FinanceMeets
Fashion
The Client
After working with Hardy Reed for some time under the scope of brand management and general design needs, I became familiar with their company, their team and their goals. The Hardy Reed team is full of brilliant individuals passionate about aiding their clients in their journey to a secure financial plan and growing their wealth.
The Request
Over time, the Hardy Reed brand evolved with their growing team and expanding client base. With this evolution, new visuals were not only needed for the brand itself but for the morale of the team. There was a storytelling aspect of their visuals that was missing, but a plan was set to create just that. The plan commenced quickly.
The Solution
Both photo and video production was immediately set into the planning stages. I knew the team needed a modern twist to stand out from the commercially saturated industry and to reach their up and coming audience. I was inspired by the professional sexiness of GQ magazine to give the team the boost they required, the story telling of great films to tell their story, and the speed needed to make this all possible in a very short period with limited resources.
First Steps
The first step was inventory: who, what, when, and where. I had to recognize the limited resources of a small town and hourly based budget all wrapped in a short timeline surrounding a team spread across many busy schedules. I gathered my network of connections to find the perfect photographer and videographer to make my vision come true, began the story boarding process, and sent approximately 6,492,001 emails. But, that is just an estimate.
Styling Guide
The entire team was provided with a thorough styling guide including clothing suggestions, jewelry guidelines, makeup guidelines, and a color guide to keep the photoshoot efficient, on brand, and flattering for all.Team members were encouraged to bring multiple options for outfits including items they feel their best in. Men were suggested to wear suit jackets with no tie or suits with a tie and no jacket in order to create a more modern, approachable feeling while keeping it professional and stylish. Women were encouraged to play with neutral tones, monochromatic or block colored outfits and “minimal plus” makeup. This styling exaggerates their natural beauty while showing off their authority and strength.
The Result
The shoot was a wild success providing the team not only with materials for advertising, brand social media, and more, but it provided a boost of confidence for the entire team. This boost encouraged the team to push their personal branding on platforms such as LinkedIn which, in hand, increases brand awareness and audience connection to the brand through team members.Creative direction for photo and video shoots is imperative not only for efficiency and project management but for ensuring the subjects are prepared, cared for, and are able to see their full potential before, during, and after the shoot.
