Sarah & Andrew Follan (aka The Follans)
Why would you rebrand?
This is the question we have been asked many times when we mentioned we were rebranding. Since Follan Photography has been an established and successful wedding photography studio for several years, why would we want to rebrand? There are several reasons, but really it is just because we wanted to!
2012 was time for a new look with a new name, website and blog. A change is as good as a holiday right?
But why not just refresh your website, why the name change too?
Over 6 years ago, we started “Follan Photography” with a small budget and big dreams. Andrew was the sole photographer, and Sarah was the background force keeping the cogs turning. Well 6 years of evolution has transformed Follan Photography into a buzzing husband and wife team fanatically shooting weddings like crazy.
For some time now we have been wanting to re-brand to better reflect “us”. The term Follan Photography is just a bit “blergh” (ie BORING!) and we like to think we’re far from “blergh” wedding photographers!
Image by: The Follans
But what was a good new business name? Deciding on a business name is like choosing a name for your baby. It seems easy enough but can be VERY stressful. The name had to reflect us, our style, our personalities… but who are we? It took awhile but the answer was right in front of us. We’re The Follans!
Our friends and clients are always affectionately calling us “The Follans”, so it just seemed perfect. We offer a very personal, uncomplicated and genuine service, so when our couples gets asked who is shooting their wedding, rather than saying xyz studios, or abc photography, they simply have to tell the truth and say the The Follans!
So we had a new name, but now we needed a designer to visualise our new brand and then help design our new website. Developing a new brand isn’t just creating a logo. Your brand becomes your visual identity across all aspects of your business. It has to represent you, the experience your clients will feel and receive, and what your business represents; so your brand is more like a feeling!!!! How do we find a designer who can accomplish this? This is where the hard part came in. We looked at some designers and realised that choosing the right designer is exactly like choosing the right wedding photographer… extremely hard!!!
In the end we choose the talented and just plain awesome designer Kynan from Sculpt Communications to help re brand. This was based on experience but also Kynan is just an awesome guy that we could trust to get the job done.
It’s no secret that we aren’t your usual type of wedding photographers. Although we love beautiful things, the typical popular sway towards minimal, swirly, vintage, cutesy, pastel etc. branding for wedding photographers is SO NOT US! Our wedding photography style is more urban, edgy, fun but still glamorous. So when we directed Kynan to have our brand reflect us, but to still appeal to brides, we knew how difficult a task we put on Kynan and his team. The result… perfection! Here is our new logo:
Logo design by Sculpt Communications
The website design was the next hurdle. In a saturated photography market we needed our website to be visually differentiated, easily navigatable, and just down right awesome looking! Again Kynan and his team at Sculpt Communications pulled it all off perfectly. Here is the screenshot of our new website.
We ABSOLUTELY love the brand, logo and website developed for us. It definitely encapsulates us.
Some promotional branded material also designed by Sculpt Communications
The process of rebranding took much time, hard-work and stress, but the end result is so rewarding. In summary our tips for any other business considering re branding:
– Don’t be afraid to step away from the “norm” and trends used by your competitors.
– Keep searching until you find a designer/design company that you connect with and trust.
– Be prepared to spend more than you would like. Don’t skimp! A half-hearted job can be worse than not changing at all.
– Be patient (everything takes longer than first anticipated).
– Have lots of red wine on hand!
But the result is like having your own mini-makeover! We have just revealed the “new us”, The Follans, and the response we have received has made the whole rebrand experience worthwhile.
We’re pumped for the future!
Cheers,
Sarah & Andrew Follan (aka The Follans)
Ms Gingham says: A change is as good as a holiday is so true! I love Sarah and Andrew’s new concept. I think it really reflects fun, joy and professionalism. Congratulations!
About Sarah and Andrew: Yes, we’ve won some photography awards and been featured in lots of blogs and wedding magazines but really, what does that matter? To be honest, we’re just photographers that really love what we do.
Sarah and Andrew – what an interesting and inspirational story – congratulations on your new look – your re-branding/site looks very crisp and clean – terrific job!
Wow look at all that amazing riobbn, love all the fantastic colours!!Thanks for your giveaway and good luck to everyone!!thinking of lots of lovely things you could make with those.Anna x