A photography brand I built from zero, from the logo to the booking
I founded a wedding and portrait studio, then designed everything a client touches: the name, the identity, the website, the booking funnel and the ads that fill the calendar.
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capturing memories
Sessions booked from paid social on a $100 weekly budget
Ad variations A/B tested, tracked from click to booking
Founding clients signed for a new premium session before launch
Look established before the reviews pile up
A solo studio has to earn trust before it has a deep portfolio or a wall of reviews. The first name, Hope Photography, was tied to one city and didn't feel premium enough for the clients I wanted, so I rebuilt the brand from the name up.
A key to a day you can open again
The mark is an engraved key wrapped in a silk ribbon. The key stands for photographs kept safe, the ribbon is the satin and silk of the name, and the four-petal blossom in the handle is a hydrangea. It's hand-drawn and a little romantic: more feeling than perfection, but still polished.
How we got to the key
Six directions, one shortlist, sixteen icon sketches and a final suite. Scroll sideways through the journey.
One key, five lockups
A logo suite, palette and type system that sits comfortably beside weddings, family sessions and moodier portraits.
Primary
CapsuleStamp
Badge
IconPalette
Type
Every touchpoint, one system
- Brand identityNamed the studio, explored six directions, and built the key mark, a five-lockup logo suite, a 3D key and a brand guide.
- Website and splash animationDesigned the site in WordPress with Beaver Builder, created the keyhole splash animation, and moved everything to the new domain with redirects so rankings carried over.
- FunnelsBuilt booking funnels in GoHighLevel with deposits, pay-later options, automatic contracts, invoices and reminders, and A/B tested two booking paths.
- TrackingSet up Meta Pixel purchase events, Microsoft Clarity recordings and UTMs, so every booking traces back to the ad that drove it.
- Paid socialLaunched Meta ads on $100 a week and A/B tested 4 variations, then built static and animated concept ads for a new launch.
- Offer developmentFor a new $1,500 premium session, scoped the studio and hair and makeup, then signed 5 founding clients to an MVP before launch.
The door opens before the site does
A keyhole intro I created to set the mood on the first visit, cut separately for desktop and phone.
Warm, guided and built to book
Designed for phones first, where most couples and families find a photographer. Every page leads to one clear next step.
Try it live. Pick a session and browse the collections, right inside this phone.
From scroll to signed contract, on autopilot
Built in GoHighLevel, so I never chase a deposit or a contract by hand, and every step is measured.
- AdMeta ad with UTM tracking
- Landing pageThe offer, proof and FAQs
- Book & payPick a date, pay the deposit, or pay later
- Contract & invoiceSent automatically the moment they book
- RemindersBalance reminders and a session guide
Ads that look like the feed, not like ads
Static and animated concepts borrowed from the apps people already use: a notes app, a registry, an out-of-office reply, a search bar, a calendar.
Photography by the founder
Golden hour, families and couples.
The stack behind the studio
Picked to run a one-person business like a full team.
AI
ClaudeSearch
SEOGEOGoogle Search ConsoleGA4Website
WordPressBeaver BuilderFlywheelCloudflareFunnels & CRM
GoHighLevelStripeAds & tracking
Meta AdsMeta PixelMicrosoft ClarityUTMsDesign & photo
Adobe Creative SuiteLightroomSatin & Silk is my child. I started it after a layoff, burnt out, feeling behind in my career and no longer proud of what I was creating. Building not just a brand but an entire system and experience from scratch, by myself and for myself, stretched me technically, creatively and in my faith. Seeing years of career experience and hands-on work come together into one complete experience gave me back my love for what I was born to do.
Hiring a creative lead who can set the vision and do the hands-on work?
Let's talk