Empowering a Santa Barbara Commercial Photographer to Own His Story
Brian Kuhlmann is a California commercial photographer whose work spans lifestyle, adventure, travel, hospitality, and fine art. After a period of rebuilding and reflection following burnout and the pandemic, Brian resourced my expertise to relaunch his brand, migrate and redesign his website, build a targeted commercial marketing program, and clarify the positioning of his three distinct business revenue streams. The engagement covered brand strategy, web design and UX, SEO/GEO, email marketing, project management, and brand architecture — all in close collaboration with Brian throughout the process.
Brian Kuhlmann Pictures | www.briankuhlmann.com
01 Brand Strategy
Before any website, email, or campaign work began, the foundation had to be right. That meant helping Brian articulate who he is, what work he wants, and why it matters — through a series of structured reflective exercises that became a brand document used to guide every decision downstream.
That foundation upfront informed the design and gave Brian ownership over his brand in a way that lasted long after our work ended.
Brand Strategy
Led reflective brand exercises to define Brian's mission, values, and the story behind his work
Developed a comprehensive brand document capturing tone, voice, values, and target verticals
Strategically separated distinct business streams — commercial work, Song of Absolution, and Porchlight Studios,
Guided full site rebuild on Squarespace aligning platform fit with goals
Architected site and designed page template and a visual style system for Brian to author
Performed an accessibility audit identifying opportunity areas and improving usability
Built reusable branded email templates in Constant Contact
Wove SEO and GEO best practices throughout the site leveraging Squarespace AI Toolkit
Optimized Google Business Profile
Web Design / UX / SEO
Email Marketing
Built new segmented contact lists via Agency Access across verticals
Organized contacts in Constant Contact — refined existing lists, merged new contacts, and created new segmentations
Designed and strategized email newsletters tailored to each audience segment
Clear mission, voice, and values | intentional, better-aligned outreach | Modern, cohesive, and self-sustaining digital presence |
Above industry open rates and click-thru rates
02 The Website
The rebuild on Squarespace was about more than a new look — it was about building something Brian could author and maintain independently, with templates and a style system that kept the work consistent even as it grew.
I started with structure and architecture, designing the information hierarchy across portfolios, commercial work, personal projects, and the three business streams — ensuring clarity for both human visitors, search engines, and AI.
I built reusable page templates and a visual style system Brian could author independently balancing creative flexibility with brand consistency across every page. These included page layouts:
Home
Portfolio Gallery - landing page
Campaign / Project
About
03 Email Marketing
Starting from a modest list, we built a segmented commercial marketing program from the ground up using Agency Access — a national directory of commercial and editorial photographers' industry contacts — and organized it all inside Constant Contact.
Constant Contacts built in AI Tools and A/B testing for subject lines was used throughout to brainstorm ideas for engagement and identify what resonated. This allowed us to find out ways to improve open rates over time through data, not guesswork.
Audience Segments
Outdoor Adventure
Lifestyle
Tourism, Travel, Hospitality
Environmental
Fine Art - Song of Absolution
Under the Hood
Drawing on my background managing projects at design agencies and within larger creative teams, I built a structured project management document to keep our engagement organized — tracking tasks, delegating responsibilities, managing the timeline and milestones, and centralizing assets.
Brian needed clarity on his own voice. I leveraged my artist voice document that I used for my own brand foundation — a guided writing tool with prompts designed to articulate Brian’s values, both his personal and careers goals, how he wants people to feel when they experience his work, and where he wants to go next. His answers shaped everything going forward from the tone of his bio to the focus of his marketing, and the types of clients and projects worth pursuing.
Artist Brand Discovery + Identity Workbook
Sample Project Management Doc
A relaunch that opened doors
From a clearer brand identity to a rebuilt web presence to a 13,000-contact marketing program, the engagement gave Brian a renewed excitement for his work, sparking new ideas and perspectives, and a cohesive platform for growth — and the tools and confidence to sustain it on his own.