“HundredPics”: digital service for professional photographers.
All was rather simple.
One of our old partners is a professional photographer; he used to provide us with clipart for our web templates production. Once he asked whether we could create some wedding album design for him. Not just for him but for his clients – a newly married couple whose wedding he captured last weekendJ
He had already such a designer who provided him with photo album designs, but for some reasons (other state location, lots of work), he could not undertake that urgent project and create the album out of turn in a short period of time as it was requested by clients.
First, we were a little bit embarrassed, but then remembered that some of our team specialists previously dealt with graphic art design. That was great, as we wanted to help our dear partner in any case. He really deserved that.
So, to start with, Steve and I decided to learn more about all nuts and bolts of photo album design process. Surfing the web we tried to find answers on the following: what is a photo album proper? how it is created? what methods are used? how many companies are already engaged in this business and what are their main principles of work, etc.
Our marketing department worked really hard and provided us with all needed information. As a result, we managed to find out three main aspects that could help us to establish streamlined and client-friendly business based on photo albums production.
First, there always was a necessity to provide clients with full range of services. In case of photographer, it is shooting, photos processing, photo album design and printing. It makes your company more attractive for clients.
Second, we need to improve the process of communication between all project members (the client, the photographer and the designer) by creating a perfect digital service. Everyone should mind his own work like the photographer should spend all time making his/her beautiful photos. Being a third party between the client and the designer is rather inefficient process. Therefore, we decided to save the photographer from such a non-core activities and carry out all his daily work with clients but reserving his right to control the whole process.
Third, we understood that clients require completely new design solutions. It was so amazingly to notice how web design and photo album design differ in its development and styles diversity.
Analyzing received information, we made the conclusion that most designers create albums basing on the requirements and wishes of the client – as it is the easiest way. However, it did the bad turn for them. Now market is overfull of design solutions made mostly by clients but not by professional designers. This has done incalculable harm to the artistic beauty and creativity of the design process proper.
As a result, we got interested in finding the way-out from this situation and organized new team involved in photo album design from the one hand and development of optimal communication service from the other. It put the beginning of “HundredPics” creation – a new digital service for professional photographers…
Joshua Miller, “HundredPics”.
