If there really are 3.5 trillion photos, which are the important ones? The ones that get picked, printed and presented. Presented in a magazine, a book, a frame, an album. But who does the picking? If it's social photography and the photographer's doing the choosing, which images will make the cut? The perfect shots. The ones that tell the story. The ones that fit in the book. And inevitably, the ones that make the photographer look good. Hundreds and thousands of photographs get discarded because they're imperfect or don't suit our purposes. But those "rejects" could tell a different story, and To View More >>

A little over 6 years ago I returned to my office after a meeting with staff to introduce a design audit and branding project. My phone rang and a man introduced himself and said he was from Apple. At first I thought I was being punked - all through the presentation the consultants had compared us to, and suggested we benchmark ourselves against, not our competitors, but great companies like Apple. This gentleman proceeded to tell me he was from Cupertino and that his boss was Steve Jobs. I tried to act as if I took calls like this everyday. He said they wanted to develop a premium book, and would To View More >>

Reading Dad's post about treating people as individuals reminded me of sitting in Air New Zealand's LAX lounge a few years ago. I was working on my laptop when this attractive woman sat down next to me and asked if I had the wireless login. Sorry," I said, "the wifi is playing up - you'll need a cable from the front desk". She turned her computer towards me and said, "It's OK, I have a Mac". :) "So do I, but you'll still need a cable," I said. "Look, I have to go confirm my seat - I'll get one for you." She smiled and said thank you. A few minutes later I returned and helped her get her computer To View More >>

A series about storytelling in album design. We turn the page in a wedding album… It's night time and we're at the reception. We turn another page… We're back outside the church in bright daylight! How confusing is that? Not only is the mood of the imagery completely different, the natural flow of the story is disrupted and any feeling of the 'journey' is lost. Chronology creates flow It may sound too basic to mention, but sticking to the order of the day helps make your images into a story. It also speeds up album design by predetermining the order you lay them out on the pages. Here's something To View More >>

The first in a series about the art of storytelling in album design. Every day at Queensberry we create books and albums about wedding days, birthdays and family celebrations. Years of looking at all those photos have convinced us that storytelling is an important part of the design process. It really will help a book stand head and shoulders above others that simply have a bunch of people looking awkwardly at the camera and smiling - no matter how good the individual photos may be! So what is it about a good story that captivates your attention, takes you on a journey, and gives you a sense of To View More >>