If your social media campaigns and content don't excite you, then change it up! In order to have the most success AND for you to get the most enjoyment out of it (see that laavly ven diagram) then what you do has to be authentic to you and usually, a little different than everything else on the bandwagon. 

If you really want to make your mark and have longevity in the industry, that 'inner work' or 'brand foundation' has to be done beforehand. Once you know who you are, what you stand for, what you love, what makes you unique AND embrace any unique flaws and quirks, get comfortable with all that and whap it all out there to the world, that's when you'll see results. Phew, I know that's a lot to take on. But it will definitely be worth it in the long run. 

Anyway, I digress, here are some ideas for social media campaigns to get your creativity flowing and ideas brewing! Make it enjoyable, authentic and unique to you. 

1. An insanely detailed lead up with many easter eggs. See The 1975 and Taylor Swift as examples for this. They include so many extra details for only the most hardcore fans to find and it makes the process all the more fun and the music even more special when it finally drops. It starts super cryptically and gains momentum as time goes on and more details are revealed. 
There are some T. Swift deets here: www.buzzfeed.com/eleanorbate/taylor-swift-ts7-album-clues

2. The Jonas Brothers' campaign for XV. This included a game of tic tac toe using the X and V instead of 0 and X, shared between the members and team on Insta stories. A super simple idea executed with kick-ass branding and a very effective result. Interjecting a classic game and encouraging participation from your fans could be the way to go! 

3. The last one is one I worked on with a rock duo. It included an extensively detailed fictional crime narrative in which we created characters for each band member, complete with mega in depth character profiles and dropped bits and pieces of the story through social content and music videos so people could follow the story along, picking up details along the way to the album release at the end. 

It's important to mention here, the difference between truth and authenticity. A fictional story with characters can be a totally authentic way of doing things; it was for these guys as they were totally obsessed with cliche western movies, storytelling and creating exaggerated versions of themselves as their stage personas. The story doesn't have to be true and the character doesn't have to be fully you, as long whatever you're doing feels exciting to you and true to you. 

If you want to watch my whole video on this topic then you can do so here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvEUmxTaZBc&t=1s

That's all for now chums, hope it was helpful. Happy social media campaign planning!

1. Work out WHO you are, WHAT your business offers and how you can move forward in a completely authentic way. Everyone, imo, should be 100% authentic but if you want to really stand out and go BIG with your brand, hitting everyone you meet in the face with it, then go for 200% authenticity... oh yes I went there. Every interaction you have, email you write, social media post you share should WHAP the real you out there. GO BIG OR GO HOME, FRENS. 

2. This leads on to my next point. Go bigger, window up wherever possible.

Are you a music artist who wants visual worlds for each release (hello I do this as standard)? Amplify those visual worlds with music videos; a full narrative, a mini film and splurge the details within it all over your socials through content that optimises each channel/feature. 

Are you a retail business? Does your window display catapult who you are and what you're about to everyone who walks past and makes them stop in their tracks? No? You have work to do, fren. Make that store an EXPERIENCE. How does it smell? How does it sound? How you can add to your customers' senses in every way? 

Are you a coach or consultant who does regular public speaking? How is your staging? Does it smash who you are and what you're about in the faces of your audience? If not, why not? Do you give away specialised goodie bags that will surprise and delight your delegates and make them remember the EXPERIENCE as well as adding value to them through the items you've chosen to giveaway? 

You get the idea!

3. And whaddya know, this links nicely on to my next point. People always say 'think outside the box'. I say go 4D (that was kinda cheesy but it's staying). In an online world, business cards are dying as is anything that isn't sitting on Zoom. If you're trying to get some real life connection back by sending out press releases/business cards/some kinda targeted physical promotion, send them a cake instead! Or whatever floats your boat. Ideally it would be something well thought out that is an extension of your authentic brand, but that's not as catchy (or tasty) as cake. 

Are you a music artist putting on a gig? Consider all the senses; scent (pick a smell and scent all your gigs/signings etc), taste (give out sweets with your logo on), vision (make that staging OBVIOUS), audio (you have that covered!) and touch (maybe your staging goes out into the audience, maybe you have a character or mascot that goes into the audience and interacts). 

