The following is a case study about a retail store photography project we completed for Browns Shoes, a Canadian brand name footwear retailer. Recently two of their flagship stores in Toronto received renovations and the purpose of the shoot was to capture images of their sleek new architectural designs and details.
Our Client:
Who is Browns Shoes?
Founded in 1940, Browns Shoes is a renowned family-run Canadian footwear retailer, known for its extensive collection of high-quality shoes and exceptional customer service. The company has grown from a single location in Montreal to over 70 stores across Canada, offering a wide range of products that cater to diverse fashion preferences and needs.
Browns Shoes is celebrated for its commitment to style and evolving trends for the modern consumer, making it a leading force in the retail footwear industry.
What Makes Browns Shoes Different?
Browns Shoes distinguishes itself from competitors through several key attributes; exclusivity, service, quality and design.
Browns takes pride in its exclusive and diverse range of footwear, including high-end designer brands and unique in-house collections that cannot be found elsewhere. This curated selection ensures that customers have access to the latest trends and timeless classics.
Browns Shoes is also dedicated to offering an exceptional in-store and online shopping experience, featuring knowledgeable staff, seamless customer service, and a user-friendly website. Moreover, the company prioritizes quality and craftsmanship, ensuring every pair of shoes meets stringent standards for durability and comfort.
Additionally, Browns Shoes invests in innovative store designs and layouts, creating an inviting environment that enhances the overall shopping experience. These elements collectively position Browns Shoes as a premier destination for footwear enthusiasts in Canada.
Objective:
Why is Retail Store Photography Important for Brown’s Newly Renovated Stores?
Retail store photography plays a crucial role in showcasing the newly renovated stores of Browns Shoes, reflecting their brand identity and appealing to their target audience. High-quality images accentuate the store’s sleek architectural designs and intricate details, creating a compelling visual narrative that aligns with Browns Shoes’ commitment to style and sophistication.
These photos serve not only as marketing materials but as a testament to the brand’s dedication to providing an exceptional shopping environment. Enhanced imagery also helps to elevate the brand’s online presence, ensuring that potential customers can appreciate the store’s ambiance and modern aesthetics, even before visiting in person.
Furthermore, effective retail store photography supports Browns Shoes’ strategy to attract higher footfall, drive sales, and solidify its standing as a premier destination in the competitive footwear market.
The Process:
Pre-Shoot Planning with Designer
Prior to the execution of the photography session, a comprehensive pre-shoot planning call was conducted with the designer to ensure that all critical design elements were accurately captured. This discussion focused on identifying the unique architectural features and intricate design details that characterize the newly renovated Browns Shoes stores. Key aspects of the conversation included the emphasis on specific materials used, such as premium finishes, custom lighting installations, and colour stories that enhance the shopping experience and build trust.
The designer provided insights into the thematic elements that guided the store renovations, highlighting the importance of areas like the entrance facade, the layout of the footwear displays, and the integration of digital screens. Understanding the designer’s vision was pivotal in developing a shot list that covered wide-angle shots of the store interiors and close-up images of texture and finishes. By aligning the photographic approach with the designer’s objectives, we ensured that the final images would not only represent the physical space but also convey the sophisticated and inviting atmosphere Browns Shoes aims to deliver to its customers.
Timeless Strategy
An essential component of the pre-shoot preparations involved the collaboration with Browns Shoes’ merchandising team. The primary objective was to ensure that the visual content produced would remain timeless and not quickly become outdated. To achieve this, the merchandising team meticulously removed any items that could potentially date the images, such as seasonal decorations, sale signs, or trend-specific displays. This strategy was critical to maintaining a clean, uncluttered aesthetic that focuses on the store’s architectural brilliance and the quality of the footwear.
By eliminating transient elements, the photographs capture the essence of Browns Shoes’ brand without being anchored to a specific moment in time. This approach not only prolongs the usability of the images for multiple marketing campaigns but also reinforces the brand’s commitment to enduring style and sophistication. The resulting visuals prominently feature the core attributes of the store’s design, including lighting, layout, and material finishes, all of which are central to the customer experience and the store’s identity.
Tilt-shift Lens
The decision to utilize a tilt-shift lens for this photography shoot was driven by the need to accurately capture the architectural aesthetics and spatial dimensions of Browns Shoes’ renovated stores. Tilt-shift lenses provide unparalleled control over perspective, enabling us to correct converging vertical lines that are typical in architectural photography. This feature ensures that the store interiors appear true to their actual proportions, maintaining the integrity of the design as envisioned by the architects and designers.
Furthermore, the tilt-shift lens was instrumental in showcasing both the store layout and the intricate ceiling designs of Browns Shoes’ renovated spaces. By allowing precise manipulation of the plane of focus and perspective, the lens enabled us to highlight the expansive and meticulously crafted ceiling features without introducing distortion. This capability was particularly beneficial for capturing the custom lighting installations and decorative elements that add to the store’s luxurious ambiance.
The ability to keep both the foreground and the ceiling sharply in focus provided a comprehensive view of the store environment, emphasizing the vertical space and drawing attention to the height and openness of the interiors. By accurately portraying these aspects through the lens, the photographs successfully convey the grandeur and sophistication of Browns Shoes’ architectural vision, offering a true-to-life representation that potential customers can appreciate both online and in marketing materials.
Usage
The images captured in the photography session serve as an essential archive of Browns Shoes’ new store design, effectively documenting the evolution of the brand’s aesthetic and strategic layout enhancements. These high-resolution images meticulously highlight the sophisticated décor, innovative use of space, and the meticulous attention to detail that characterizes the recent renovations. By leveraging these visuals, Browns Shoes can preserve a tangible record of their design advancements, facilitating future design projects and providing a visual benchmark.
In terms of marketing, the images were prominently featured on their Google listing, social media channels and press releases. The retail store photography highlighted the modern aesthetics and inviting atmosphere of the newly renovated stores, driving both online traffic and in-store visits.
For internal communications, the images served as a powerful tool in illustrating the successful store renovations to stakeholders, including employees, investors, and business partners. They were incorporated into presentations, internal reports, and training materials to showcase the company’s achievements and highlight the continued evolution of the retail spaces. By using these images internally, Browns Shoes ensured that their team remained aligned with the brand’s vision and motivated to maintain the high standards set forth in the store designs.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the implementation of high-quality retail store photography for Browns Shoes’ newly renovated stores plays a pivotal role in both marketing and internal communications. By capturing the heart of the store’s sophisticated design and meticulous attention to detail, these images transcend their role as mere visuals, becoming powerful tools that enhance brand identity and customer engagement. The comprehensive pre-shoot planning and timeless strategy employed ensured that the photographs not only showcase the architectural brilliance of the stores but also remain relevant for extended periods.
These images have proven invaluable across various platforms – from boosting online presence on social media and Google listings to providing compelling content for stakeholder presentations and internal reports. Ultimately, the photography effort reinforces Browns Shoes’ stature as a leading destination for quality footwear and exemplifies the company’s unwavering commitment to excellence in store presentation and customer experience.
If you have any questions, or if you would like to learn more about our services, please contact us. We would be happy to discuss your specific needs and see how we can help take your visual marketing to the next level.
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