if you're bored, read on... and let me know what YOU think.

album designs are really personal, and i don't want to come across wrong... i am NO expert.

i did, however, spend 2 days watching the album competition at wppi last year, and i spoke to several of the jugdes, including gerry ghonis, bambi cantrell, kevin kubota, yervant and many others about the designs that they were seeing. they also made comments throughout the judging. there were some scores that were challenged and good debates about the photography and design. there were books that were just 'awful' and others that actually brought the audence to it's feet with applause. there was one book that i still remember - it was absolutely magnificent, and it scored a perfect 100. it didn't win, but IMO, it should have. it was remarkably helpful and informative. i took away a LOT of info.

while it was interesting, and informative, it's also just one platform to have your work critqued. and one, that IMO, doesn't REALLY matter. i still go back to the client being the real 'judge'.

i submitted one album last year - a REAL book that was delivered to the bride, with images that SHE chose and a design that i put together, and i did the best i could with the choices she made. it wasn't designed for competition, it was designed for the client. my album got a 78. nothing to brag about, by far. i did learn a LOT, and put those lessons into the next few albums, and the whole 'design' thing continues to evolve for me. kind of like my photography, itself... at first, i seemed to 'try it all on'... i tried everything! i tried to do whatever the client wanted and give them everything they thought they liked. until, one day, a photographic style emerged. and now i shoot for myself, in my style, and what i like. design is following the same growth. that first book (book 78) was my first album and only the 2nd real wedding i had ever shot, and i do things different now.
i have learned....

I choose the images (i want the book to be an artistic journal - when the bride picks pictures, it's rarely a story - it's a book of her favorite pictures. that's cool, too, but not what i want to do)

i lay it out clean and almost sparse - 'only the best shots' seem to make a more powful impression. while we take thousand of images, only the best make the book. the others can be ordered as single prints, or go on my 'crazy page' toward the end of the album. they simply aren't 'album worthy'.

i don't go for record speed or break-the-bank size. it is what it is - it takes as long as it takes. sometimes they are 20 pages, sometimes they are 80. and they can take weeks... what's the rush?

there ARE rules of design. i don't know them all, in fact, i only know a handful, but there are some 'rules' that really make sense - pretty much all the time. these designs are timeless and appealing to nearly everyone. some 'version' of these rules always make a more appealing design.

sometimes 'breaking the rules' is cool.... but when all the rules are broken, it's just a mess, and while the finished product will be cool the first time you see it, it will get 'old' and tired, and years from now you'll wonder what you were thinking - and so will the client.

shoot for yourself, design for yourself - develop YOUR style. be inspired by others, but don't copy them, or you will always only be second best (even in your own eyes).

in competition, after seeing dozens and DOZENS of albums, it becomes REALLY obvious which books were designed with templates. the design is often FABULOUS - BUT your photography had better be absolutely STUNNING. it's tough to compete when others are using the same templates and have better images.

in COMPETITION, the photography COUNTS! crappy pictures make crappy albums. period. and in real life, an album delivered to the client is the same way. beautiful photographs FIRST.


albums are a timeless heirloom. photographs are the ONLY tangible, lasting tribute to the beginning of someone's family. they deserve a very special place of importance. they have more value than you can really place on them. the work involved, the materials, and often, the hand craftmanship can earn a premium price, but when all is considered, it's actually cheap. (even at my price) and the price is the last thing i consider. sincerely.

as a final note...

i will be submitting 3 (possibly 4) books to the wppi album competition. this year the books will be of images I chose, and the last designs i did this year were for me - these are among the ones being submitted. they were all designed for a client, not for competition. we'll see how it goes, but real success is when the client cries when they see their book.

ciao!
~robin

Very thought-provoking, Robin. Just as some photographers would do well to read a few good books on photographic principles, or attend a few relevant workshops to refine/enhance their skills, quite a number of album designers would do well to learn some of the principles of effective design. Too many albums are template driven. That is fine, of course, if your product is simply a tangible product for additional profit, easy turnaround, or to simply fulfill a package requirement. But it's not a uniques work of art. Other albums are sloppy, uninspiring, and look thrown together, and it is quite easy to see that the creator has no clue what makes up intelligent, beautiful design.

There are principles, "rules" if you will, which is why companies will pay big money for identities that incorporate those principles to enhance their brand, their image, and of course, their appeal to the consumer. The album tells our customer a lot about who we are as an artist, and as a businessperson.

I always love reading your thoughts Robin!

NIce post Robin!

By the way, I love what you wrote up there, it's how I feel too.
Can I use what you wrote above for my info section on my site & blog?
It's so beautifully said! I wish I could write how I feel...