Are you an author organising a release party? How can you make this release party different from any other? What would YOU do if practicality didn't halt your creativity in its tracks. Host it in a swimming pool with all your guests splashing about on inflatables? Host it in the depths of nature where you all camp out and cook on a grill? These are simple concepts but pairing them with an occasion like this can make for a super memorable themed event. 
How can you bring your book to life with your release party? Aim to CREATE A WORLD with your book (or product) and take it further and further with each milestone, event or marketing tactic. 

This blog post was pretty much brainvomit from me but the overall idea is to take your branding to the next level x584330. There is so much competition right now and if your brand does fall into the more fun/OTT category then you can be SO playful with it; see how far you can go and what kinda experience you can create for your audience. Make a memory for them! 

* Brand keywords are super fun and useful. You basically pick 10 ish adjectives that convey your brand; fun, bold, adventurous, flamboyant etc. It makes life easier when communicating with your designer/social media manager/anyone. 

 As a creative director within the music industry, my job is predominantly coming up with ideas; interesting concepts for video shoots and photo shoots, fun content ideas for Reels and Tiktok and most importantly making sure everything is cohesive, consistent and aligned with the artist and music. I aim to inspire the artist to embrace the things that they may have struggled with previously and work with them to find a way that excites them to get involved! 

Everyone´s an individual and should be treated as such. As an artist, you can get really creative with every part of the process, from writing your biography to planning your release campaign. Sometimes it helps to have a team member to bounce off, provide ideas and a general creative helping hand. 

If you´re an independent artist and you´re working with no budget but you still feel the need to have a creative director on board then approach students who are enrolled in suitable courses (communication design, production design, branding etc) and see if you can offer them some work experience that would be value to both parties. As your income increased and your career progresses you can upgrade your team as and when you´re ready. Or your once-student helper may become your personal long term creative director!

For me, the artists who have really made a big impact with their branding and have had kick-ass visual ideas have had their own personal creative director - The 1975, Tyler The Creator... Their visuals are professional, beautiful and have given their music new dimensions. There are also artists that do it themselves and if you´re that way inclined then definitely take on the role yourself, I´m looking at you, Melanie Martinez. 

Why hello there it's been a red hot minute hasn't it?

I wanted to jump back in here and share some info about something super exciting! 

If you need assistance with your branding, visuals and the general organisation of that side of life but are working with little to no budget then I have something that might be of use to you. 

I have a released an onlinePDFdownloadable course! Huzzah! 

So let's cut down to the basics. This is who the course if for, if this is you then definitely consider making the cheeky purchase of $35!

1. You have good ideas for your visuals and think you can tackle the branding side of things yourself but you struggle with having direction, making sure all the bases are covered and collating all your ideas to one channelled aesthetic. 

2. You sometimes feel a bit stuck and overwhelmed when it comes to marketing and branding as an independent music artist because THERE IS SO MUCH TO DO. I hear you! 

3. You need to work through steps in an orderly fashion with some guidance, complete with examples from other artists to get you inspired and keep you on track. 

If you fit these statement then my course is for you! 

Now, let's get into the nitty gritty. I've named the course 'CREATE YOUR UNIVERSE' because to me, that's what branding is; creating your own universe for yourself and your fans, with everything aligned and authentic to you so you not only feel excited to put music out to the world but you feel excited about doing photo shoots, making music videos and getting active on social media. 

It's a 20 step process. Yes I've included TWENTY STEPS to create your ultimate brand and each step makes you think about what excites you and feels authentic. It starts from the absolute basics so you can have a completely fresh start without missing out any crucial parts and then delves deep into the visuals and different components which make up your brand (or universe!). 

The idea is that you end up enjoying the parts that made you feel ick previously and that it's unleashed some stuff that you wouldn't have even considered before! But most of all, it'll give you guidance, structure, artist examples and get you as far as you can go alone with the branding side of things for a super low price. You're welcome, my chums!

If you'd like to purchase, you can do so here

Thank you for reading and happyvisualcreating my lovelies!

#musicbranding #brandingcourse #createyouruniverse #musicmarketing ​

Here are my 7 easy steps to building yourself an authentic brand that represents your music and you as an artist (or band)!

