rkphoto.co.uk

Photography & Designfocused on schools

In an increasingly competitive world every

school needs to do more to survive and a lot more to thrive and bloom.Whether your school is the state sector or is independ-ent, it is important to present your services in the best possible light. Parents, staff and professional bodies who come into contact with your organisation are in-creasingly aware of the importance of good communi-cation and design and have high expectations of both.

This is where I can help. I have a background in adver-tising and editorial photography, and since gaining an MSc in Information Tecnology I have worked as a user-interface web developer for companies such as Zurich Insurance and ICS Solutions.

I have recently designed a brochure and interactive web site for Hampton Junior School. Both have helped to raise the profile of the school, but the web site con-tinues to keep parents up to date with activities and events. Staff are able to update the site and events diary via a secure login and the children can update their year group blogs in the same way.

Please read on for more ideas and examples of how we might work together in the future.

My aim in producing a design for a

school is to capture the essence of what you do now, and the direction in which you wish to evolve in the future.Understanding your ideas and aspirations is the key to finding a combination of words and images which will work together to tell the unfolding story of your school, its strengths and its future direction.

The end result may be a brochure, web site, press ad, or even a short film.

E X P A N D Y O U R H O R I Z O N S

School websites are now required to show forthcoming events by Ofsted so that inspectors can see what activities are taking place and plan their visits accordingly. I have recently implemented interactive calendars for Hampton

Junior School and Barnes Primary which allow staff to easily update and display this information.

Aim for the moon: even if you miss, the stars are next

Clearly the commercial opportunity for companies with deep pockets is immense and while I have worked on large sites as a web developer, my current focus is to work closely with clients whose smaller budgets need to be leveraged to their best advantage.

The challenge for many of these clients is often to use the web effectively. Many smaller sites are poorly designed, lack direction and are rarely updated.

j Present a consistent and professional look and feel. While sections may vary, like a well pro-duced magazine it should still have a strong ‘house style’.

j Allow managers or staff to securely update text, pictures and movie clips to keep it fresh and encourage repeat visits.

j Be easy to find relevant information.

j Engage with the interests of the target audience, and provide links to other sites and resources which may be of interest to them. This could generate income from referals.

The internet presents both an opportunity and a challenge.

A web site can be much more than an online brochure. As a minimum it should:

Don’t be shy — put yourself in the frame and display your star quality!

Quality is at the heart of my work: whether I am working for a large company or a private client, I aim to present them in the best possible light.

With this in mind, I offer my photographic and web design services to companies, schools and private clients and expect to deliver work that exceeds expectations regardless of the scope or budget.

When I organise a photograhic session with a school I take the same care in light-ing and composing each picture as I would when handling an advertising brief for an agency or commercial client.

The results speak for themselves. While the pictures either side were taken in the homes of private clients, those below were all taken in photo sessions arranged with schools or nurseries.

In one recent school shoot, I photograpged 50 individual childen or siblings in the same week as they had ar-ranged a whole school photo session with one of the national photogra-phy companies.

Despite the competition I sold 92% of the pictures, with many parents taking up options of extra prints or photos on CD, earning the school a significant commission.

As a photographer I can capture the images which will really make your school, business

or organisation stand out from the crowd.My advertising work has featured on posters and press ads for companies such as Dulux, BASF, JVC, The Guardian, and Lloyds Bank.

Editorial commissions have come from magazines such as Taste, A La Carte, Country Homes and Interiors, Good Housekeeping and French Vogue. Clients of my architectural and interior photography include Knight Frank and Thames Design.

Recent editorial work including portraits of Sir Trevor McDonald, Michael Portillo, Tony Benn, Giles Brandreth and Ben Fogle can be found on my website rkphoto.co.uk.

photography & design © richard kluczynski

R i c h a r d K l u c z y n s k iChurch Farm House , Wa l ton Road , Mo l ese y, Surre y KT8 2EGt: 020 8979 0096 m: 07950 827245 w: rkphoto.co.uk e: info@rkphoto.co.uk

Photography & Design