Brand Photography Library
Photography is a very important part of Care.com’s brand identity. It is used for UI, email, social media, presentations, and more. Since designers source stock images from multiple sites, the team needed a place for all downloaded photos to live. With the photography library, designers easily browse and share purchased images. After the library was rolled out, the team was able to reduce the number of yearly image downloads, cutting photography cost by 25%. In addition, a photography style guide was created to ensure images align with Care’s brand.
Tools: Adobe Creative Cloud, Getty Images, Stocksy
Role: Product Designer
Team: Videographer, Creative Director, VP of Product Design
Background
Before deciding on a new style for Care.com’s photography, the team looked back on previous photography styles. From there, the team would move the brand’s photography forward.
2013—2016
“Bubblegum” style
staged, saturated, overly-happy
2016—2018
“Hipster” style
idealistic, dark, “instagram-y”
2018—2020
“Pastel” style
clean, bright, washed-out
2020
“In the moment”
natural, impromptu, genuine
Style guide
The next step was to visually and verbally define what designers should look for when sourcing stock images. A collection of photos was built of Care’s four main verticals—child care, senior care, pet care, and housekeeping. Then, words and phrases were chosen to define the photography style.
Care’s photos are relatable, natural, candid, and feel genuine.
It feels like the photographer quickly decided to take out their camera and capture a moment.
A style guide with examples was created for designers to reference while searching for stock images. This way, photography stays consistent across projects. The guide lives in the shared Creative Cloud library.
Folder structure
The library
The collection of images was organized into folders using Adobe Creative Cloud
Adobe Creative Cloud was chosen to host the photo library because it is easily accessible by every team member and is included in the company’s Adobe plan, adding no additional cost.
Images were sorted into main categories (ex: Housekeeping) and sub-categories (ex: Kitchens) for quick and easy location.
Conclusion
Since the library lives in Adobe Creative Cloud, which was already included in the Care’s Adobe plan, the photo library did not come at any additional cost.
After the library was rolled out, finding and sharing images among the team was easier than ever. With hundreds of downloaded images in Creative Cloud, designers did not have to search stock image sites as often.