1. Define your musical style and audience

Make sure you're happy with your sound and that it feels authentic. Don't try too hard to sound a certain way or to be commercial, do what comes naturally and feels like your truth. It's also important to understand your audience; these are the people who will be listening to your music and investing in you as a music artist. ​

2. Define your message and values

These are basically the things you care about. They will probably come through in your music anyway, but spend some time to work out what you really care about and the themes that would reoccur through your music and content you produce. These can be deep-rooted issues like racism or climate change or can be things that everyone can relate to such as relationships, love and friendship dynamics. 

3. Decide on your image and aesthetic

Again, this has to come from the heart and might take some time and research if it's not something you're familiar with. Delve into the depths of your fashion style and what sort of aesthetic you feel would capture your artistry and be consistent with that throughout your social media presence, staging and album artworks. If this feels like an overwhelming or impossible task then I'm here to help, wink wink (email me on effisummerscreative@gmail.com). 

4. Find your communication style

How you communicate with fans and general everybodies also needs to be authentic and consistent. This is true for website text, social media copy, how you respond to comments, how you talk when on stage... Define this style and stick to it!

5. Plan your social media strategy

Which platforms will you focus on primarily? What sort of content suits your personality, skills and brand that you're currently building? How often will you post? How will you prompt interaction from your fans? Consider all these points and put together a schedule that will make it easier for you to get your head round. Also, have a space where you can braindump any content ideas or campaign musings that come to mind. 

6. Understand your fanbase

This leads on from defining your audience. Delve deeper into it! Look at their behaviours, brands they like, other bands they listen to, what sort of content do they prefer? What kinda merch would they buy? What prompts them to interact? How can you serve them in the best way whilst staying true to yourself as an artist? 

7. Tell your story

Help your audience connect with your further and get them to invest in your journey by sharing your story. Make it entertaining, relatable, exciting! And, of course, authentic! 

If you want me to elaborate more on each of these steps then you're in luck, because here's a handy video! 
HOW TO BRAND YOURSELF IN 7 STEPS

Let me know if this is helpful to you and feel free to ask any questions in the comments!

#musicbranding #musicartistbranding #artistbranding #brandconsultant #musicmarketing

Lou Z came to me with the idea of a 'home holiday video' style aesthetic and an eighties VHS camera to use, so we went from there... 

I liked the idea of incorporating the funfair due to all the lights and colours, I imagined the spinning carousels and carnival elements to translate beautifully to the grainy VHS footage and I lovelovelove how that turned out. 

The song captured the essence of a bad event approaching and the anticipation of that in the back of your mind so I wanted to create something involving dark and light to represent this. From here I took it further by creating ' a dark world' and 'a bright world' which is how life could be viewed depending on what you're going through. The same world could seem very bleak or completely euphoric, determined by whatever stage the 'bad event' is at the time. 

It's a reminder that the dark and light is in all of us and it's how we choose to navigate our thoughts and emotions that determines how we deal with these times. Despite these elements, I wanted a continuous flow of imagery that starts at a much slower pace at the beginning, building up to a more hectic feel, before coming right back down at the end; a prompt to keep flowing and embrace the highs and lows, changes and monotony. 

The mix of media really helped me to convey this; the juxtaposition of grainy VHS and vibrant digital imagery made these two worlds (or two visions of the same world) seem miles apart. 

To keep the home video style authentic, I used a hand held filming style for the majority of the shots, only using a tripod for the digital version of the chorus footage. This also increased the jump between the two worlds, crossing them over with some hand held digital footage of the fairground rides near the end. The most difficult part was to imitate the wobbly 'dad style' home video filming; obviously the instinct is to make it as stabilised as possible! I made sure to take MUCH more footage than I needed and I started the camera before I intended to film. Many of these 'pre filming' bits of footage were actually used in the end, as they really captured the 'wobbliness'. Plus, the old camera was rather large and heavy, so that helped too. 

You can check out the final video here: 
https://en.nordiksimit.org/video-premiere-lou-z-before-you-go/

Until the next one,

​Effi xx 

I'm going to share some little tips and tricks to get you started with a good social media strategy that plays to your preferences and skills. 

