Sophie Callahan Photography - behind the packaging

As anyone who regularly reads this blog or follows me on social media will know, I’m a big Sophie Callahan fan… for so many reasons, but this blog just focuses on one of the many things I love about Sophie’s business, Sophie Callahan Photography, and what she does.. you might call it packaging or customer experience. I believe packaging is part of the customer experience. Here’s a bit about Sophie’s branding, her packaging and a recap about her commercial and portrait equine photography business.

Tell us a bit about your brand, Sophie Callahan Photography, and what you do

I am an equine photographer and I photograph the relationship between horses and their humans all over the UK and then package up their memories in tangible form. Whether that be in the shape of a canvas, a USB, or simple prints.

Let’s start with your branding – how did you decide on your logo, the colours and your branding overall?

My logo was actually knocked up within seconds, as a temporary fix, when I very first started and wanted to get some photos online as quickly as possible. It was never meant to be permanent, but it’s actually one of the things people love about my brand. I’ve had so many comments about how recognisable it is and I’ve even had people say they can’t wait to see their images with ‘the blue and pink Sophie Callahan Photography’ on them. So light blue and light pink feature heavily in my branding, as does white as I want to make everything quite feminine and ‘dreamy’.

How did you decide on your packaging? What elements did you consider?

sophie callahan packaging When I was deciding on my packaging, I wanted to go for a look that brought the femininity of my brand and the earthy, natural side of horses together. My prints come in brown, natural kraft boxes and my USB sticks come in bespoke wooden boxes, with the client’s favourite image printed onto the wooden front. I then use branded stickers to add my logo and my USB sticks and CDs also have my logo printed onto them. I’m a big fan of hand-written notes, so I include a thank you card in every package, with a little hand-written message on.

What kind of response have you received to your packaging?

Since improving my packaging, I have seen a huge increase in the number of people who post pictures of their parcels onto social media. This is great advertising for me and often results in enquiries from new potential customers. I get a lot of messages and emails thanking me and commenting on how beautiful the parcel was.

Do you think packaging adds to a product and the customer experience? Was this something you factored into your product quite early on or something that has evolved over time?

Absolutely! I think when you are offering a high-end product or service, the packaging needs to reflect this. My packaging has definitely evolved over time and I still tweak it or try new things every now and then. As somebody who loves packaging, it’s fun to try out new ideas and take the time to make your work look pretty. When I first started, I wasn’t charging the prices I am charging now, so spending money on beautiful packaging just wouldn’t have been an option. But as my prices have increased, the value I offer my clients must increase too and my products must reflect the investment they are making.

Are there any other brands who have packaging that inspires you? Or that you think is done really well?

Sophie Callahan Packaging I am big candle fanatic, so I always love receiving White Company and Jo Malone parcels, for birthdays and Christmas, and they always beautifully presented. I also really love make-up and the Charlotte Tilbury burgundy and rose gold packaging is the stuff of my dreams! And lastly, I’m a brand ambassador for Hiho Silver, so I receive a lot of their beautiful jewellery through the post and I have their boxes stacked up on my vanity unit, because I just can’t throw them away. My other half is constantly complaining about the amount of empty bags and boxes I hoard, but how are you supposed to throw away something so pretty?