Focus N - Digital Assets
Bringing new life to a popular favorite.
PROJECT ROLES
Project management // Art direction // Graphic design // Image manipulation
Background
In a rapidly evolving U.S. market, the North American subsidiary of a global plumbing brand sought to stay ahead of trends by expanding the color and finish options for one of their most popular kitchen collections. The goal was to offer these new variations to both trade customers and online retail shoppers, responding to the growing demand for diverse product finishes. To ensure the successful introduction of these new options, a strategic product launch was required, complete with compelling digital assets and high-quality visual content.
The Challenge
As the lead creative for the project, I was tasked with managing the creation of all necessary assets for the launch. Our primary challenge was the existing product imagery, which lacked a modern kitchen setting and interior design ambience relatable to the contemporary U.S. consumer. The kitchen settings in the current imagery did not complement the newly added finishes, making image manipulation an impractical solution.
With the launch deadline approaching, it became clear that a fresh creative approach was required. The challenge was to produce high-quality visuals within a limited budget and timeframe while ensuring that the images would resonate with the target audience and align with the business objectives.
The Strategy
The key to our creative approach was a two-pronged solution:
New Inspiration Photography: We would revamp the entire collection with new, high-quality inspiration photography that showcased both the new finishes and the existing ones in modern kitchen settings.
Repurposing Content: We would repurpose the newly captured imagery to create informative infographics, highlighting the product benefits and providing essential installation details for online shoppers.
Cost Efficiency: Given the constraints of time and budget, we focused on maximizing the value of our resources without sacrificing quality.
Execution
Location and Setup
To meet our budget requirements, I negotiated a professional studio rate below the market average and used our company showroom as the primary location for the photo shoot. The showroom already had a built-in kitchen counter, sink, and back wall, providing a cost-effective setting for the shoot without additional rental fees.
To create the look of modern U.S. kitchens, I sourced adhesive backsplash tiles and worked with the maintenance team to design mobile backsplashes that could be swapped easily between shots. This approach allowed us to create multiple kitchen looks with minimal effort and cost.
Photography Process
Despite having five finishes to capture, we decided to focus on photographing just two key finishes: Chrome and Steel Optic. Once the Steel Optic images were completed, we planned to manipulate them in-house using Photoshop to represent the other finishes—brushed gold, brushed black chrome, and matte black. This method saved significant costs by reducing the number of days required for the shoot, which was originally planned to span multiple days to capture all the finishes.
Image Manipulation
Using the images of Chrome and Steel Optic, we manipulated the photos to create realistic representations of the other finishes, ensuring the final visuals were accurate and visually appealing. This process allowed us to deliver high-quality imagery while keeping production costs low.
Enhanced Content Creation
After completion of the in-context product imagery, it was time to develop the enhanced content. We designed call-outs to focus on unique selling points (USPs), using enlargement and tight cropping to increase clarity and enhance the experience of online retail shoppers. We made more image copies to overlay with infographics, which allowed us to provide customers with an easy, intuitive way to get helpful specification details early in their journey of experiencing the new products online.
Results
The refreshed imagery and infographics helped the collection achieve substantial visibility and engagement across online platforms, driving increased interest from both trade customers and retail shoppers.
The strategic use of cost-effective solutions, such as repurposing photography and leveraging the company showroom, allowed us to deliver high-quality assets without exceeding the budget. The success of this project also highlighted how closely our creative approach aligned with both the business strategy and the needs of the end user, ensuring that the visuals were not only compelling but also practical for digital retail environments.
Key Takeaways
Cost-Effective Solutions: By creatively using in-house resources and focusing on fewer finishes for photography, we were able to significantly reduce costs while maintaining quality.
Efficient Content Repurposing: The strategy of manipulating images to represent multiple finishes allowed us to maximize the value of the photography shoot and streamline production.
Alignment with Business Strategy: The final deliverables resonated with both the users’ needs and the business objectives, contributing to a successful product launch and achieving sales goals.
This project serves as a testament to the power of thoughtful, resourceful creative solutions in driving product success in a competitive market.