Firstly, I would pick two focus channels. It's extremely time consuming to try and maintain all channels so picking two to focus on will mean you can channel your energy and time and give those two more chance for growth. Obviously in the future you can hire a kick ass so-me person to maintain your online world but until then I would choose your battles wisely and go for the two channels. 

These will depend on your audience and type of content that you create. Examples: If you're politically driven and good with the chat then go for twitter, if you're super entertaining on camera then make content for youtube, if your aesthetic is that of dreams then go for insta... You get the idea. Look at your strengths and make sure that the content you create aligns with your values and message that is represented in your music. Once you've decided on the type on content, choose the outlet that supports that best. 

Here are some ideas for content: 

Youtube
For: big personalities. 
Content options: Vlogs, Q&As, behind the scenes shenanigans, tour diaries

Instagram
For: the photo takers and visual beings.
Content options: Stories for those who want a quicker fix than youtube, beautiful snapshots of your travels, adventures and gigs. 

Facebook
For: bands with an older audience
Content options: The great thing with Facebook you can share all your stuff from other platforms as well as original FB stuff. Articles and reviews would do particularly well here. 

Twitter
For: the talkers and opinionated ones
Content options: Comment on current events and controversies, interact with fans, share updates and promos.

For anyone who finds social media a bit of a bore I would go with Facebook and/or Twitter. For anyone super creative who enjoys putting themselves out there and being creative in other ways than music, then go for Youtube and/or Instagram. 

You can (as you probably know) connect your Instagram to Facebook and Twitter so anything you share automatically gets shared on those too, however I choose not to do this and rather cater each post to its designated channel. 

Remember to share your professional updates too: tour dates, release dates, new videos, new promo shots... But these things must be interjected with the fun stuff too. Don't ever share a promo without any explantation, caption or any personality. Explain WHY people should go/listen/share and give them some juicy information about it. Check out John Mayer's Instagram for thoroughly entertaining posts amongst regular promotions!

Also, and this is the bitch, you need to post regularly. Don't abandon your online fans and keep reminding them that you're there and you're creating music for them! People are more likely to click through after seeing something for the third time so don't be afraid of sharing things more than once; remember not to spam the same thing over and over though. It's a fine line! 

Visually, a brand identity will help you on the socials as well as in real life. If people click on your Instagram profile, do they know instantly what you're about, what your style is and what kinda music you're likely to release? If not, then work on developing that. Everything you put out there on the interwebz should align with what you're about, whether it's music, graphics, a youtube thumbnail or an outfit. 

If you are an artist or label and want help with social media or a brand identity, then drop me a mail on effisummerscreative@gmail.com and let's chat :)

That's all for now, my chickens <3 

Now, this pie represents what I think are the optimum percentages of each, however, this does vary with each artist and some will dominate in one section over another. examples of this would be:

Lady Gaga- dominates on image and songwriting
John Mayer - dominates on musical ability and songwriting

I just want to talk about songwriting and timing for a minute though, as these are the most important points imo.

Timing is crucial to anything, ever. businesses, artists, shops, products... Everything needs to be exposed to the world at the correct time or else it will fail (or half succeed at a very slow pace). An artist can be practically perfect in every way but if the timing is wrong and the audience at the current time aren't feeling it, then it's a no go.
The 1975 and Billie Eilish are fabulous examples of hitting out at the right time. Play 'When we all fall asleep, where do we go?' to kids in the seventies and there's no doubt Eilish would not have had the same impact. It's worth mentioning authenticity here; it's not a case of researching musical trends and taking an educated guess at what the world might pick up on. It has to be 'you', it has to be authentic and real, otherwise the like-ability and image will suffer. 

Songwriting is another must-have. I don't mean a technically impressive song, I'm talking about catchy, pop anthems that immediately grab the audience in and have them singing along. Think 'Shotgun', 'Havana' and 'Shape of you'. Obviously there are other popular songs, but those that will become classics have to dominate every radio station, be played on repeat on your Spotify and be instantly stuck in your head. ​

Go forth, onto image and branding! 
I think this one is a factor that many people think isn't important. I've heard phrases like 'it's all about the music' or 'we want to be authentic'. 
Having a professional team work on an artist's image and branding doesn't have to mean less authenticity, if anything it should mean more. ALL super successful artists have a team for this without a doubt and there's a reason for it. 
Similarly to businesses, branding helps to build trust in the audience; they know what they're getting and the familiarity turns to loyalty. 
Image is arguably the largest section of Lady Gaga's pie (lol). We all wanted to see what she was going to wear to each event, how she was going to push the boundaries even further for the shock factor and be completely wowed by her live show creative. and that image is HER. That is her authenticity. 

