Ale Vidal

About every 3 years, I take time to reanalyze where I am in my business and how my message is being communicated online. These past 2 years were such a defining time in my work that I knew it was time to update my brand and visual presence. Not really re-brand... just truly communicate the evolution of my business and how it has been refined over these past 2 years.

Current Status: New logo? Check. My logo was designed by Jen Olmstead (link) to introduce my current shift from "Imaginale" to "Ale Vidal." Website? Almost! It is currently in the final stages, designed by Creative Riot (link) --- who also happen to be my clients!

Aside from actually re-designing my logo, one of my favorite parts of this entire process was getting to do brand homework for myself. Part of my film process is giving my clients homework, and this time - I was on the other end. I was curious as to what kind of questions I would be asked and I think these 3 truly forced me to articulate what exactly it is that I do...

Who or what is Ale Vidal? 

My name is Ale Vidal – I’m a storytelling creative that connects brands to their audience in an emotional and intimate way. I specialize in directing cinematic, evocative content based on a brand’s worldview by producing short films and photographs. My goal is to create a story that is captivating and true – one that people can’t stop thinking about and find worthy of sharing.

What makes it special?

It makes people come alive. These films speak a language that transcend logic and so the audience is moved by the brand represented – wanting to further associate with that brand.  To me, these are the elements I focus on and transform: emotion, connection, and direction.

Why do your clients choose to work with you?

They either a) long to take their brand to another level – one that is different and creates a gripping connection or b) want to communicate a specific message (campaign) in a way that will create an emotional response with their audience.

I don't really use the word "re-branding" for this particular process of mine because it's not that my brand message or even visual identity is completely transforming. It's just that we all evolve in our business, our life stage, and who we are as people. That doesn't mean *change* per say, but life gives us clarity as time passes. I knew my current website was no longer communicating my vision moving forward and how it has already evolved. I'm a lot more focused on being a director and I believe that I was in a very photographer-centric arena where now I'd really like to expand my space to involve more agencies and other creatives. 

So that's a little glimpse into what has triggered all of this, and a process that has really been a year in the making. You should try answering those questions for your own business :) Stay tuned as we continue moving forward into this journey.... thanks for being a part of it! 

Your brand is not defined by a color

Your brand. It is not defined by a color or even your website. But yes, colors and a website should move your brand forward.

Rinse and repeat. Your brand is NOT defined by a color or a site. As you search for the colors you are attracted to, explore the idea of WHY you're attracted to them.

Pink, coral, nudes. Those embody feminine to me. And sometimes you start with colors and it helps you connect the dots, or sometimes you start with the word (i.e. feminine) and ask how that can be translated into color. The point is that your brand should consist of what feelings people associate with you/your business! It is your promise. I want my clients to feel like they are dreaming, that they are empowered, and that I will articulate their style along with the confidence to display it.

And when you finally get to a place where there is clarity to your brand, something amazing happens. You connect with other artists who's work resonate with your brand. They connect to the core of who you are and your collaboration is taken to a level you couldn't have done on your own.  That was this day. Christine Penny and I, Mignonne Handmade, and Angelberry Organics. But not just today, you guys, this past weekend, and this upcoming weekend, and the upcoming months. 

I took FOREVER writing this, but it was because I didn't want to JUST show you a set of photos. I want to help you get closer to this place because it will be so liberating. How? That's what I'm working on. Maybe with questions from others or continuing to share my journey. Either way, let's make it happen.

Femme Funk Style

One of the other things I loved about planning a shoot where I was in front of the camera was sitting down and trying to really verbalize my style.  I've tried it before but I couldn't find the words.  I'm obviously very feminine, but don't consider myself a super soft girly girl.  I am very attracted to bold and glam.  So what did I do? MARRY THE TWO!

Femme Funk.  I found an outfit on Pinterest that made me say "THAT right there is me."  And when I was trying to describe the outfit to a friend, I used the words "femme funk."  And then I had that huge-eye-loud-gasp aha moment.  If you could hear me when something occurs to me ... dramatic.

As promised, here's the inspiration behind the outfit...

 Audree from Simply Audree Kate was my stylist partner in crime.  Audree's first idea was to take one of her pink ballerina leotards and add some feathers to the shoulder to replicate the bottom left image up there.  I loved the look of it and the low back, but we decided to shop just in case.  Our goal was to find mint skinny jeans because I was really wanting to wear mint with a pop of pink.  And how cute would that be paired with a funky, pink leotard?!

