Doodle Dog Creative is a creative agency headquartered in Dallas and Austin, Texas, specializing in branding solutions, website design and development and search engine optimization. We create smile worthy concepts that capture personality and inspire brands.
I am so proud to show off the whole new look of Amy Barry Photography! We started out working on Amy’s logo, so first things first Amy and I went and had a few drinks with her and talked about her business, her marketing goals and her “business personality.” From the beginning it was clear that Amy Barry Photography is a happy, care-free, and most importantly joyful business. I really thought it would be memorable and fun to use the “Berry” (Barry) in her name and incorporate bright fun/happy colors to set her apart. So, here is what is what we came up with for her logo and tagline.
And her business card and a few other branding elements (letterhead and tags)….
CD cases/CD labels (to send the images to clients) and thank you notes:
The mailing envelope and bellyband (for packaging etc.):
And finally, one of the most important elements….THE WEBSITE AND BLOG!
And now that you’ve seen all of this fun stuff, I’m guessing you want to learn more about Amy, so I asked her a few questions…
How long have you been in business?
A little over two years. I began my business in July 2008.
What do you do?
I take photos of life. From weddings, families, kids, maternity, no matter what the occasion is, I am honored to document these amazing moments for people.
Why did you start your business?
My business began as a hobby. I photographed my first wedding in 2003 and I was hooked. I stayed current with learning and growing in my photography style and I decided to make the big plunge into the business world in 2008. It was a scary move because there is a whole new world to photography when you make it into a business. The accounting, legal, and overall business aspects I wasn’t looking forward to but it wasn’t enough to keep me away from my passion. After being in business for a couple of years, I have realized that all of that is not so scary after all. Everything I needed to learn was on the Internet at my fingertips.
What is unique about your business?
The connections. It’s pretty simple to me. To get an incredible photo, a connection has to be made. I love to get to know each and every client who steps in front of my camera. Without knowing who they are and what they love, it is hard to create an image that really sparks any emotion. Having a connection with my clients also helps them feel more relaxed and open to having fun during the session.
What is the process like to work with you?
I would like to say FUN! From that first e-mail or phone call, I want to get to know you. Typically I will ask to meet the client for coffee or lunch so we can get to know each other a little. Yes, this is a two way street, I want my clients to get to know me as well! Once a client has decided to book, we schedule an engagement or bridal session and usually talk about what the wedding will be like. Then the big day, the wedding comes along! After the wedding, I e-mail brides frequently to let them know when their photos are posted to Facebook, my blog, or when their whole wedding is available on my proofing site.
Why did you decide to work with Doodle Dog?
It’s easy… Nikki knows my style better than I do! I wanted to work with Nikki because she knows what questions to ask in order to understand what I want to represent my business and me. When I received the first options for my logo, I was blown away. I fell in love with everything that she created and it was hard to choose.
Tell us about your family.
In a one-word description: AWESOME. I married my best friend, Derek in January 2010. Our immediate family consists of us, our two dogs Lucy and Jovie, and our ferret Noodle. I have amazing parents who have been married for 32 years and a fantastic older brother Rusty. I hit the all time jackpot with in-laws as well. I absolutely love the family I married into. Derek and I don’t have kids yet, but maybe in a couple of years it will be our time to be parents.
Do you have any pets? What are their names?
Oops, should have read ahead. 2 dogs Lucy and Jovie and our ferret Noodle.
Where do you like to shop?
I love New York and Company for clothes, they always have the best sales. For anything else I typically go to Amazon to see what they’re offering.
Describe yourself and your style.
Silly. Typically I’m quiet in a school setting, but anything outside of that I don’t even know what shy means. When I meet a new person, I just assume we will be friends. I like to tell jokes and make people laugh. Most of the time I’m pretty sure they are laughing at my silly-ness and not the joke itself, but that’s ok with me!
Where do you find inspiration?
I love bridal magazines. I usually will stock up a few times a year to try and get a feel for what the new trends are for the next wedding season. Mostly, I draw inspiration from my client’s love for each other. I can’t get the same kind of inspiration from a photo in a magazine that I can from the cute little name a bride has for her groom. Inspiration, to me, must be different for each client and unique to them.
A Day in the life of you consist of:
Wow, this is different every day! Now that I will be done with school, I will be student teaching in the Spring. So, I’m guessing that my typical day will begin at 6:00 am and go until about 5:00 pm. Once I get home I will be busy with photography needs such as editing, e-mailing, etc. Once I complete my student teaching in May, I hope to take my photography to the next step and be a photographer full time!
What is your web address?www.amybarryphotography.comwww.amybarryphotography.com/blogPhone Number:
(817) 614-6571
Is there anything else you would like to mention?
Only that Nikki at Doodle Dog is the BEST! I don’t think anyone else out there could have captured my personality and put it into a brand better than Nikki. I cannot say thank you enough, and I will always come back for my design needs in the future!
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If you are interested in getting branded/re-branded or just getting some help with certain aspects of your branding please contact us today.
Most people that I talk to tell me that they have a “tweeter”, that they “twitter”, or that they’ve heard of “twittering.” So just so that we are all on the same page, when you sign up for a free account on TWITTER, you have the ability to TWEET comments to all of your followers.
Why should I use Twitter?
Twitter allows you to get your few seconds of fame with your 140 characters. Yes you will be moved down on the list as more people post information but for that split second that you are at the top of someone’s twitter post who knows who will be looking and you have the spotlight to say whatever is on your mind. It is an excellent way to make new contacts, stay in touch with people you know and get real time information.
How do I get followers?
Well you can search for people if you know their name or screenname, you can also search for people who are talking about things you might be interested in, or you can use programs like http://www.buzzom.com/Default.aspx to add a lot of followers at once. If you decide to use BUZZOM just make sure you know what kind of people you are selecting to follow otherwise your twitter feed will become an advertising board for people you don’t even know.
Who should I follow?
Anyone that you find interesting! You may want to follow people who follow you, or you may not. Oh, and you should follow me @doodledogtweets
When do I use the “#” before a word?
The “#” is called a hashtag in the Twitter world. You’ll want to use it before keywords that you think people will be searching for. For instance, if I’m advertising a new blog post that I made that is about creating business cards for a company, I would write, “Check out my blog to see the new #business #cards we created for #business name (or use their twitter name if they have one).” I would then add the link to the post or a picture.
What is a RT
RT is a retweet. You can and should do this if someone says something that you find especially interesting. It allows everyone who follows you to see what they just posted.What is #FF?
When you really appreciate another person’s posts go ahead and shoot them a #FF. #FF refers to Follow Friday, so every Friday you can post multiple people’s screennames with the #FF tag written before the names and other people will decide to start following this person’s posts also. When someone uses your name in their #FF mention, you might want to shoot them a thank you message by typing “@nameofpersonwhomentionedme thanks for the #FF mention”What is #WW?
#WW refers to Wedding Wednesday. Post links to other awesome wedding vendors, or just post wedding related info, but make sure you type the #WW before your post so that when people search for great Wedding Wednesday finds they will find you.How do I add a picture to my tweet?
To add a picture to your tweet go to, www.twitpic.com and follow the directions.
How do I talk to a certain follower?
There are two ways to do this, if you want to send them a direct message, it will be private. If you just want to call someone’s attention to your post just type “@” before the person’s twitter name, for example if you want to make sure I see your message just type @doodledogtweets
And the biggest question I get from business owners….What should I talk about?
Post links to new pictures, post links to new blog posts. Ask questions. Give industry tips. Talk about anything that your readers will want to read and find interesting.