Another interesting band to talk about here would be the Sex Pistols. They were known for being authentic, DIY, working class and punk and that WAS their image. Their image captured everything they were about and communicated that visually to their audience. 
Image and branding encapsulates what the band/artists is all about in a visual way and exaggerates it. I think the confusion comes from thinking that the foundations and philosophies will be lost in a shiny image and that is in no way the case. 

Another point I've heard is in regards to John Mayer. 'He doesn't have a brand, he's all about the technical ability'. That IS his brand. His album covers, his live shows will all be focused towards an audience that values musical ability and has a more sophisticated musical taste. it's all planned! 

This takes us nicely onto musical ability, doesn't it? I have no doubt that most people would argue that this slice of pie is too small but it's not, it's not. 
The Beatles' songs are not the most technical, some pop artists will pick up a bass and learn it because the opportunity is there to be part of a successful band, not all pop bands have singers that are able to hold their own on a stage. 

And I think that's ok. 

Anyone who prides themselves on their technical ability and is solely focused on that element of their career, should not strive to be a famous music artist but a session player. 
Session players are the ABSOLUTE BEST. 

A music artist with only musical ability is a lonely slice of pie. 

You know on X Factor, when an excellent singer gets sent home early and everyone screams 'it's a fix!'. That happens because a great singer is not necessarily a great artist. They would be showcasing musical ability and songwriting (because the chances are they're singing a classic song) but they're probably lacking an image (authenticity and knowing who they are) and charisma. They're possibly a bit boring and by the time you've watched another 10 singers, some of whom are a bit witty or OTT, you've forgotten Mr Nice Singer and definitely won't be voting for him. 
X Factor is difficult if you go in without even a glimpse of a brand identity. The builders and call centre workers who happen to have phenomenal voices struggle by going from song to song, with a different image each week and they fail to make an impression. Basically, you need to know yo vibe in order to attract yo tribe! 

Sometimes the great singers who also have some like-ability win, but without an image or brand they fail to make their mark on the real world, resulting in forgotten winners and an increased scepticism in the show's credibility. 

Well this leaves us with charisma and like-ability. I reckon this is the smallest piece of pie because I have seen some artists who are a bit fucking boring and can't hold their own in an interview and to be fair this probably has a lot to do with the gruelling work hours which no one ever appreciates. I know I would struggle with 3 to 4 hours sleep a night for years on end. 

However, some people really make that DNA work for them and reality stars are a prime example of this. Their pie would be largely charisma with a little slice of branding. Enter X Factor's Rylan; his whole career was launched from a predominantly charismatic pie, so there's nothing to scoff at there. 

John Mayer, Harry Styles and Matt Healy (the 1975) are examples of artists with a healthy slice of charisma pie. They're articulate and interesting to listen to, as well as being entertaining (if you haven't seen John Mayer's smokey eye tutorial on insta stories I would thoroughly recommend). The benefits of having these skills is how it allows the audience to get to know you better and the more they like you, the more they feel they know you. This in turn helps to sell records and tickets to shows. If you're all about increasing your income streams then this could also lead to other opportunities such as judging a TV talent show at the same time your new album comes out, wink wink. 

Before wrapping this bad boy up, I'd like to mention a couple of acts who have had a long standing career BEFORE being catapulted into the (very) mainstream, pretty much over night. 

Sia and Green Day were respected in their own fields and had a good deal of success, yet both faced criticism of 'selling out' when they were reinvented and had their commercial success. 
This is a really tricky one, because both their images and branding were authentic and exaggerated versions of their previous selves, if a little more fine tuned, but when you make the transition from slightly more alternative to commercial, you will no doubt lose some of your original audience. However, you gain more than you lose so it comes down to a personal decision. Me being me, I loved seeing their growth, enjoyed their new slightly more OTT styling and continue to enjoy both their old and more mainstream music. 