We couldn't find ANY mint jeans, well, we found 2 but they didn't fit well.  Finally, we decided to pop in to Charlotte Russe which completely surprised me with their selection.  I felt like Charlotte Russe was getting too "teeny-bopper" so I stopped dropping in, but they had this BEAUTIFUL mint blouse!  Less than $25!  AND they had skirts on sale for $10!!  Yes, I got this white peplum skirt for $10!

(shop for top HERE) 

Audree thought it would look cute with a skinny belt (pink) for that pop.  But with the shoot just around the corner, I grabbed this necklace from World Market I had and made it into a "belt."  And those nude shoes?  TWENTY-DOLLARS.  Last Chance sells gently used (though some of their "gently used" are more like "gently chewed") and overstocked items.

And while I absolutely love the Nostra Style House earrings -- I didn't mean to wear those!  I had those on from the first outfit (a wedding inspired look) when all along I meant to wear THESE and forgot to grab them on the way out...

These were going to incorporate the "funk" to my outfit since everything else was pretty soft.  I LOVE using accessories to throw in a pop of color.  How awesome are those earrings?!  I got them from H&M.

And that's my story!  Audree is full of great ideas and it was so much fun to brainstorm this outfit with her.  Hopefully this gives you some idea for your own style too :)  I collect my favorite looks on my Fashion Pinterest board. If you have one, you should try writing down some words to describe your favorite outfits.  That might help you verbalize your own style and shop with purpose :)

My Creative Space

So this was pretty fun...

Yesterday on Facebook, The Music Bed held a little competition that asked "show us where you create."  At first I thought: hmm, well, I'll just take an iphone photo.  Aaand, it just didn't look right.  And y'all know me... I had to do this right.  Where are all those random instagram photos I've taken of my office?!

I fought bringing out my camera.  Sometimes it's just too much for only one photo.  But after 3 failed iphone attempts, the big boy had to come out.  Not to mention I just bought my Canon 35mm 1.4 lens a couple weeks ago and knew this was the perfect situation for it.  Let's keep it real -- I'm short and I wanted my heels in the photo... so I needed a reasonable wide angle.  I propped my DSW heels up and snapped away...

And I won!! The Music Bed literally said "the swanky shoes probably helped."  Ha! 

Moral of the story:  When you are putting anything out there that represents your business, even if it's just one image, spend whatever time you need for it to truly reflect you and your work.  And when all else fails, throw on some swanky shoes.

Twenty Brand Archetypes by Forty Agency

You guys.  I'm SO hungry!!! I'm literally pushing my lunch an hour later just so I can post this today.

I read the article last night as I was prepping for my Branding event tonight (ohmygoshimsonervous) and it was literally like something just exposed LIGHT to my thoughts.  So here we go..

One of my favorite places to be educated on marketing and branding is Forty Agency.  This article basically created twenty "brand archetypes" which is the idea that..

"brands are a basic human social concept, and that the same patterns and ideas tend to REPEAT themselves over time, such that what we now consider 'brands' are roughly equivalent to archetypal characters in literature, religion, folklore, etc."

In other words, think of your brand as characters.  There's a trait or behavior that if turned into a 'person' would look a little like this... 

Little Party in a Box: Customized USB Flash Drives

Plain and simple:  I'm a sucker for packaging.

Yes, I'm one of those people that has to resist the urge to purchase something based solely on their packaging.  Or I'll stop Jose at the grocery store and highlight a company's creative use of typography and spacing on their packaging.  I have such an admiration for it so you can imagine the circus that goes on in my head when it comes to my own business.  And then this baby came along....
Customized USB Drives.  Goodbye CD's.  I first saw my wedding photographer post about them last year and flipped out.  You can do SO much because this little beauty can fit anywhere and is customizable!

So I bought craft boxes and gold sequin ribbons at Michael's, and used the same fabric rose I have always been using in the past (here and here).  I stuffed it with some pink tissue paper and sprinkled heart confetti inside.  Because really, I'm celebrating with you when you get your images ;)

 Party for my eyes!!

 What do you think?!  I used Flash Bay and can't recommend them enough.  So now my clients can look forward to this little party in a box ;)

Been thinking a lot about...

