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Unusual Landscapes Photography Logo Design
Brand Strategy Case Study

Arts and Entertainment Brand Strategy & Identity: Unusual Landscapes Photography Logo Design Case Study

Brand StrategyBrand IdentityLogo Design
Unusual Landscapes Photography Logo Design
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Mathew James Smith: Photography as Fine Art

Situation: Creating Brand Identity for Fine Art Photographer

Mathew James Smith is a wizard of unusual landscapes. He creates high-quality, unique imagery for galleries and magazines, traveling the globe each year to capture photographs that intrigue and mystify viewers. Based in London, he approaches landscape photography not just as documentation, but as fine art.

The fine art photography market requires brands that communicate uniqueness, quality, and artistic vision. Mathew needed a brand identity that would reflect his unique vision while competing with some of the best photographers in the world.

Mathew James Smith London unusual landscapes photography brand identity and logo design

Task: Create Logo Reflecting Unique Vision

When Mathew approached Spellbrand, he needed a logo. The challenge required:

  • Unique vision: Logo design that reflects magical, timeless, soulful, and mysterious vision
  • Stamp-like icon: Icon that is stamp-like or hints at old English culture
  • Timelessness: Brand that connects work to sense of timelessness and romance
  • Fine art positioning: Brand that positions photography as fine art rather than commercial

Mathew James Smith photography brand identity and logo design

Action: Strategic Brand Development

Brand Strategy: Mystery and Intrigue

Mathew is very passionate about making a dent in the world of photography and helping people see his work as fine art rather than just photography. He wants there to be a mystery to his images—unanswered questions that intrigue people to come back and look again. He wants these images to feel like they come from a different time and place.

This positioning strategy informed every aspect of the brand identity. The logo needed to communicate:

  • Timelessness: Images that feel like they’re from another era
  • Mystery: Visual storytelling that invites repeated viewing
  • Romance: An emotional connection to place and time
  • Artistic quality: Fine art rather than commercial photography

Logo Design: The London Lantern

We created an icon of a lantern used for public lighting on the streets of London, which truly represents the kind of romance that Mathew wanted his brand to be associated with. This icon connects directly to the visual storytelling aspect of his positioning strategy.

The lantern works as a symbol because it:

  • Evokes old London: Connects to the turn-of-the-century English culture he wanted
  • Suggests illumination: Like his photography, it reveals hidden beauty
  • Creates atmosphere: The warm glow suggests mystery and romance
  • Functions as a stamp: The circular form works like a seal of authenticity

Photo Book Design: Bold Simplicity

The brand identity extends beautifully into Mathew’s photo book and magazine design, which uses a bold yellow color as the primary design element, creating a stark contrast to the black and white photographs. This is a great publicity piece that showcases his work while maintaining brand consistency.

Result: Brand Identity That Tells Stories

The complete brand identity we created for Mathew James Smith successfully communicates his unique positioning. The comprehensive brand transformation delivers:

Strategic Outcomes

  • Unique vision: Logo design successfully reflects magical, timeless, soulful, and mysterious vision
  • Stamp-like icon: Icon successfully is stamp-like and hints at old English culture
  • Timelessness: Brand successfully connects work to sense of timelessness and romance
  • Fine art positioning: Brand successfully positions photography as fine art rather than commercial
  • Complete brand system: London lantern logo, photo book design, and visual language create unified experience

Implementation Success

Today, Mathew uses this comprehensive brand identity to present his work to galleries, magazines, and collectors who appreciate photography that transcends documentation and becomes fine art. The London lantern logo, combined with the bold photo book design, creates a cohesive brand experience that positions his work as fine art while maintaining the mystery and intrigue that makes his unusual landscapes so compelling. The brand successfully communicates timelessness, mystery, romance, and artistic quality, with images that feel like they come from a different time and place, inviting viewers to return and discover something new with each viewing.

What our clients say

Jenny Richard

Jenny Richard

Woods Of Fairfax

"Working with the team at Spellbrand has been fantastic! I spent time researching companies that would help me build brands for each asset that are all in different locations and more specifically build a brand that could help tell each of their unique stories. Spellbrand did just that. The process was easy. To provide them with my initial thoughts through a nicely-outlined input form they sent to me and they took that information and created a number of awesome designs. I was able to incorporate "the story" easily with a design we selected. I'm excited to get it into action and see what's in store for the next project. Also, each person I worked with has been super responsive, knowledgeable, and awesome to work with! Kudos to Mash, Mike, and Eva! I really enjoy working with you!"

Tom McGee

Tom McGee

PD Campus

"We tried several designers to design our logo and could not find the one that fit our company. After a few years of searching for a good branding company, I found Spellbrand through a random search. Spellbrand was sensational! They took the time to listen to our story and created a few designs that spoke to our team and what we do. We've never had a designer do that. We not only received a great logo, but we now have a brand we are all proud to wear! Thank you!"

Steve Turner

Steve Turner

Turn2Coaching

"Delighted to have used Spellbrand for our last project. The work was thorough and results excellent. For me it was such a pleasure to work with Mash who was able to keep up with all my last minute requests for small changes. Nothing was too much of a problem and I would have to say that its great to work with people who do actually put the customer needs first! One thing saying it, its another thing doing it – Thanks Mash!"

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