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As designers we all want to work with stimulating imagery. Nothing can blemish a deliberate layout like bad photography or elevate a page more than that perfect shot. “Type and image” and some photo editing skills work their way in to most strong design programs, but what about the creation of original photographic imagery as part of a designers role? Actual photo art direction tends to be a skill set left to be learned in “the real world.” For those interested or called upon (and with the luxury of a budget) creating original pictures, still and moving, is an exciting component to establishing a narrative and executing fully integrated campaigns. It’s also a refreshing chance to step away from the computer screen, put the kerning aside and dive into something really uniquely challenging.

Yael Eisele has been working on shoots at varying scales for over ten years. She was introduced to photo art direction while at design:mw, where she worked on several award winning projects for clients such as Takashimaya New York, Sony Style and West Elm. She has since worked for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and is currently the Design Director at kate spade new york where she has been conceiving of and executing the brand’s campaigns for the last three years. She loves graphic design but creating imagery is what gets her heart racing most. She will talk a bit about her background and take you through one season’s campaign process from the brief, to creating a narrative, to hiring a team (!), through making the print and video real.