(images aside from my photo found here)

Like. A lot.

Have you created a Pinterest board specifically for your business brand? As I'm making changes, I'm literally flipping back and forth between my design and my board. Try it if you haven't. Here's mine. Pin ONLY what you do not hesitate to say "that is absolutely me."

So yeah, when you see coral -- think of me. Cause this color is taking over my miiiiind!

p.s. Getting a hair cut today! Want to clean up my bangs to more of a side-swoop. And if I dare, possibly chop the length. I might start slow first and just get a few inches. Who knows ;)

How to: Create a Sweet, Sweet Package

This is what you'll need...



Wrap your prints/note/gift with tissue paper and place inside of your kraft box. Doesn't tissue paper = fancy? Or do you have bad childhood memories where tissue paper = "Aw MAN, not clothes AGAIN!?!"

I remember those too.

Be still my heart..

My friends may recognize this stamp from my own wedding invitations. No shame in my game ;)

Then you wrap it up in whatever ribbon, twin, lace, etc. you'd like and add an embellishment!




Sometimes simplicity works best.

Recognize it from here? -- you'll find more details on my supplies in that post :)

Under my blog banner where I have my "About Me" and "Portfolio" tabs, I just recently added "For Photographers." So now all of my posts dealing with branding, packaging, marketing, and everything photography (business-wise) are under one tab!

What can I say. I like sharing. Unfortunately it didn't work out for me in 3rd grade. Nope. I tried sharing an answer with the girl sitting beside me who was clearly stuck on "7 x 3" and I whispered "21" to her. She immediately stuck her hand up in the air and loudly announced that Alejandra was cheating, giving her the answer. I. still. remember. That and the mole by her lip as she told on me. Hmph. Twenty-one. Raise your hand now Elizabeth! Enjoy the answers my friends. Not that I always have them :)

B is for Branding // A Party

I had a special party last month. You can call it the small scale version of what I hope to be doing one day ... large scale.

There's something about branding that I simply love. I'll be chatting with a photographer and suddenly I start piecing together the identity of their brand from our conversation. There's always quirks and characteristics of a person's life that define them. But I think it's SO difficult for us to do that with ourselves. To step back and articulate what our style is. Right?

You have ideas, sure, but to start omitting the junk and refine your message ... well, that takes..

A BRANDING PARTY.

So there we were. An intimate group of working professionals: photographers, event coordinators, jewelry makers, and engineers. I asked each photographer to bring their favorite THREE photos. Photos that they would confidently say "these images represent my style of photography."



I created stations for each photographers to set their photos up. Then I handed each one an index card to privately write THREE WORDS that they would use to describe/define their style.

Fold it up. Tuck it away.

Now everyone would receive a set of index cards (photogs and non photogs), and go around the room and privately write 3 words on a single index card, per photographer, that they personally thought of when they saw this photographer's work. Keep in mind they have not seen what the photographer wrote for him/herself.



When everyone finished, each photographer took their set of index cards and one by one, we each read aloud and revealed what words we ended up with.

I'll share some of mine: romantic, comfortable, classic, captivating, flowy, sensual, honest, emotional. The funny thing is when I read "sensual" aloud, others spoke up and said "yeah! that's a good one!" I also had romantic three different times!

Featured Photographers: Jillian Hogan Photography, Dream Photography Studio, This is Life Photography, and Imaginale Design

I absolutely love, love, loved the discussion we all had about our words, why those were chosen, and our honest thoughts about how they portrayed our work. The word "sensual" lingered in my head and now I've turned it to --> intimate. My style is feminine, intimate, and playful.

Can I just ask, why is it that the only 2 males at the party had THE B.E.S.T. INSIGHT?!

After the discussion, I gave everyone a handout with action steps on what to do now that they had specific words to apply to their photography. One of them involves coming up with your target market. As in, WRITE IT DOWN IN A SENTENCE. I remember I first heard about this through Promise's presentation on the PASS Tour and it has stuck with me.



There's so many times that I want to write on my blog for everyone. Does that ever happen to you? There's so much freedom in understanding and accepting who you are, what your style is, and knowing that people will both embrace it and reject it. Yes... reject it. And that's okay. Because honestly, your talents will never shine if they don't represent you. Love you because you are the only difference between everyone else.

