily dissect websites. Busy fonts. Lack of cohesion. Inconsistent kerning or justification. Unnecessarily busy or flashy logos. Cluttered spaces. At the end of the weekend, I knew I had found my niche and started offering my services to professional photographers for website rejuvenation, rebranding, logo design and general art direction. While I still have a ton to learn about running a business in 2018 (that Marketing degree from 1998 is maybe expired), I can help small businesses with their aesthetics. It's been fun few months and now I have some more clear ideas about how to do this going forward. That said, I will be posting my pricing for design work including font studies, branding, logo design, website critiques and website restyling later this week. I’m currently booked until mid to late January unless it’s something I can squeeze in - you can always contact me to see if it’s possible.
In the meantime, you can check out some of the branding projects I’ve worked on in the last year-ish (I’ll be sure togo into detail about these rad photographers and the projects another day!):
Let me know how I can help your business grab the attention of you work, not be distracted by bad design.
xo
Here’s my leg on my wedding day: proof that I hadn’t eaten in a few months because I lost a friend to cancer and I was so obsessed with making everything, including the invitations and font, perfect. Photo credit: CANNOT RECALL HER NAME BUT SHE STILL OWES US AN ALBUM AND PRINTS.