This leads me on to my final point. I would argue that in order for an artist to achieve longevity within their career, reinvention is necessary. This doesn't mean losing authenticity but more embracing natural growth and being aware of the changing trends within popular music. 
Taylor Swift, Madonna and Eminem have done this flawlessly and have continued to keep momentum going, taking their audience along with them. A bit of controversy never hurts in these journeys as well!
With incredible songwriting and a constantly evolving brand and image, they take any mistakes or negativity in their stride, embracing them and focusing on continually moving forward, all while staying true to themselves and maintaining their authenticity. Phew. Not an easy task, aye? 

That's all for now, chickens
​Thanks for reading ✌🏼

once I got started with this, there was no stopping so I spent the majority of my sunday afternoon and evening tweaking this badboy of a challenge. 

I used the font Raleway as it felt very London Grammar, plus it looked nice when I made the Ms into a slightly fancy little logo. 

I made the images black and white and adjusted the basic settings from there to get a moody feel. 

for that pink beauty that is the London Grammar logo, I used the font Quicksand but added a thick outline stroke, turned it candy pink and added a wee heart into the o's!

the main London Grammar image took a  l o n g  time! it was a case of tweaking the colours to make them more vibrant, adding some bold make up and then layering accessories and glitter until it caught that Martinez vibe. I used a striped background, inspired by an actual Melanie photoshoot and used the pink from that to eyedrop the logo. 

JOB DONE MATE. 

ps. there is something very exciting coming in regards to this but that's all for now <3 

you can probs tell that I had an absolute ball with this; if you're having a bad day, there's nothing that a possessed lorax and a friendly lil shark can't fix! 

to point out the obvious (I hope, trololol), here is the breakdown of genres:

The Lorax- WAS a happy animation, NOW it's a zombie horror

Jaws- WAS a suspense thriller, NOW it's a happy Dr Seuss tale

Harry Potter- WAS the best fantasy film franchise made ever, NOW it's a mushy romcom

I basically studied each genre/poster and picked on to base my design on; one that I thought really captured the essence of what it was portraying. 

to make the lorax all possessed-looking, I edited his colour pallette in Photoshop, covered half his face with a shadow and added dark blurs to his edges. I whited his eyes, added a couple of scars and a splatter of blood, and boom, he was ready to go! 

for my lil bubba super happy shark, I traced over a Dr Seuss style fish. I based it heavily on that drawing but added my own bold lines and clean cut image. 

for that Harry Potter wonder-heart, I found images of all the characters smiling (some proving very difficult, Severus Snape!) and collated them all within a pink heart frame - very Valentine's Day esque. 
I kept the background white and clean as many romcom posters are. 

there you have it, such fun.

PS. finding fonts is hard sometimes isn't it. 

#artwork #graphicdesign #graphic #movieposter #creative #branding #design 

 1- the all American vegan diner.

what. a. dream. I actually have on my bucket list to eat at a vegan diner so this would be v handy if it came to fruition. I did a couple of variants on this which I'm going to post at the bottom.

I embraced the pretty pastels and cutesy staff uniforms for this and used the Las Vegas sign as inspo for the logo. I wanted to go slightly less OTT than the average diner and make it super pretty, while creating a full on themed dining experience. Saying that, the outdoor sign WILL have neon lights around it... 

the interiors will be chunky, retro and coloured in pastel aqua and baby pink. I'd like to use some classic diner elements such as squeezy sauce bottles on the tables and booth seating. 

​just imagine the Instagram though 😍

2- the beach themed surf shack

there were a couple of different inspirations behind this one; firstly, the danes love a BBQ and the sun, so I figured this could create that summer beach BBQ vibe all year round. secondly, it would work with a tight budget as we could use deckchairs and up-cycled palettes for seating.

this one would go heavy on desserts and cocktails and all the food would be hand held (therefore easy to eat from said deckchair). plants, surfboards and inflatables would form the decor and the counter would be done up as a little surf shack. 