SO! Would you throw a branding party in your city?! Do it! I would be insanely excited to hear about it :) If you need help planning, just contact me! alejandra(at)imaginaledesign.com

Finding Your Path. Defining Who You Are.

My heart is so full of love! I can't thank y'all enough for the overwhelming response to my Jose Villa workshop post.

But... I don't want to leave it at the images. I know a few of you want to know what ELSE happens at these workshops, especially meeting someone so inspiring like Jose Villa. It's going to have to be broken down into sections to make everything digestible :)

So where do we start? Simple:

// Finding Your Path.

The weekend before I left for Santa Barbara, I watched a workshop that Tamara Lackey was holding on Creative Live. Her first topic was "Define Who You Are." Only a few days later I was sitting at the Figueroa Farmhouse with Jose Villa and you know what Jose's first topic was? Finding Your Path.

> > Find. Define. Same thing. When you find your path, you can define it -- verbalize it. < <

Before I dive into ANY other topic Jose covered, I want to leave you with these set of questions Tamara posed to her audience. Read these, answer them for yourself. Then figure out how fast/easy/hard it was for you to answer them.

Ready? GO:

1) When these things (your role, profession, geography association) change -- who are you? (Hint: Skills, abilities, interests, talents, insights, beliefs.) No, seriously. Write these down.

2) Find your favorite photo. Answer this: What is the EXPRESSION of the composite? For me: romantic and playful.

3) What are you drawn to constantly and how did you grow up?

-Let me give you an example from the workshop. Jose Villa told us that he grew up around horses, ranches… organic elements and that he began applying this to his photography. Look at his images -- the pastels, the florals, the trees. I mean, his entire packaging was very simple -- clean whites, burlap, and very natural elements. Jose Villa chose "organic" to describe his photography. So how can YOU pick out a word from your upbringing, from your style aesthetic and apply this to YOUR photography?

4) What makes you go dead inside? For me, it's definitely forced composition.

5) What in you needs to be expressed? Don't you love this question?!

6) What have you always thought you could do - but haven't? For me it used to be video editing, but that's changing ;)

7) What are you really, really, really, really good at -- basically comes naturally? (Ex: writing, relating to kids, etc.)

8) If what you "should" do/say is A, what is B?

9) How much of you is a result of others' ideas about you? I posed this question on Facebook and my friend Jenn shared how being a "teacher's pet" or being in the "good kid" crowd influenced her personality and behaviors like being "afraid to try something new if [she] didn't succeed." I can see how this would hold Jenn back from taking risks in her business. As artists, I know we all experience anxiety over what people think. I battled this a lot and still have to fend those thoughts off.

But now it's about deeply understanding who you are because this will shape the message your photography sends (i.e. your branding!). The better we understand who we are, the less shakeable and more confident we become in our business. So get that part down cause branding is next :)

"Don't compromise yourself. You're all you've got." -Janis Joplin

I don't think it's a coincidence that both of these successful photographers started their workshops with defining who THEY are first. Like Tamara said, "technical expertise is assumed. This makes it an EVEN playing field. So what's left? Your vision."

So why do we sometimes try and mold our vision around others'? Would love your thoughts! And thank you again, seriously, for your words. Y'all truly inspire me each day!

Under-Do Your Competition: Focus. Style. Confidence

Not typically what you hear, right? But it's really brilliant and I need to share it with you. What I won't be sharing with you is this humidity. I thought walking into the bathroom after Jose's hot showers would prepare me for Texas again, but by the looks of my misty face... not so much.

So back to this brilliant concept. It was all from the Freedom PASS Tour I attended in Phoenix last month which was slap-your-dog good (cause really, when is slapping your momma ever good?). Promise Tangeman's presentation is the one I'll be sharing with you -- you can thank my awesome note-taking skills later.

There's 3 points to break down:

// Focus
// Style
// Confidence

// FOCUS: Back to the whole "under-do your competition."

(a) IDENTIFY YOUR STRENGTHS. Focus on what's important and let clutter go. And by strengths -- be specific and not use things like "I'm creative." For example, I would say a couple of my strengths are styling and story telling. So how can I capitalize on this? How can I display this in my business? Outfit Chronicles. Nothing to do with photography, right? Wrong. I want people to understand my style, connect with it, and be able to trust in my abilities. This will transfer itself into my photography and it will also tell my potential clients what to expect. Ask yourself these q's:

-What are you most confident in?
-What are you most passionate about?
-What do you want to do MORE of? (or heck, what do you want to do LESS of? If you don't want to photograph families, then don't post families on your site. Focus.)

