Hamish Campbell is a fine art photographer from Australia working in Japan, his work is highly detailed and nuanced. He approached Harley Johnston Design to redesign his brand identity and website. We agreed the brand identity needed to be subtle and not overpower his stunning photography, but still memorable. Hamish often makes large composite images by ‘stitching’ them together, this idea lead to the graphic device used throughout the brand identity allowing two pieces of content to be housed. This in turn lead to the logo – the device appears top right in the logo – which runs top to bottom, right to left, which is incidentally the traditional Japanese writing style, used for poetry. 

The idea of a cultural contrast played a big role in the brand identity, I researched the family name Campbell and after looking through family crests and other emblems I discovered the Campbell family tartan which, like all tartans, has a unique line pattern. I combined this with the traditional Japanese family crest from called a ‘Kamon’ which often appear in a circle. This was translated in to a Japanese stamp called a ‘hanko’ which Hamish can use in physical items to provide authenticity.

Studio photography: Robin Hearfield and Harley Johnston
Other photography: © Hamish Campbell

The website has been designed and built to be bi-lingual – both English and Japanese – while also being fully responsive, working on all devices from smartphone to large desktop computers. The website is retina ready which means every detail is sharp even on high resolution screens. The website is built with a system that makes it easy for Hamish to manage and also features a client login review area where clients can give feedback on photos.

Web development: Zann St Pierre