Photography Direction vs Typography System
Which you need, what each costs, and when a project wants both — photography direction compared with typography system.
Last revised
Both sit under Visual Identity, and clients regularly ask which of the two they actually want. The short answer is below; the rest of this page is how to tell, what each costs, and the cases where a project needs both.
In one line each
- Photography Direction
- Guidance on how your brand photography should look and feel, so images from different shoots and photographers work together.
- Typography System
- Choosing and organizing the typefaces your brand uses, with sizes, weights and rules for print and screen.
Head to head
| Photography Direction | Typography System | |
|---|---|---|
| Starts at | From $1,400.00 per project | From $1,400.00 per project |
| Services underneath | 3 | 5 |
Pick Photography Direction when
Photography Direction:
- The job is specifically art direction guidelines, which sits under this one
- The job is specifically shot list & casting direction, which sits under this one
- The job is specifically treatment & grading direction, which sits under this one
Pick Typography System when
Typography System:
- The job is specifically fallback stack matching, which sits under this one
- The job is specifically licensing review, which sits under this one
- The job is specifically type scale definition, which sits under this one
When you need both
Verdict More often than the question implies — the same job frequently touches both, and one team covers them, so moving between them is a conversation rather than a second supplier. If you are not sure which your files need, that is what the free trial is for. The process is the same either way: whichever you pick, the work runs through the same stages and is checked against the same bar. Visual Identity sets that out.
Questions we get on this specific choice
Is one of them cheaper?
They start at the same rate, so the choice is about what the job needs rather than about budget. Complexity moves both.
Which is faster?
Much the same, and volume moves the number far more than the choice between these two does.
Can you tell me which one my files need?
Yes, free. Send two or three real files — that judgment is part of the trial rather than something quoted separately.
Can I switch after we start?
Yes. If the files say the other one is the right answer, we re-quote before doing the work rather than after.
Where to go from here
- Photography Direction — what it is, in full, with its own pricing
- Typography System — the same for the alternative
- Visual Identity pricing — both rates side by side with the US market ranges
- Try it free — a free written review of your current identity, and we will tell you which of the two your files need
- Get a quote if the scope is already clear
- Every rate we publish, on one page
