Service · Art direction
Art direction for brands
An eye that makes sense of the whole.
Art direction defines how an idea should look and guides the decisions needed to produce it. At Mariona Agency we connect photography, design, audiovisual and brand applications under a shared visual standard. We work from Barcelona so that every piece has intent and the whole keeps a recognisable personality.
Deciding what is seen, and why
A campaign can bring together good images and still feel fragmented. Art direction sets the relationship between its elements: the atmosphere it needs, how the product is shown, the role typography plays and which details should recur.
We start with the message and the response we want to provoke. From there we define references, composition, the treatment of light, colour and visual rhythm. The decisions are translated into instructions that let the design team and the production professionals work in the same direction.
How we see art direction
When everything wants to stand out, nothing is seen.
We decide what is seen, in what light and in what order.
Every image is different, but they all come from the same eye.
Animation: a frame crowded with elements is brought into order with a grid, a light and a single focal point in orange; then the same rule shapes three different images.
Clear Flow and Human First
Art direction organises the decisions before they reach production: references, light, composition and selection criteria. With that clear, photography, design and video move in the same direction.
An image is looked at in seconds. We think about the person walking past and what they need to grasp without effort, and we make sure the brand is seen as it is, without disguise.
Putting that eye to work
Visual concept
We develop an idea that connects the communication goal with an expression of its own. It must be possible to explain it, test it and carry it across different pieces without exhausting it in a single image.
Photography and audiovisual
We define framing, lighting, styling, locations and image treatment according to the project’s needs. Production is planned around the formats in which the material will be used.
Design and composition
We establish the relationship between image, text and space. Design organises attention and keeps the brand identity intact across publications, campaigns and digital or physical media.
Overseeing the execution
We stay involved through the agreed phases so the original intention carries through to the result. We review selection, editing, retouching and applications against shared criteria, rather than correcting each piece in isolation.
Consistency without repetition
A visual language can accommodate a closer photograph, a detail shot or a more informative composition. Consistency depends on those variations following the same logic. That is why we work with concrete references and examples of application, useful both for a one-off production and for content that has to develop over time.
From intention to image
Understand
We review the brand, the message, audiences, media and the material available.
Clarify
We define the visual idea and the criteria that should guide it.
Design
We develop references, compositions and production guidelines.
Refine
We compare tests and pieces to fine-tune the language of the whole.
Launch
We finalise the planned applications and reference materials.
Case study
Web and photography
Macbor
For Macbor we brought web design and development together with the photography of its range. The art direction of the images was planned alongside its digital applications, so every model is presented with one consistent approach.
See the case study: MacborQuestions about art direction
Can it be applied to a campaign without redesigning the brand?
Yes. The campaign can have its own expression within the existing identity. Art direction establishes how to introduce that character without losing the connection with the brand.
Can you work with our photographer or production company?
We can define and coordinate a visual direction with the project’s collaborators. At the outset we agree responsibilities, reference materials and review points so production moves forward with clarity.
What is the difference between art direction and graphic design?
Art direction defines the visual standard and steers the whole. Graphic design develops it in specific compositions and pieces. They are related disciplines that can form part of the same commission.
Let’s find the right eye for your project
Share the idea, the brand and the media you need. We’ll give the visual decisions a common direction.
Let’s talk about art direction