June 06, 2016

Somerville Small Business Product and Lifestyle Handmade Jewelry Photography | Linkouture

June 06, 2016/ Lorna Stell

Whenever I get to work with fellow entrepreneurs and creatives and see their success, I feel like such a proud mama! When you own your own business AND you’re a solopreneur, sometimes it feels like it takes forever for all the pieces to fall into place and for everything to work together seamlessly for you to achieve your goals. As a photographer and someone who does their fair share of shopping online, I can say that cohesive visual elements and imagery make a huuuge difference in the perception of a product! Having seen the “before and after” of Linkouture’s imagery, I can say that Bev's new photography for her business works wonders for showing off the quality she’s capable of creating!

May 02, 2016

Rebranding: The New Logo

May 02, 2016/ Lorna Stell

Never in my life have I ever had a crush on a typeface. Until this year.

We both know modern is totally my style, but I also wanted to bring in something that spoke to sophistication with a touch of luxuriousness. I love my usual minimalism, but I wanted something with a little more “oomph” than that. Believe me, it’s hard to put words to something visual that doesn’t exist yet!

April 25, 2016

Rebranding: Making A Moodboard

April 25, 2016/ Lorna Stell

I remember thinking over this past winter, “Oh man. Rebranding is so intense. My designer and I have to work together to figure out how to express who I am and what I do in ONE logo. Just one. Not only that, I’ll need to visually “brand” everything in my business cohesively, from my business cards, to my packaging, to my website…where do we even start??”

I’ll tell you, friends. It all starts with assembling a launch pad. In the case of branding and visual design, your launch pad is a moodboard!

After assessing why I needed to rebrand and who the new brand would be for (a.k.a. my Dream Clients—you guys!), it was time to begin thinking about how to express all that in a visual way.

April 18, 2016

Rebranding: That "Me Too" Moment

April 18, 2016/ Lorna Stell

I recently decided to create a survey and call up some of my portrait clients from 2015. I didn’t get to chat with every one of you sadly, but those of you I did get to talk with taught me SO much. I am so grateful for the time you spent sharing your thoughts with me and showing me what’s most important to you in life. I ended up asking you about everything from what your dream house would be like, to what you're most often frustrated by, to how you want to be seen by others (Seriously. We got DEEP and I cannot thank you all enough for sharing these things with me)! I discovered some amazing things, which my Dream Clients all have in common, that made me feel so elated and encouraged! Read on to learn what I discovered!

April 11, 2016

Rebranding: It's Happening!

April 11, 2016/ Lorna Stell

Here’s my deep, dark secret: I designed my current logo myself, somewhere around 2011, when I was a senior in college studying studio art with a concentration in graphic design. Seriously. If you know me personally, you might be totally surprised if you haven’t heard that before because I would NEVER touch a design project today.

I share all that to say, I have learned SO much lately about the true worth of hiring a creative expert. Not cutting corners when you have the choice to invest in something great, that will elevate your experiences in life and business. Choosing to trust a creative business owner to do what they do best. Choosing to focus your energy on the things you do best, rather than trying to wear ALL the hats, and fumbling around with the ones that don’t fit quite right.

I am done trying to “make it work” myself when it comes to my branding, because while I have learned so much through this process, I am totally not a branding expert! The awesome part is, I got connected with someone who is!

October 12, 2015

Personal Style | High-Top Black Sneakers

October 12, 2015/ Lorna Stell

If you know me outside the internet, you know I wear a lot of black. It's been my go-to color for over a decade, and you know what that means: Black never goes out of style! It's easy to match with nearly everything, and looks flattering on everyone I know. It can be unassuming, but can still contain so much depth through texture. I tend to wear wardrobe basics in black with one or two pieces of an outfit in an accent color (usually blue or red). Lately however, as the days have gotten colder, this has led to a predicament in my shoe collection.

July 13, 2015

6 Reasons Why Working With A Professional Photographer Is The Best Next Thing For Your Blog

July 13, 2015/ Lorna Stell

It would be so easy to make a huge to-do list for a blogger who's just getting started called "1001 Ways To Create An Amazing Blog." I'm not here to do that today though. I want to suggest tackling one thing to build your blog's online presence, and make it a more beautiful place that readers love to hang out in. The one thing? Photography.

Which brings us to our list of "6 Reasons Why Working With A Professional Photographer Is The Best Next Thing For Your Blog." Read on to learn about The Gorgeous Factor, The Professionalism Factor, The Legit Factor, The Service Factor, The Quality Factor, and The Collaboration Factor!