Quick time guess – what’s the most fun thing photographers who love home decor and the process of decorating can do? Did you guess “shooting brand images for an interior designer”? If so, then you win!
Basically, we all want a home that is both beautiful and functional for our lifestyle/family needs, right? Yeah, we do. If you are like us, though, your brain is constantly swirling with ideas for decorating projects. That idea list keeps getting longer as it is bombarded with inspiration from HGTV, the Magnolia Network, magazine covers, or the latest Studio McGee collection release. As a result, we have a hard time narrowing down which design ideas would work best for our actual home/family.
Although, maybe you have the opposite problem. Maybe you have a room in your home you hate but you have zero ideas about how to fix it.
Regardless, your solution to either of these problems is the same – an interior designer! Not just any designer, though. You need an interior designer who:
- makes the design process accessible and collaborates with you
- has an approach to design that focuses on creating interiors that suit your style – not steamrolling you into their aesthetic
- is an expert and wants your input but does not need you to tell them what to do next
In market for such a thing? Well, look no further because today we are introducing you to Melissa Wright of Wright Design Co. and her team!
WHO ARE THEY?
Wright Design Co. is a full-service interior design firm founded by Melissa Wright. The Wright Design Co. team creates personal, well-curated homes in the Charlotte, NC area and beyond for people who want spaces they’ll enjoy and be able to live in comfortably. Their designs are timeless, thoughtful, and tailored.
They have a unique approach to helping you complete your interior design project and offer a range of services. Whether you are are building a new home, remodeling an existing space, or freshening up a single room, Melissa and her team to can assist you with your project. You don’t want your home to look like everyone else’s and neither does the Wright Design Co. team.
We have had the privilege of photographing multiple projects in the Wright Design Co. portfolio. So, trust us when we say that their work is incredibly beautiful, but also practical. While we have loved photographing their work, we were thrilled to actually get the ladies of the Wright Design Co. team in front of our cameras!
THE INSPIRATION
As we planned their brand imagery photo shoot, Melissa told us that her goals for her business were to:
- Continue to build their social media presence and increase engagement
- Improve focused messaging as they continue to pursue their ideal clients – giving a glimpse into their unique approach to interior design
- Update website images
- Increasingly pursue publication in local and national media
In order to achieve these goals, Melissa and team needed a variety of images with a cohesive look and feel that could be used across multiple digital and print platforms. We’ve known the Wright Design Co. team for a while now, so diving deeper into the heart of their brand and process was SUPER fun for us.
Melissa wanted images that would show their work space as well as their process in a client home. She preferred images that are bright and clean, show true emotion, show movement, and would capture both her and her staff as their truest selves. Based on her goals and description of photos she loved, we created this mood board as the starting point for the creative direction of our brand photo shoot.
Brand Images for Melissa and team needed to include:
- Updated headshots for all team members and group shot of the whole team as they’ve recently added new team members
- Images of the team working in their office
- Images of the team working with clients/in a client space
- General lifestyle images that show the steps of their process
- Lifestyle images highlighting Melissa as the chief designer/creative as well as her personality
- Shots that they can use on social media to promote some pending giveaways
THE BRAND IMAGES
Regardless of the type of business, there are certain types of photos that every brand needs. Those essential brand images are:
- Classic headshots
- Personality shots
- Working/Process shots
- Business Vibe shots
- Lifestyle shots
- Environment shots
- Detail shots
- Product shots
- Humanizer shots
- “Special Sauce” shots
(Thanks to our friends, Abby Grace Photography and Abby Murphy Photo, for so clearly outlining and defining these brand photo shots. )
We shot these images at the Wright Design Co. home office in Charlotte as well as on-location at a client home.
Because every business is different, though, the way the image types are manifested is unique to each individual business’s brand shoot. Keep scrolling to see how we merged Melissa and team’s specific imagery needs with this list of must-have brand photos.
Brand Image Type 1: Headshots and Team Shots
If you had to choose only one type of brand images to get, we’d strongly recommend they be headshots and team shots. These images are so important for introducing yourself and your team on your website and social media. They give potential customers a sense of who they’ll interact with when they book your services.
What a delightful and talented group ladies! And, may we just say, EXCELLENT JOB on coordinating outfits in those WDC brand colors! Don’t you want them to decorate your home? We sure do!
Brand Image Type 2: Personality Shots
Here at Harmonie House Images, we love creating brand images that give a sense of the business owner’s personality. Essentially, these images give potential customers a sense of what type of interaction they can expect when working with you.
To know Melissa is to love her! Don’t you feel like you immediately recognize her warm and inviting personality from these images? Add in her exquisite taste and knack for making the design process feel accessible and you have found your dream interior designer!
Brand Image Type 3: Working/Process Shots
Showing your process is essential for any service-based business, especially when your process is part of your “special sauce.”
These are just a few shots that illustrate various steps of the Wright Design Co. team’s interior design process. From project brainstorming to in-home consultations to styling the final product. The steps of their process also made a great storyline for one of the product/service story videos that came with their Signature Branding Photo Shoot Package. Check it out!
