Rebecca Knight is a local stylist who was looking to get back into the industry after a few years off with her kids.  Rebecca lost her mum to cancer 8 years ago and while her mum was undergoing chemo, Rebecca styled her wigs. She believes that while the wigs do boost confidence of the patients, they can still sometimes look ‘like wigs’ and a little bit of creative styling can make all the difference. Rebecca offers this free service to those undergoing chemo who have lost their hair – bring in your wigs and she will style it free of charge.

When I initially met Rebecca, the phrase that jumped into my head was ‘rock-star stylist’. She is funky, daring, bold and sassy – just the kind of thing you want in a stylist. When I created her identity, I was heavily influenced by Versace’s identity. The iconic style of the icon, the brand positioning all felt like they tied in well to the market Rebecca was aiming towards in the longer term. We’ve totally made it her ‘own’ though and I thought it would look great for merchandising and products further on down the track should she choose to go that way.

What a wonderful idea Bec, I hope this is the start of something truly amazing for you.

Posted by Netra on Sep 16th 2010 | card - design - graphic design - marketing - photography
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James Boddington and I have been working on this project for some time now. He is a super-busy photographer, winging his way around (most recently to Vermont) photographing weddings. Though that is only part of the story, he is also an accomplished commercial and editorial photographer as well.

James wanted a new take on his old logo, just to freshen things up. We threw around words like quirky, unexpected, bold and unconventional and after a solid dialogue we arrived at this solution. James has such a clean look and feel to his site and work, the images do really speak for themselves, so the branding had to tie in with the photography discreetly.

Make sure to check out his blog, wedding site and commercial site. Yet ANOTHER amazingly talented photographer I have had the pleasure of working with – I truly do have the best job in the world!

Posted by Netra on Sep 3rd 2010 | card - corporate - design - graphic design - photography - print design
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Louise Williams and I have been creating a new identity for her business over the past 2 months. Louise already had a business name but her photography had outgrown her old logo. I think often when people start with a new brand, they can’t fathom where they may be 2 years into the future. Their style might evolve in another direction, or they may decide to specialise.

Louise had just made the courageous decision to give up her private practise as a psychologist and throw herself into photography full-time. Louise’s unique background allows her to connect with people and draw them out. She can identify with her clients and also identify when they are feeling a little tense and work her magic to make them relax.

Her brief intially was focussed on a moulin-rouge themed boudoir photography business. As we spoke it became apparent that her business was made up of many different facets and so the challenge here was to conceptualise a look and feel that was relevant across the board – babies, brides and boudoir – and that would fit in with each.

The O in the logo below represents a portal, an eye, a way of seeing – its a camera, a lens, a ring, a pair of ruby lips. It’s a hug, it’s being hugged, it’s a circle, a full 360 degrees.

Louise also wanted to add some ‘bling’ to her branding, ’cos she is just a ‘blingy kind of person’ or so she tells me. So gently steering her away from diamantes and a bedazzler, I devised a series of circles based on her logo that represent a sparkly string of bling and have used that in her material to support the brand.  

Louise wrote:

Netra is amazing!  She has listened to me, she has created branding that I am so proud of, she really ‘saw me’ and who I want to be as a photographer.

If you are looking for a designer for your business, I totally recommend Netra!  She has been amazing, so supportive, and gives 110% to your project!  I cannot wait to expand on my branding elements with her in the future!

Thanks Louise and big congratulations on your launch! You can check out Louise’s work on her blog (also designed by me!) at www.emotiveimages.com.au.

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Posted by Netra on Aug 16th 2010 | brochure - card - design - flyer - graphic design - marketing - photography
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Andrea Sproxton contacted me earlier this year to help her revamp her existing brand and identity. There was nothing ‘wrong’ with her existing identity. It was perfectly serviceable, decent colours – only problem was that she didn’t LOVE it.

She wasn’t over-the-moon in love with her brand. In my humble opinion (and not speaking specifically about Andrea, but rather more generally), when you talk to people about you business and your brand - if you don’t love it and aren’t passionate about it – then that creeps into your voice and clients pick up on it.

How can you expect clients to have an emotional connection to your brand, if you are ho-hum about it yourself?

I am sure there are perfectly successful businesses that run very well without this kind of logo-love, but for a small business, trying to do Big Things, surely it must come into the equation. In my ideal world, I want my clients to love their brand so much that they want to slap it on some toast and eat it for breakfast! Or better still, get it printed on a t-shirt and wear it out in public.

I’ll get off the soapbox now and leave you with the final designs for logo, business cards and email footer. Thanks Andrea, I hope this is the start of great things to come.

Posted by Netra on Mar 23rd 2010 | corporate - design - graphic design - marketing - photography
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Little Miss Audrey is the niece of a very good friend of mine Toni Southwell from Hyde Clothing. Toni and I worked together years ago and have kept in touch over the years. Michelle and Scott, Audrey’s mum and dad live in a gorgeous house really close to the city. They have an AMAZING park nearby and we took a stroll through a couple of urban settings to get there and back.

