Design by Matthew Clark RGD and Roy White RGD
CONTEXT
Award-winning photo studio
Clinton Hussey Photography had not revisited its identity for more than a decade. Now in a brand-new studio space and wanting to stand out in local, national and international markets, Clinton called on long-time collaborators and friends
Subplot Design Inc. to breathe new life into the identity.
METHODOLOGY
Along with his sought-after creative vision and artistry, Clinton is well-known for delivering highly technical expertise on all his shoots. From lighting to composition to expert colour and image control, his work is tight and polished.
His work being so distinctive and strong, we needed to ensure the designs we came up with would not get in the way of his work. At the same time, we did not want to use neutral tones or generic typefaces.
The challenge was to come up with an identity that was subtle yet reflective of Clinton's personality and expertise.
RESULT
In the process, we discovered that Clinton labels his photography gear using bright yellow gaffer's tape to keep it from going missing. So we decided to weave this thread of yellow throughout the identity.
The new icon is a stylized camera aperture that forms a graceful yet bold “C”. Highly flexible, the icon is used with or without the wordmark in a variety of formats that can be combined with Clinton’s photography. Vivid, pure white accents corporate applications, while solid floods of yellow jump out on key promotional elements.
The identity has been applied to regular items like his website, stationery, labels and electronic documents, but also to Clinton's gear, portfolios and what every COVID-aware studio needs: custom facemasks! Clinton is thrilled with his new identity from
Subplot.
Fun fact! After the launch of Clinton Hussey's new identity, Pantone released its 2021 Colours of the Year featuring a vivid yellow for sunny optimism.
Matthew took a circuitous route to design. Prepping in high school for a medical career, he sat on the fence by enrolling in both advanced biology and studio art before fully switching to a fine art major with concentrations in psychology and literature and graduated with a Bachelor's degree (honours) in Fine Arts in 1992 from the University of British Columbia. Matthew's passion and commitment to breakthrough creative has been recognized in local, national and international design shows and publications and his work is also a part of the permanent collections of the Chicago Athenaeum Museum and the Design Exchange.
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