(b) KNOW YOUR TARGET MARKET. Speak each other's language. Describe them. Create a profile for them. What do they do? What are their values? Promise gave us Sarah Rhoads' target market: "People that highly value artistic expression." So try taking that statement and fitting it to your own business. People that ________________.

// STYLE. 1.) Create a personal profile. Write anything and everything about you. 2.) Check your laundry -- no, seriously... check your laundry. What visually represents you? Colors? Is there a consistent theme? Use 3 words to define your fashion style.

--- I'm not going to lie, defining my fashion style (versus my photography style) is so difficult. This was the trickiest question to answer during the interview I had on Monday. Jose says I'm an "emotional" dresser. Emotional and feminine. Hysterical. Unfortunately, that's why I can't exactly articulate it -- because I DO open my closet and pick an outfit based on my mood which can range from feeling spunky, flirty, or simple. But I suppose that can be interpreted as story telling too. With my clothes :) ---

I digress.

// CONFIDENCE. Display your confidence in your business. How do your strengths and style currently play out on a day to day basis?

-Are you displaying that confidence in your website? How can you do this exactly? Let's look at Jasmine Star's website. Her strength is her writing. Promise designed her website and incorporated this strength throughout her entire site with an editorial flair. Did you get that? Editorial flair. Jasmine is speaking a specific language to her target audience by the style of her website.

Brilliant. And that was Promise's presentation. Now sit down and answer those questions for your business model.

Now you'll have to excuse me.



I have an amazing grandma who is waiting on me to get off this "thing" and spend time with her. Not to mention the U.S. vs. France game that is playing in every TV in this house. I love being home ;) Hope this has helped those of you pursuing photography or any small business!

Ideas for Branding Your Photography

How cool is that cork ball chandelier?! Guess where it's from.

Anthropologie.

Not surprised, huh? I took that photo in Vegas, admiring the brilliance of the Anthropologie branding. I mean, people make photoshoots inspired off of this store, they design cards and stationary with Anthropologie as the driving force.

I bet if you asked 10 regular Anthropologie shoppers to choose 3 words to describe the store -- over half would have very similar descriptions. Why? Because their branding is consistent.

I decided to venture into a small project in furthering my photography brand. My packages. I needed more than a burned CD and delivered prints. I wanted my clients to see me in my delivery and not just my photos.

So I went shopping...

Without a plan, really. Armed with just a sticky note with 4 stores I scribbled down, I decided to just wing it. I ended up buying the following at Michaels and one of the BEST paper boutiques I've ever gone to: Mystic Paper.



Ugh, talk about overwhelming. I think graphic designers - or designers in general - have the HARDEST time designing for themselves. My mind thinks about a million directions and styles and "just winging it" is the dumbest plan.

Fortunately, I stuck to a color scheme (coral -- who is surprised?!) and forced myself to only buy "embellishments." I loooved Mystic Paper, but it would be so easy to turn my branding from Imaginale to Old Lady Scrapbooking if I wasn't careful with my purchases. Talk about paisley overload.



I got the greeting cards at Michaels and I loved how they had an opening on the front cover. I used the stickers I bought for my client's initials. They were typewriter stickers which is consistent with the way I label their names on the photos.



See?

Then I cut one of the flowers from the ribbon and played around with a leaf embellishment..



I also purchased a label maker for my CD's and carried out the same style. Typewriter font + my logo (in coral). I love combining modern lines with curves -- resembles my love of mixing fashion with feminine details.

And look! NOT planned at all, but their names on the CD fit perfectly behind the slot of the card!



I decided to move the flower and leaf on the envelope cover instead of the card cover so it wouldn't be squished inside. Then I wrapped the striped twine around and I was in love!!



I taped the ribbon with my special tape..



...and finished it off with a vintage stamp sticker.

Yes. That's what I was looking for.

Mind you, this is only a start. Obviously my goal is to continue developing and expanding my branding, but more than anything -- to be consistent. For people to know when it's my work and take home my love of detail.

Now, the challenge is going to be what I do when I have a male model or male high school senior. Clearly he will probably not enjoy a pretty little flower on his package ;) Or you know, maybe he will? :D

What steps have you taken to ignite your branding?