The Client
Candy Brow Bar, a US-based brand specialising in celebrity brow treatments bringing out their own brow product line.
The Brief
The brief came in hot with pure enthusiasm: ‘Wow!! In love with your work… I’d love you to have full creative control over a shoot for my brow line’. The only request? That one theme channeled nostalgic Candy Land board game vibes and another a birthday party, and the rest was mine to dream up.
The Approach
I pitched the idea of bringing on a paper artist to help build a bespoke Candy Land board game set. Think pastel game squares, ice cream cones, and lollipop props, a full paper wonderland. We split the shoot into three visual themes: Candy Land board game, birthday celebration, and sprinkle mania. Each with its own vibe, but all tied together by a shared pastel palette and playful energy.
The Challenge
This was a true cross-timezone operation: the client in the US, the paper artist in Hong Kong, me in the UK. I coordinated prop shipping, feedback loops, and deadlines like a tiny global production company. It worked and everything came together thanks to good communication and clear vision.
The Props & Styling
The paper art absolutely stole the show. It didn’t just elevate the styling, it became the identity of the shoot. That collaboration was such a success that I ended up working with the same artist on other campaigns, and even started experimenting with my own paper art builds later on.
The Results
Client response?
‘Ahhhh I am beyond in love!!!!!! I love everything about EVERY single photo and the stop motions were so lovely!!!!’.
That’s a whole lot of exclamation marks. I’ll take it.
What I Learned
Creative direction isn’t just the pretty part. It’s logistics, collaboration, negotiation, budgeting, and building something new from a loose idea and a lot of trust. This shoot pushed me to become a better creative producer, not just a creative.
Marianne
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