3- minimal and bare

this one covers the higher end range and is super classyyyy. minimal, monochrome, industrial interiors, concrete floors, all black staff uniforms, with some plants to add a pop of life. 

bare (meaning 'just' in Danish, 'a lot' in LANDAN and 'empty' in English) while also having the same sound as 'bear' seemed like the perfect name. add a simple BEAR drawing and boom, the logo was born. 

the food would still cover burgers, pizza, pasta and the like but would be presented in a more 'fancy' way, with smaller portions. 

​I love the idea of a simple exterior and that black bench works a treat. 

4- the australian grill

I went classic aussie for this. if the budget permits, I'd put grills in the middle of each table (or one fancy table that could be booked in advance for, ideal for special occasions). 
the food would be the ideal BBQ; pulled pork, spare ribs, surf n turf, mixed grill... all vegan of course. oh my. 

​the interiors would include dim, warm lighting, exposed brick walls and industrial style tables. palm trees and hanging plants would make it all the more cosy and I love the idea of white text on the exposed brick. 

5- vegan fastfood

I went for a 'posh mcdonalds' vibe for this one. the concept pretty much consists of the fastest vegan food ever. takeaways would be the focus but the environment would still be attractive and welcoming for eat-in guests. I kept it simple and functional and that's what I hope the restaurant would be. 

the colour scheme is lime green, grey and white, with good quality yet simple furniture. costs would be priced on 1, 2, 3 or 4 courses, keeping ordering and the till system as basic as possible. 

bonus 5 and 6- American diner alts

the American diner ideas were spilling out of me so I added these bad boys in. the left is a more elegant, understated take on it, with the one on the right as a completely classic, OTT one. that jukebox though?! 

I've had mucho fun with this so let's see where it goes from here. 

BYE for now. 

I decided on this brand as unicorns are a pretty loved species right now and everyone is trying to tackle the plastic straws debacle (if a little bit half-arsed, I'm looking at you Starbucks). 

I've also recently read about how much recycling actually ends up in landfill so wanted to create something that can be used and loved forever, without having to be discarded at all. 

most importantly though, looking how freaking fun it is?!

life's too short to not be fun, am I right?

goodbye for now, frens

#creativedirection #creative #copenhagen #styling #fashionstyling #graphicdesign  #design #layout #branding #campaign #advertising #advertisingcampaign ​

I wanted a very non catchy, long tagline (ironically, of course) and so inspired by the quite literally ridiculous #NotAllMen hashtag, I came up with this *little beauty.
*long

I used a classic 'corporate' style graphic to really bind the branding together. 

here we have a PDF staff guide to sexual harassment and how to not do it. I really wanted to use the dichotomy of very corporate graphic design with very NOT corporate wording. so I did. 

all these questions (or statements, in some cases) have actually been said in real life by real human beings, probably on many occasions. so the fact that the answers are so glaringly obvious makes me slightly scared for humanity. 

there's nothing quite like a super long hashtag on a billboard to really bring the message home. 

after googling mens' slogan t-shirts and then instantly regretting it, I thought I'd make some new ones that help support this cause. you know, instead of the ones that constantly encourage shit behaviour and make awful men seem normal. 
these are perfect for 'dress down friday' and are a reminder to your colleagues that you're not a twat.
​
the fact that these seem so ridiculous really helps to spell out the problem, I feel. 

not convinced with this being enough, I decided to go for a range of women's workwear shirts as well. these serve as small yet fierce reminders of what behaviour is actually acceptable in the workplace, despite what many think. 

part of me very much wants to own one of these shirts and actually put them into production but hey, this is just a satirical portfolio campaign for now. 

let me know yo thoughts, don't @ me, it's just art based on a very serious issue that I'm trying to bring attention to. I mean well <3 

BYE

#creativedirection #creative #copenhagen #styling #fashionstyling #graphicdesign  #design #layout #branding #campaign #advertising #advertisingcampaign 
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brief:
I have 30 minutes to plan, photograph and edit photos based on Levi's, using only things that I currently own and the same plain white wall as a backdrop. I will pick clothes, apply make up, style my hair, pose and edit in a style that I think captures the essence of the brand.

​oh my, I had a lot of fun here. High waisted jeans, red lippy and ya gal's happy. 
​

I ended up with two options for the standing image and about six for the others; with these three making the cut.

