Mathew James Smith: Photography as Fine Art
Situation: Creating Brand Identity for Fine Art Photographer
Mathew James Smith is a wizard of unusual landscapes. He creates high-quality, unique imagery for galleries and magazines, traveling the globe each year to capture photographs that intrigue and mystify viewers. Based in London, he approaches landscape photography not just as documentation, but as fine art.
The fine art photography market requires brands that communicate uniqueness, quality, and artistic vision. Mathew needed a brand identity that would reflect his unique vision while competing with some of the best photographers in the world.
Task: Create Logo Reflecting Unique Vision
When Mathew approached Spellbrand, he needed a logo. The challenge required:
- Unique vision: Logo design that reflects magical, timeless, soulful, and mysterious vision
- Stamp-like icon: Icon that is stamp-like or hints at old English culture
- Timelessness: Brand that connects work to sense of timelessness and romance
- Fine art positioning: Brand that positions photography as fine art rather than commercial
Action: Strategic Brand Development
Brand Strategy: Mystery and Intrigue
Mathew is very passionate about making a dent in the world of photography and helping people see his work as fine art rather than just photography. He wants there to be a mystery to his images—unanswered questions that intrigue people to come back and look again. He wants these images to feel like they come from a different time and place.
This positioning strategy informed every aspect of the brand identity. The logo needed to communicate:
- Timelessness: Images that feel like they’re from another era
- Mystery: Visual storytelling that invites repeated viewing
- Romance: An emotional connection to place and time
- Artistic quality: Fine art rather than commercial photography
Logo Design: The London Lantern
We created an icon of a lantern used for public lighting on the streets of London, which truly represents the kind of romance that Mathew wanted his brand to be associated with. This icon connects directly to the visual storytelling aspect of his positioning strategy.
The lantern works as a symbol because it:
- Evokes old London: Connects to the turn-of-the-century English culture he wanted
- Suggests illumination: Like his photography, it reveals hidden beauty
- Creates atmosphere: The warm glow suggests mystery and romance
- Functions as a stamp: The circular form works like a seal of authenticity
Photo Book Design: Bold Simplicity
The brand identity extends beautifully into Mathew’s photo book and magazine design, which uses a bold yellow color as the primary design element, creating a stark contrast to the black and white photographs. This is a great publicity piece that showcases his work while maintaining brand consistency.
Result: Brand Identity That Tells Stories
The complete brand identity we created for Mathew James Smith successfully communicates his unique positioning. The comprehensive brand transformation delivers:
Strategic Outcomes
- Unique vision: Logo design successfully reflects magical, timeless, soulful, and mysterious vision
- Stamp-like icon: Icon successfully is stamp-like and hints at old English culture
- Timelessness: Brand successfully connects work to sense of timelessness and romance
- Fine art positioning: Brand successfully positions photography as fine art rather than commercial
- Complete brand system: London lantern logo, photo book design, and visual language create unified experience
Implementation Success
Today, Mathew uses this comprehensive brand identity to present his work to galleries, magazines, and collectors who appreciate photography that transcends documentation and becomes fine art. The London lantern logo, combined with the bold photo book design, creates a cohesive brand experience that positions his work as fine art while maintaining the mystery and intrigue that makes his unusual landscapes so compelling. The brand successfully communicates timelessness, mystery, romance, and artistic quality, with images that feel like they come from a different time and place, inviting viewers to return and discover something new with each viewing.
