In the age of content overload, a strong visual doesn’t just help a brand stand out — it helps it survive. But behind every campaign that cuts through, there’s more than just a good image. There’s structure, intention, and most often, a sharp creative lead.

Art direction — often overlooked in fast-moving marketing cycles — remains a critical asset. While a photographer captures the moment, the art director sets the tone long before the shoot even begins. From concept to casting to colour, they ensure the work doesn’t just look good, but makes sense strategically.

With fashion and beauty brands leaning harder into storytelling, art direction has become less of a finishing touch and more of a foundation. It’s what ties product, identity and culture together in a single frame. And as brands compete for attention on TikTok, Instagram and beyond, that consistency — both emotional and visual — becomes increasingly valuable.

In short: good art direction isn’t about making something pretty. It’s about making it matter.

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Giving you a great sense of the dynamic world of photography:

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David Sims

Loewe's S/S23 menswear campaign, captured by David Sims, presents a dreamscape featuring actors Josh O’Connor and Stéphane Bak. The campaign showcases Loewe's accessories such as the Amazon 15, the Puzzle, and the Fold Shopper through portraits and still life. Inspired by the photographer George Platt Lynes and artist William Nicholson, the campaign creates a sense of something beyond the surface, with a soft, erotic tension and a shiny silver pot as a direct steal from Nicholson.

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Zoë Ghertner

Miu Miu's S/S23 collection challenges the function of fashion with deconstructed designs, featuring drop-hem skirts, denim tailoring, and sportswear paired with handbags. The campaign, fronted by Kendall Jenner and starring a diverse cast of models, is shot by Zoë Ghertner in arresting close-ups that capture the essence of each look.

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Renell Medrano

Renell Medrano, a photographer and director of Dominican-American descent, hails from the Bronx. Her work reflects her cultural heritage, the intersection of cultures within society, and the communities that surround her. At the age of 27, while pursuing a BFA in Photography at Parsons The New York School for Design, Renell was honored with the New York Times Lens Blog Award in 2014, and in 2017, she was included in the exhibition "The Next Generation of Bronx Photographers". Her work has been showcased at MILK studios in New York and Gallery Rosenfeld in London.

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Rachel Seidu

Rachel Seidu is a British-Ghanaian photographer who has recently presented a series of tender portraits of Nigerian men for a Saint Laurent Rive Droite exhibition. Titled "The Water Between Us," Seidu's intimate images are said to capture a particular masculinity and a spirit of tenderness that is often missing from depictions of African men.

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Steve O. Smith

Photoshoot styled by designer Steve O. Smith, featuring his unique designs and sensibilities. The photographs are visually striking, with bold colours and interesting textures, and the art direction highlights the uniqueness of the clothing designs. The use of mixed media, such as sculptures and other art pieces, adds an extra layer of depth to the images.

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