I did actually make a few notes for this one, huzzah! after looking at Levi's images, they did seem to vary a reasonable amount but I picked up on some signature styles that I thought I could work with. these are the notes I made pre-shooting:
- a lot of street style
- natural 'unposed' poses
- fun and cool
- not too clean, some graffiti and tattoos

I would have preferred to shoot this outside but hey, I made the rules and one of them was using this white wall. doh. 

I went for a grey cropped vest, oversized sunnies and trainers to suppliment the jeans for a sort of preppy, American look. I applied red lippy and no other make up (thanks to the sunglasses) and for my hair? well I actually combed it LOL, into messy beachy waves. 

editing was fairly minimal for this one: I decreased the contrast, darkened the whites, lightened the blacks which gives it a bit more of a natural, 'snapshot' kinda vibe. Less high end fashion and more 'I'm having fun in the street with my mates'. 
​I decreased the saturation ever so slightly and everything else was just minor tweaks. 

third brand challenge is a wrap! 

these were the three brands that instantly came to mind so it might be a while before I figure out what the hell to do next. I do want to do a couple more of these, ideally breaking further out the box and showing some more variation. 

PEACE. 

#creative #creativedirection #styling #fashionstyling #stylist #branding #creativeportfolio #creativechallenge #copenhagen #levis

brief:
I have 30 minutes to plan, photograph and edit photos based on COS, using only things that I currently own and the same plain white wall as a backdrop. I will pick clothes, apply make up, style my hair, pose and edit in a style that I think captures the essence of the brand.

whooah this one pushed on my time limit! my aim was to airbrush out all my tattoos... I realise I have one entire sleeve left but yanno, I have a lot of tattoos and only 30 minutes for a brand challenge. 
​

The difficult thing about this one was... me. Ha! I am 100% not a COS model but I worked with it and here are the results.

​I really need to start making notes when I edit because the memories are fading quickly from my non technical brain. 

I upped the exposure and REALLY upped the noise reduction to give that clean, crisp, sleek look. I also whitened the whites and lightened the blacks.
After studying some COS images, I found they had quite hefty shadows so I increased the shadows slightly and they also use a lot of angular type shapes and cut off body parts so I embraced those elements too. This worked well for me as it meant I could avoid using my face/hair. 

I used my trusty snake plant as a cheeky prop and embraced my minimalist interiors to compliment the brand style. I would have preferred a white floor or infinity curve but hey, I do not own those things. 

I always edit in Lightroom but after doing that I popped the images into Photoshop to airbrush out the tattoos and delete some straggly hair. My hair is so un-COS it's quite unreal so I pulled it back into a low ponytail and tried to neaten out my fringe. Make up was natural and minimal with a deep red yet subtle lip colour (Kat Von D FYI). 

Overall, I'm quite pleased. I'm sure COS would not be, but I think I did ok considering the circumstances. 

Next brand up soon! 

the other day I had a *giant brainwave (*slightly fab idea) that would be lot of fun whilst also ticking these three boxes:

1. push my creativity and styling skills
2. build my portfolio
3. improve my SEO (oh yes)

I decided to set myself some creative challenges and post the results right here on this little blog. 

the first one is this:

I have 30 minutes to plan, photograph and edit photos based on a particular brand, using only things that I currently own and the same plain white wall as a backdrop. 
I will pick clothes, apply make up, style my hair, pose and edit in a style that I think captures the essence of each brand. 

here is the first result - Vice

​I took inspiration from some older Vice shoots and had a browse on Pinterest for poses that i think would work. I ended up with about six images and then chose these three to edit. 

to edit, I adjusted the white balance to make the colour temperature cooler, increased the clarity and sharpened the images, to give them that gritty, detailed look. I whapped up the contrast, in particular the black tones were made much darker. there was a bit more tweaking but these were the main points worth mentioning. 

I went for the 'I got too drunk, cried and then walked 3 miles home' make up look which has definitely happened before so I have had some practice in getting this right. my hair was backcombed slightly more than usual and half my nail varnish is missing. classic. 
luckily my tattoos were already there but I'm thinking they add to this vibe pretty well. 

FIRST BRAND DONE. 

I currently have two more brands in mind and then will go with the flow from there!
feel free to chuck some ideas at me and connect with my on the socials if you wanna.

​effi x