It was something different for me, so I got to play a bit with some cool graffiti backdrops and some urban landscapes. Audrey looks just a cherub – complete with blonde curly hair, chubby cheeks and an adorable pout. It took her a while to warm to me, but we managed to coax some smiles out of her towards the end. I know Audrey’s extended family will be waiting patiently to see the photos, so without further ado, here they are…

Posted by Netra on Mar 7th 2010 | adult - child - family - photography
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Bec Hall from Shoot the Family approached me looking for a new logo and identity for her photography business. Bec has a love of all things retro and as she was talking about her vision for the brand the song that popped into my head was Bryan Adam’s “Summer of 69″.

I wanted her look to be about scorching hot days at the beach, ice-creams that melt too fast and scratchy transistor radios. I really got into the retro groove with this project and was just about to don my afro wig and flares, when I came up with this concept. Bec said:

“Love, love, love!  It’s fun, it’s full of sunshine and retro, it’s all about summer… I just wanted to let you know that I am so, so happy with what you’ve done.  Thank you so much!”

  So without futher ado, here it is!

Posted by Netra on Mar 3rd 2010 | corporate - design - family - graphic design - photography
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Phillippa Smoker of Sweet Chilli Philly Photography approached me a couple of months ago to design a logo for her existing photography business. Her photography had evolved over the past year or so and her existing logo was not as relevant as it was when she first developed it.

With a business name like hers, there is a automatic gravitation towards making the most of the ‘chilli’ component, but Philly (as she prefers to be called) wanted to stay away from all things hot and spicy and tone down her brand to match her niche and target market. She wanted to maintain her name as she found it was working well and clients remembered her.

To be honest it was a very challenging brief and we didn’t want to use an icon that was irrelevant or random. So after much brainstorming I decided to focus on the initials of her biz name and develop a seal or crest somewhat like a cameo, that could be used as part of her packaging as well.

One of the very first concepts I did had included the notion of some dubious looking supporting brand elements in the shape of a few animal characters (dubious due to my dubious computer illustration skills). After much refinement, and a few epiphanies to boot, the final range of ‘sweet’ animals came to be. They include a puppy, a cat, an elephant, a solemn looking bear, a ladybird and an egg in a nest. If you didn’t notice, each of the faces of the little guys are based on the shape of the logo – in fact the outline of the logo was used to create their little heads. These little characters will support the SCP brand and appear in her marketing and promotional material.

Posted by Netra on Mar 3rd 2010 | corporate - design - graphic design - marketing - photography
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For those who don’t know, I am winding down the portrait side of my business. I have found it a challenge to produce my design work during the week and then photograph other families on the weekends. I end up working 7 days a week and my family misses me! So for now, I will only be doing commercial and corporate photography shoots – and will  do a handful of portrait sessions for friends and family throgh the year.

This family was going to be my last official portrait session (but I’ve scheduled another next week for a family who were given a gift voucher and of course I will still be honouring all gift vouchers).

I got to photograph Jed and Abbey whose gorgeous blue eyes you can see below. Abbey was a delight, such a bubbly and fun child to photograph. Mr J was a bit more serious, and it took him a while to warm up to me, until we started playing peek-a-boo and then it was all good!

Some photos from the session…

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Posted by Netra on Mar 1st 2010 | child - family - photography
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I had distinct pleasure of photographing the 10-day old baby Jamie this week. Her mum Enjel and I have been friends since highschool – actually we didn’t like each other very much to start, but clearly things changed after a while and we’ve remained friends over the past 17 or so years.

I don’t often get to photograph newborns, and the fact that Jamie is the daughter of one of my closest friends made her even that much more special to me. I was pretty happy with the photos while at the same time being so scared that Enjel and her husband Ray wouldn’t like them! Thankfully they do, so all is well!

Congratulations Enjel and Ray, she is just the sweetest thing and I hope to capture many, many more photos of her as she grows up!

Posted by Netra on Jan 29th 2010 | baby - family - personal - photography
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For those of you who dont know, I am a member of an amazing organisation called the “Australian Community of Child Photographers” (or ACOCP).

The Australian Community of Child Photographers (formerly known as the Australian Charity of Child Photographers) is a volunteer organisation of child photographers from all over Australia who have come together to form an organisation dedicated to giving the gift of photographic memories to families that have experienced stillbirths, premature and ill infants and children in the Neonatal Intensive Care Units of their local hospitals, as well as children with serious and terminal illnesses. The ACOCP is dedicated to providing this gift to families in a caring, compassionate and heartfelt manner.

I was recently contacted by Sharon Mallin who is also an ACOCP photogapher in NSW. She had recently photographed baby girl ’A’ who had had a nasal tube. You can see the images on Sharon’s blog here. A’s parents had wanted the tube removed from just a couple of her photos. Digital retouching is never, EVER something suggested by our photographers, it is only ever at the request of the parents of the child. It is part of the free service we offer and are very grateful to the family for allowing us to share the images of their baby girl.

You can find out more about the ACOCP and their services by visiting their website www.acocp.org.au. If you, or anyone you know ever has need of you services, please contact the ACOCP rep in your state, contact details available on the website.

Posted by Netra on Jan 24th 2010 | baby - photography - pro bono
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