Pinky Swear
Thoughts on meaningful branding featuring @pinkyswearvintagewear
Los Angeles, CA
Thoughts on meaningful branding featuring @pinkyswearvintagewear.
Creating a meaningful brand aesthetic is no easy feat.
It takes talent to create something that people actually want but it takes more to build something that creates an authentic connection. There are an overwhelming amount of ideas and strategies about what makes a brand aesthetic successful, but at the very core there are two factors that are nothing short of essential:
Understand who you are
Know your voice
When you think about branding as a two-sided conversation, it becomes clear that everything you design and share needs to communicate who you are. You are telling your story with every detail that you put in front of your customers. The visuals you share communicate this story in complex and compelling ways that says even more than words ever could. If you can’t clearly define who you are to yourself, how can you expect to communicate it to someone else?
A two-sided conversation also implies that you aren’t talking to some empty and abstract void. I can’t stress the importance of remembering this enough. Too many brands waste so much time with imagery and messaging that just falls flat. Defining your voice means that you have a clear idea of what you want to say and how you want to say it. If you are saying things to your customers in emails, social posts, websites, etc. that you wouldn’t actually say in conversation, then you are talking at them and not with them. People don’t appreciate being spoken to like a child and authenticity will always go farther towards building an engaged following.
If you want to learn more about the story behind these images, you can check out the branding breakdown I created for Pinky Swear below!
Alex & Pierre
A 2020 love story, told in vibrant color.
Palm Springs, CA
A 2020 love story, told in vibrant color.
Matter is the Minimum
Peaceful protestors demand justice for the death of George Floyd.
Downtown Long Beach, CA
Peaceful protestors demand justice for the death of George Floyd.
A City on Lockdown
As Quarantine becomes the new normal, a socially distant city becomes an unfamiliar sight
Long Beach, CA
As Quarantine becomes the new normal, a socially distant city becomes an unfamiliar sight.
Desert Dreaming
Two rolls of altered film gifted to me by one incredible friend, capturing a magical weekend in the desert
Pioneertown, CA
Two rolls of altered film gifted to me by one incredible friend, capturing a magical weekend in the desert.
Happy Birthday, Queen
A birthday weekend fit for a Queen
Palm Springs, CA
A birthday weekend fit for a Queen
Friendships that can withstand the deadly combination of time and distance are rare.
They are deeply rooted; cultivated by phone calls, group texts and good ole’ fashioned hard work. So when one of these friends calls to say he’s rounding up the gang for a birthday weekend in the desert… you clear your calendar. As our motley crew descended on the sleepy town of Palm Springs, I was anxious about what kind of debauchery was inevitably in store. Weeks of planning and countless carts from Costco and Amazon ensured there was an endless supply of 3 very important ingredients: Truly, Tequila & Wigs.
N’Awlins
The city of New Orleans is a truly unique place; a cultural melting pot rich with dubious history that permeates through every cobblestone and French Colonial facade…
New Orleans, LA
Where the people are as generous as the pours and magic fills the air…
The city of New Orleans is a truly unique place; a cultural melting pot rich with dubious history that permeates through every cobblestone and French Colonial facade. A city that has endured one of the greatest tragedies in recent American history with an unwavering will to keep on marching. Parades fill the uneven streets with music at all hours of the day and mysterious moonlit alleys feel alive with voodoo magic. It’s unlike anywhere I’ve ever been and is forever somewhere I want to be.
