Here are a few things to consider…

1) First names only? Mr & Mrs? Names & Dates?

First Names Only: Bride’s Name then Groom’s Name
Mr & Mrs: Rarely seen but not unheard of!
Names & Dates: Generally first names only with the date listed below
Initials: Bride’s first name initial on the left – Groom’s last name initial in the middle – Groom’s first name initial on the right

2) Where to engrave?

On the Metallon Covers you can select from the following locations

On the Eclipse Cover with an image engrave you can add the Bride & Groom’s names & dates:

3) What cover to engrave on?

In the Metallon & Eclipse cover materials the color of the engraving will depend upon the color of the metal:

Brushed Aluminum – Black Engraving

Slate Blue, Satin Black, Moss & Blush Metallon – Silver Engraving

Copper Metallon – Copper Engraving

Just a few things to keep in mind as you are designing your album cover.

How do you pronounce it anyway?

Metallon – “met-a-lon“

We hear all different ways of trying to pronounce this word, the most popular being “metalion” – but it’s okay, we know what you mean!

The Metallon cover option was introduced a few years back, initially only in the Brushed Aluminum where you had the option of adding an etched image.

It was an instant hit with being a great “show-stopper”, literally. We would have people walk by our booth at a trade show and stop in the isle and come over and look. It was great fun to see their reactions and talk to them about the possibilities and cover options for their clients.

Through the years we have added even more cover options from Slate Blue to Satin Black to Pewter Wave and Sunburst. We also started to offer different engraving options to the smooth surface metals which opened up a whole new world of cover customization.

Metallon covers are available in two styles, Full Cover and Inlay as pictured below. We now feature 13 different Metallon cover materials for the Nouveau & Equinox line of albums.

Just one more way to add a customized element to you album design to help you stand out from the crowd.

….that 90% of images on a digital camera are not printed!

I recently read that in an article and that made me think what an incredible opportunity for Professional Photographers. How many times have you heard from a bride that that it has been a year, 2 years or 5 years since their wedding and they still do not have a wedding album. Many times it is because,  Uncle Joe photographed the wedding and handed over the DVD of all the images.

Here is where your skills and expertise will come to the forefront! Every special event that you photograph will be documented, saved and printed for your clients to have and to share.

What an incredible service you offer to your clients!

How important is it? Does your packaging make an impact?

Packaging:

1) Is the finishing touch on all your work
2) Is a reflection of your brand
3) Is a reflection on the value you place on your artistic efforts
4) Impacts the perceived value of the money spent
5) Protects the investment of your time and the clients dollars

Packaging actually does a lot so it is important to pay attention to the details.

When Kambara introduced the silver silk bag and the 2 part gift box for the Nouveau Collection, we were amazed at the response. Photographers actually calling us to say thank you for the new packaging! We appreciated the feedback and letting us know we were headed in the right direction.
And it let us know how important packaging is to many photography studios.

We take great care in creating not only albums but packaging and presentation pieces that make an impact not only for you the photographer but for your clients as well. What are you doing to create a brand in your packaging and delivery? Does your packaging show the care you have taken with the client’s order and the value you place on your work?

Tell us about your journey of designing packaging for you your studio.

As we talk to customers, some times it gets downright funny trying to make sure we are using terminology in the same way.  Coffee Table book, flush mounted book, magazine style, digital. It can be frustrating at times, but mostly funny!

Digital Album: With the advent of the digital camera and it’s explosion in the consumer market, digital covers a wide gamut of products and ideas. It could be a collage of images, an image that covers a full page spread or a design that is viewed online.

Flush Mount: This is another term that has become generic. In this case the flush mount is an album where the picture is the page. It can be printed directly on the page paper or printed on photographic paper that is bonded to the page paper.  The image goes right to the edge and mats are not used.

Coffee Table Album: Usually a hard cover album with flush mounted images. The pages usually are thicker and have a center board material with images bonded front and back.

Magazine Style Album: A magazine style albums usually have slightly different page construction, the image is printed on the page and has the look and feel of a magazine. These thinner pages will create a much thinner album as well.

Do these definitions sound about right to you? Do you have different ideas? Share yours by commenting below.