He liked the work, so he hired me again; and I was ecstatic to work with him on another cover shoot. I thoroughly enjoy working with Mike Consol. In some respects, it reminds me of working on a branding campaign. Mike is of course a writer, and a solid verbal communicator as well. To prepare for a shoot, we talk about his interview with the subject, along with the sense and general feel that he’ll use to write the article. Much like delivering images that are congruent with a product or service’s value proposition and brand values, it’s my challenge to deliver images that reflect the editor’s intent and the ideas that he’s looking to accomplish in writing. What’s fun about working with Mike is that he’s so tuned into this process.
Branding seemed to have been the theme with this assignment. When I met with William Blair‘s Director of Marketing Communications, he explained that the firm was in the process of a rebranding. As part of that exercise, they were moving to a new office space at 150 North Riverside Plaza that rejected their current old world conservative look, to a more updated, open and modern culture. While their physical move was still a few months away, they asked that I limit my photographing of the corporate lifestyle images in a small section of their current office that was modified and reflected the new brand.
With the firm’s marketing team, I spent a few hours carefully scouting the location, cognizant of the importance of seeking spots that reflected the new look and shift in culture.
The Marketing and Communications Team was so pleased with the article and photographs, that they purchased several hundred reprints for marketing distribution.
