Identify Yourself: Steve Temple

Thursday January 19th, 2012

By Peter Clark

Last fall, then Denver-based photographer Steve Temple came to me looking for feedback on his website and promotional materials. Steve was about to move out west—to Portland, Oregon—and wanted a solid new look for his business. After reviewing his work, I recommended he join Wonderful Machine to start (which he did). Steve then expressed interest in having a new website and identity designed. I was happy to oblige.

Steve’s original online portfolio design felt bland and uninspired, to say the least. He desperately needed a website and identity to complement his bold still life photography. When it comes to choosing a portfolio template, it’s best to find one that offers at least some form of customization in terms of colors, typefaces, image size, and editing layout options. You don’t want a template that only lets you upload a logo and change a few minor details. After recommending a few new templates to Steve, he decided on Virb.com, which offers customizable, html based templates that are scalable and come with a their own blogging feature.

After the template service was settled, I suggested to Steve that he get rid of the word “productions” from his name. To me, it sounded like a multimedia company that offered photo and video production services. This meant changing everything from his URL to his email addresses. However, he was more than happy to go along with my recommendations.

Steve’s old website:

Steve Temple's old website design.

While we were hashing out the new website, we also started on Steve’s new graphic identity. He was actually working on a “visual marketing statement” for himself at the time, so that helped me get a sense of what “Steve Temple Photography” is all about. Soon after that, he graciously sent over a few logo examples he liked with comments attached to each one. I took all this into account as I began my design process. I believe that it’s important to start off any project like this in black and white. Delving too deep into color too soon can sometimes breed so many ideas and concepts that you’re sure to waste time. After obtaining all the information I need from a photographer, I first explore my personal database for inspiration—currently over 6,000 images. They range from anything like a type treatment to a favorite color palette. If needed, I do a bit more research online or find materials in our office. Most of my consulting projects have an inspiration folder that I reference throughout the process.

After a week, I presented Steve with three black and white word mark/logo concepts so that I could get a better sense of where he wanted to take the project. A few days later, he sent back my comp with red squares and notes around all the ideas he liked. I agreed with his choices and started brainstorming in my head on how to get them to work together as a single identity. I spent another week refining the design before sending him back another b/w version. This time, I had also started to explore distressed/grunge effects since Steve had expressed interest in that look. Again, Steve offered some valuable feedback which I took into account.

The next step in the process was to introduce color. After presenting a few different concepts, we agreed on a final execution for the palette. From there, the design progressed further, adding minor tweaks here and there, until the final result (below).

Part of Steve’s new identity:

Steve’s new website (stevetemplephotography.com):

Steve's new website with Virb.com

When working with a designer on an identity, it’s always good to make sure they supply you with an identity guide at the end of the project. What is an identity guide? It’s basically a document that you can reference that explains your identity. So say two years down the line, another designer has to help you out with a promo design, they can reference your guideline and easily follow the standards set within it. You want your identity to be as consistent as possible. An identity guideline can come in several forms such as a simple visual overview to a super descriptive document that spells out everything from logo sizing to image placement. Your identity will always evolve through time, but it’s good to have this base to work from. At the very least, it’s good to make sure your designer includes a description of any typefaces and color palettes used.

Part of Steve’s identity guide:

In addition to working on Steve’s identity, I had the chance to create some business cards for him. Steve can now take his brand new identity and run with it. He’ll be using the identity package to create some great material to promote his photography business. Steve’s next steps are to get his Portland studio space in order and begin to foster relationships with creatives in the local scene. He’s been to a couple social events this year and the talk of projects has already come up.

Steve’s new business cards:

If you’re looking for design help or to just want to learn more about our consulting, please check out the consulting section of the Cog.

Art School Confidential

Wednesday August 25th, 2010

“Remember,” wrote Daniel Clowes in his great comic Art School Confidential, “the only piece of paper less valuable than one of your paintings is a B.F.A. degree.”

As Bloomberg Business Week recently reported, this lesson has become a reality for many students of for-profit art schools, which demand a high tuition with no guarantee of employment. One student featured in the article, Carianne Howard, has been unable to find a job with her degree in video game design—so she earns her living dancing at a strip club. Howard’s school, the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, is part-owned by Goldman Sachs, and her bachelor’s degree in game art and design cost $70,000.

One of the many career choices for today's graduate. (Photo by Roger Hagadone/New York)

These dilemmas are likely to grow for many students; according to the National Center of Education Statistics, there were 87,703 graduates in the visual and performing arts in the year 2007-08, up from 30,394 in 1970-71. Compare this to 68,676 graduates in engineering for 2008.

The volume of art school graduates is something of a new phenomenon, according to the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD), a non-profit consortium of 36 art schools. AICAD explains that “until shortly after World War II, going to college was unusual in most visual art fields. Artists and designers were often self-trained or educated through apprenticeships and on-the-job training.” However, they go on to point out that due to “the current complexity of our society and of the art and design fields, the expectations of employers and art venues, and the increasing competition from college-educated students for employment positions,” a professional degree is becoming a requirement for a career in the arts.

As these numbers rise, the market for graduates in these fields is somewhat ambiguous. Though the Bureau for Labor Statistics (BLS) expects employment in artistic fields to grow by 12 percent, this reflects the average for all occupations. “Competition,” warns the BLS “for jobs as artists and related workers will be keen because there are more qualified candidates than available jobs.”

Though 60% of working artists are self-employed, the majority of artists work as art directors (84,200 out of 221,900 total in 2008), with a significant number of the rest in advertising.

At least photography school has darkrooms. (Photo by Billy Delfs/Cleveland)

The BLS sees a similar story for photographers, with growth in employment mirroring the average and a high rate of self-employment. They add that there is likely to be great competition because “the work is attractive to many people,” and point out that while the internet and related media have increased the demand for photography (as well as the ability of photographers to access potential clients), the lower barriers to entry have significantly increased the competition—a condition only exacerbated by the decline in the newspaper and magazine industry.

What was your education, and how has it served you? Let us know in the comments.

-Asad Haider