Art Direction

Art direction is the discipline of deciding what something should look like before anyone picks up a camera, opens a design tool, or starts writing copy. It is the layer of thinking that most projects skip, and the reason most projects end up looking like someone made a series of reasonable individual decisions that never added up to a coherent whole.

When we take on an art direction engagement, we work backwards from the impression you need to make. What should someone feel in the first three seconds of encountering this brand or campaign? From that feeling, we work outward: the visual references, the colour temperature, the quality of light in the photography, the typefaces, the negative space, the pacing of information.

Creative direction as documentation

We produce written and visual direction documents before any production begins. These serve two purposes: they give you a concrete approval point before money is spent, and they give every collaborator working on the project a shared reference. A photographer, a retoucher, a copywriter, and a developer all working from the same documented direction produce coherent work. Without it, they produce four different things.

Production oversight

We offer oversight during production phases for projects that need it. This means being available during a shoot to review selects and ensure the direction is being followed, reviewing copy drafts against the voice guidelines, and checking design executions against the approved direction. Oversight can be added to any art direction engagement.