Anyway, I totally agree with you. You're insights are awesome!

here's a good little blurb about design...

www.zookbinders.com/pdf/newsletters/ZN_Q206.pdf

amber, you are so cool. i really would love to hang out with you guys!

johnny - go ahead an quote me. it might have more impact as a quote, too, even though no one has a clue who i am!

Thanks -
And hey, at least my clients will know you - you are on my referral list!

Great post! I'm looking forward to your workshop at OSPW!

Wonderful, well thought out post, Robin!





Speaking of the workshop.......is there any chance that a video, audio, or at least bullet points might be made available afterwards for those that can't make it out there for it?

i'm working on something....

but, it won't be ready right away. osp west people are my first live victims - muhahaha! so i will get in put and tune it up before i turn it loose.

It's about TIME!!

It will, of course, be fanastic and hugely beneficial to MANY photogs. Your insights and perspective are well worth "the price of admission," whatever that may be.

Can't wait for the Biz Seminar in PA after the One Light Workshop with Zach.

Thanks Robin! This is great information! I just got my first book from Zookbinders back yesterday and was pretty stoked, but I tend to think you are right that over time I may be disappointed with my design. I don't know much about design rules and I really need to get on the ball. Thanks for reminding to do that. I didn't think goign to WPPI was in the works for me, but your post is making me rethink that. If I can find the funds I will definitely go...I better hurry up with that decision!

You rock!

This is one of those OSP Twilight Zone moments.

I was driving to school to pick up Gregory today and thinking about albums. I was thinking: What should I do? Should I let my clients pick the images or design it myself and then show it to them?

My thought process went like this: I can't stand when a client changes my design to replace one gorgeous image with fourteen group shots. And so I came up with a plan: I will GIVE you those group shots as 4x6 images and you can stick them in a nice album from Target or somewhere, but the album I make needs to reflect my artistry. So I'm adding this to my business plan. (Not in those words of course.)

Smart business? Maybe not now, but someday it will pay off. I do the photography thing because I love it. The day I stop loving it is the day I stop living.

Then I got home and read Robin's post. Wow. That's just SO weird.

This stinks. I'm going to OSPW but can't make it for Saturday. I'm going to miss Robin's workshop.

Excellent Robin.

i actaully have done something similar. those big group shots are not necessarily in keeping with a consistent artistic design. for one bride who had a lot of groups - people from college and family - really big groups, i added a 'groups album' to her order. it is a 10 page, 5x5 book with just single images per page of the groups. some of the groups spread across 2 pages. this put the groups in one place and kept her wedding album the style she wanted. i'm using a simple 5x5 iMount by art leather - peel and stick. it's a little tricky across the gutter, but brenda is really good at these books and the smaller size is easier to handle. the zookbook in a 5x5 is not too expensive either. i price these as add-ons that just cover my costs.

I just met Robin, in person, for the first time last night. Her brain is full of goodies! I have always appreciated your posts. You are a wonderful asset to this community and it was a pleasure meeting you!

I agree with everything you said and wish you the best of luck in the album competition!!! I'm sad you won't be there, but maybe I'll get to see your albums!!!



You can if you come to OSP Indy!! ;-)

I see no point in competitions like this. If they want to do something, have a few categories and let the members vote for their "favorites" - not "the best." (Or have members vote for their favorite judges who then pick their favorite albums.)

I just had an idea - so I am going to announce fotoVerite's first "album design" contest - but there's a big difference: we will provide all images (from a real wedding) and it will be the job of the entrants to design an album using them. I'll use photos from one of my past weddings (with permission of course) and if the client wants to buy one of the albums, they can get it directly from the designer.

(I'll make a separate thread for this.)

THAT would actually be AWESOME!




the point is just to see what other professionals think, i guess.

i do have a lot of ideas for how the album competitions should be different, but that would be a really loooooooooooooooong post.

Is it just me or are none of LuckyRedHen's images actually showing up?

those aren't her images. those are ghosts leftover from the osp crash.




Robin this was a GREAT post, and I can't wait to see what you have up your sleeve for a future article of this information!!!

Best of luck to you at the album competition.

Robin, I love your posts! I am always learning something new by you. Can't wait to your seminar in March!

Oh, oh, me too! Johnny, I was thinking exactly the same thing!! Is it okay to quote you on my page , too Robin? I just don't think I could put it any better. I'm working on the site to update the images and try to make my couples see the importance of their album. (So many are just interested in getting the images printed as 4x6s....I just DON'T get it.... ) Anyways, there's no use reinventing the wheel when the first one is just perfect.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on it, I always enjoy reading them.

Ginger