Videos like this are such a quick and easy way to give potential clients a sense of the Wright Design Co. process!
Brand Image Type 4: Lifestyle Shots
We’ve said it before and we’ll likely say it again – there are just so many option for brand images that fall into the category of “Lifestyle Shots”. These could be:
- photos that show more about your life in general – family, hobbies, creative process, etc
- behind-the-scenes photos
- images demonstrating your products in use
- photos depicting how your customers will benefit from working with/purchasing from you
- images that help customers connect their lifestyle to your lifestyle
Regardless of the form, the goal of these brand images remain the same:
- convey the end result your customers will experience after purchasing from or working with you
- help promote that “Like, Know, Trust Factor”
For Melissa, we focused on images illustrating “behind-the-scenes” shots of the WDC team, celebratory shots, as well as those depicting her creative process and searching for inspiration.
Brand Image Type 4: Working Environment Shots
These days, potential customers love to see where the magic is made, so to speak. As such, images of you and your team in your working environment are critical for any business’s brand shoot.
Brand Image Type 6: Detail Shots
Similarly to Lifestyle Shots, there are a variety of ways that the details of a brand or business can be captured in their brand images.
From architectural plans, to fabric swatches, to cabinetry hardware, to paint chips an interior designer’s brand shoot was a dream come true for these two detail loving photographers!
Brand Image Type 7: Product Shots
As a service-based business the final “product” the Wright Design Co. team delivers is a beautifully designed space. Melissa already has a robust library of portfolio images so we did not need to capture a lot of “after” images as part of her brand photo shoot. We did, however, manage to capture of few photos of the team styling a space which is part of the services they deliver.
To see some examples of Wright Design Co.’s extraordinary interior design work, please peruse the portfolio page of their website.
THE INTERVIEW
But, enough about what WE did for Melissa and the Wright Design Co. team. Let’s let you hear directly from Melissa about what she and her team can do for YOU!
We asked her a series of questions designed to help our audience get to know her better, specifically as a small business owner. Here’s what she had to say:
Please describe Wright Design Co. Tell us about what makes your service unique and notable? We work in a different structure than most design services – we charge monthly rather than hourly. This gives the client the ability to utilize us as much (or little) as they’d like, without feeling “nickel and dimed” for every phone call and email sent. We also are a very personalized service – being in clients’ homes, we know their kids, pets, schedules, and stories behind sentimental pieces throughout their home. We zero in on their personal style and budget to create spaces that they love and will enjoy for years to come.
What inspired you to create Wright Design Co. and draws you to the clients you serve? What impact do you hope to have on your clients? After working for years in the industry and seeing so many beautiful homes, I wanted to launch my business to make the process painless, and fun for clients. I wanted to created a streamlined, organized process for people who have never worked with a designer before.
Please describe your ideal customer. What pain points do you solve for them? Our ideal customer is one that comes with a vision, but trusts us to execute and fulfill the vision. We love clients that are open to different ideas and trying new things. Our team solves any uncertainty by helping them through decisions that they aren’t sure of making on their own, and giving them the best possible solutions to any problems that arise. We love busy, growing families who don’t have the time and value our services.
What would you say is the main thing that has helped you grow Wright Design Co.? This could be a personality trait, a mindset, an event, etc. Being organized, thorough, personable, relational, efficient. I think having a personality trait of curiosity and wanting to learn and grow. That is a great way to advance a business.
If you started Wright Design Co. over today, what would you focus on first to help you grow? Setting my processes in place first and getting my pricing right.
“Long after our projects are finished, I want our clients to continue experience the feeling of ‘Home, sweet home’.”
-Melissa Wright,
Founder & Chief Designer of WRight design co
What, if any, books would you recommend to people in your niche? Alternatively, what are books that you just generally love (they don’t necessarily have to be about business)? Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t by Jim Collins
Care to share any resources or assets (software, apps, courses, etc) that have really helped you up-level your business? Social media has helped our business grow and connect with new clients and vendors – Pinterest and Instagram specifically. Many clients have access to these, which helps us with exposure.
For working with client projects, we utilize Canva frequently to help put together products from multiple sources to help them visualize what the end result will be.
Please share the best business advice you have ever been given. Work smarter, not harder. Don’t overthink it, don’t take it too seriously. Have a healthy life – work balance; that’s applicable for us and the client!
Got a favorite mantra? Work hard, play hard. Put in your time. Work smarter, not harder. Life is short, don’t take it home with you.
WHERE TO FIND THEM
Thanks, Melissa! What a joy it was to design this shoot for you and your team! We could not have had more fun going through this process with y’all!
Please give Wright Design Co. a follow @wrightdesignco on Instagram, @wrightdesigncompany on Pinterest, and @wrightdesignco. on Facebook. If you are in need of interior design services, we can not recommend them enough. One of us here is definitely hoping to make use of their talents if she can ever find that new house…
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