Of all the projects I’ve undertaken as a graphic designer, creating my own photography brand ranks as one of the longest running and most difficult. This is partly because of my focus on paid design projects, but mainly because designing for yourself is hard; you are emotionally invested and it’s all too tempting to skip the steps one would normally take a client on. But the biggest delay has been the unexpected journey this project took me on personally and professionally.

When I began thinking about this in 2018, I was returning to photography from 30 years working as a brand identity designer. In creating my own photography brand, I first had to rediscover what was my photography? What was my style? What was my intent? What stories did I want to tell? 

As my philosophy and approach evolved and changed, I would go back and forth with design, both for the identity and the website showcasing the photography. As a designer, I knew this was not the most efficient way of working, but this exploratory, experimental approach (whilst time-consuming) was perfect for finding my voice. The freedom of movement helped me understand that my experience as a designer was profoundly influential on everything I was doing as a photographer. I learned much about myself; as a person, as an artist, and what photography meant to me.