Snapper Studio

03/09/2024

I stood face-to-face with a monkey 🙈

It was so surreal.

I had a job in a fast food place, at a zoo, next to a monkey enclosure.

It was a regular Wednesday afternoon, the park was quiet as it rained heavily.

The monkeys were making a racket and I was shutting up one side of the front counter, so we could knock off early!

A customer rocked up to the counter. A short, very hairy monkey came to order it’s fries.

Dreams are amazing things aren’t they?

Except it all happened 21 years ago - hence the AI image. It’s difficult to find an actual image of a monkey in party clothes with a pack of fries.

There’s a brand story behind this — the vision you have for your brand can be this bold, this wild and maybe a bit impossible.

It’s something people can see, buy into and support you through thick and thin.

Let that monkey run free.

11/04/2024

Your rebrand will cost $20,000.

But it could also be $2,000. There’s such disparity in costs.

What’s reasonable?

When you break it down there’s a lot of big heavy work that goes into a brand - strategy, research, customer interviews, identity, website, maybe photoshoots and videos.

It’s a cost that’s dependent on the size of the task and the skill of the person/s.

I believe clarity arounds costs is vital. But not everyone agrees.

What if I told you that agencies sometimes hide costs for advertising, photoshoots, signage, handbooks and then insist that past marketing collateral needs to be brought in line (even though they had already been updated by me). And that the extra costs would come close to $60,000, on top of the $30,000 they were already quoted.

Is that reasonable? Thought not.

That’s why I am happy to share ALL the costs upfront and why a brand audit is the best starting point.

It’s inexpensive, I learn all about you and your brand, you get used to my way of thinking and clarity on how your brand could make incremental improvements.

And, even after I’ve delivered everything, you can do nothing with my recommendations, or you can plan to do it when your ready.

No hidden costs. No pressure. No BS.

01/11/2023

Listen up. I can talk the hind legs off a donkey apparently. 😳

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2SqfXYIZEdYvVvsDXshtNL?si=SeApEHWMTxmv0qMFk7hpzg

In this weeks episode of Personal Branding Unlocked we had the pleasure of interviewing Martin Sully, who in this episode, we affectionately dubbed the Branding King, the self-proclaimed Branding Nerd, and even 'Hannah Montana' 🤣.

Martin Sully, the Owner of .studio , is a true industry legend with a remarkable journey in brand strategy and design. In this episode, he shares his invaluable insights into branding, garnered through his work with esteemed clients like Ferrari, Major League Baseball, and Michael Jackson.

We take a deep dive into Martin's branding journey, exploring his roots in the field and the pivotal moments that have shaped his career.

During our engaging conversation with Martin, he emphasised the critical importance of maintaining consistency in your message as one of the key pillars in the process of growing a personal brand or any brand, underlining its significance in creating a lasting impact.

Discover the success story of Chatterbox, the networking group Martin Co-founded. We uncover the strategies he used to create a thriving community in the local business environment. Additionally, Martin lets us in on his "Level Up" podcast, sharing its mission and its role in his personal branding journey, with valuable takeaways for our audience.

Martin provides a behind-the-scenes look at Snapper Studio, his branding and marketing agency. He tells us about the agency's services and the diverse range of clients they work with. We delve into the challenges and triumphs of entrepreneurship, drawing inspiration from his journey.

As a branding specialist, Martin offers expert advice on building a strong personal brand, underlining its significance for both businesses and individuals in professional services. He walks us through the essential steps, considerations, and strategies to help you build your personal brand.

Don't miss out on this episode full of golden nuggets from the branding guru himself. Tune in now to unlock the secrets of personal branding with Martin Sully!

 

24/10/2023

Supporting your brand 🫶🏼

We love supporting good causes with photography.

We stepped away from event photography, but we get sucked in every time by the incredible team at

To align ourselves with brands that care is coincidentally a value we look for in each project.

As long as we can add value and level you up, you can count on us to care about your business.

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Looking for branded content? Drop us your favourite emoji ✌️🏼

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10/08/2023

The uncomfortable truth 😬

26/07/2023

“Why did you get into branding?”

Normally I’m asking the questions, but a client blindsided me.

I'd reached out to check in on her upcoming workshops (they’re sold out) and to share some personal news with her, when she slipped this into a conversation.

Aside from having a deep understanding of marketing, advertising and design, I have 4 answers.

1) Old-school agencies are all smoke and mirrors. They try to sell too many services and need to cover ridiculous overheads. So they say yes to every retainer they can, with a promise to solve all their new clients problems. Even though they can't.

2) Old-school is retainers. They are hard to manage and clients come out worse off. Not just financially, they just don't get the care they deserve. Instead, projects are fixed price and collaborative. I proactively follow up with my clients to check that everything is working as it should be.

3) Old-school focus on innovation and AI, even though many of them have no idea how to appropriately apply it.

4) Old-school are afraid to show people that brands can be packed full of personality, so when someone says to them, “I wouldn't sign up for a $20k retainer with you,” they stumble on their words. We’d confidently reply, “we’re probably not a good fit.” 😜(winky tongue out emoji)

That's why I got into branding.

Wanna see how new agencies work? Book a call.

25/07/2023

They have to be planning something big. Surely 🤷🏼‍♂️

I could post a weeks worth of content highlighting why rebranding overnight with a crowd sourced logo is a bad idea.

But I don't want to bum you out.
A rebrand is the biggest strategic weapon they had, and I think they've blown it.

Twitter is all over the place.

Their purpose is not clear, there's no vision. The target market is confused/running for the hills. The website is a mix of X and original Twitter.

I even took the liberty of downloading Larry the Twitter bird from their website.

There’s no consistency, it’s just a straight up mess.

At least brands and their designers have been able to have a good laugh about it.

25/07/2023

Your reason for being. Iki-Gai 🤓

A hearty mix of expertise, passion, the market and your vision.

Ikigai applies to every part of your life. But, it can be hard to find.

We’ve been:
1) Large format book publishers
2) In-house marketing designers
3) Freelance designers
4) Copywriters
5) Photographers
6) Brand Designers
7) Brand Strategists
8) Web Designers

We’re now focusing on strategy and design with a focus on helping people find their niche.

Enough about us, ask yourself these questions and tell us where you sit.

18/07/2023

What a night! It was our pleasure to be involved and capture the Ronald McDonald House Newcastle Raise Love Charity Ball.

It was great to work alongside fellow creative Emily from EMG Photography too.

18/07/2023

What a night! It was our pleasure to be involved and capture the Ronald McDonald House Newcastle Raise Love 2023 Ball

If was great to work alongside fellow creative EMG Photography too.

18/07/2023

What a night! It was our pleasure to be involved and capture the Ronald McDonald House Newcastle Raise Love Charity Ball.

It was great to work alongside fellow creative EMG Photography too.