Art direction in Tanzania, from rebrands to photo shoots

The new camp opens in five months. The owners have a name, a folder of photos they like and three logo drafts from a designer abroad. Every round of feedback arrives in a WhatsApp group of nine people, and each of them wants a different green.

At this point a brand project needs one person to direct it. This article explains what an art director and a creative project manager do on a rebrand, a logo project, a photo shoot or a campaign, and what you should have at the end. It is for lodges, camps, tour operators, schools and brands in Tanzania.

The examples come from projects I directed before websites became my main work. They are all on theascend.net, my art direction portfolio, and the quotes below come from the people I worked with on them.

What does an art director do on a brand project?

An art director sets the look before anything is made: the references, the colours, the type and how the photos should feel. Then the art director writes the brief, chooses the designers and photographers, and reviews their work until you sign off.

I don’t design logos myself. On a logo project, I find the right designer, write the brief and direct the work. The designer gets one brief, and one list of feedback after each round.

Creative project management is the running of the project. I turn your ideas into one brief, choose the studio and run every review until sign-off. You deal with one person, so you don’t have to follow every detail yourself.

When does a lodge, school or tour operator need this?

These are the kinds of project I have directed:

• A new brand before it opens. Lairs Camps and ADINA Lodges (2022) both had to look established from the first day.
• A logo that no longer fits. Good Earth Tours (2021) moved from an old logo to a zebra mark, Planet Lodges (2022) from initials to an emblem, and the British School of Zanzibar (2019) from a smiling-sun badge to a new logo.
• A new brand that has not reached the menus and signs. In 2023 I brought the Planet Lodges menus, booklets, office documents, signs and social media posts to one standard across both lodges.
• A season or a run of events. The Rivertrees Country Inn festive season in 2022, then its weekly event posters and low-season offers in 2023.
• An office that should tell the brand’s story. The Nomad Tanzania head office in 2024.
• Scattered files, or content that changes with every creator. Love Boo and Seissense, two UK brands, in 2025.

How does a directed rebrand run?

For the British School of Zanzibar in 2019, I made the case for the rebrand and set the quality standards. I looked at several studios and chose Yöy Agency. I ran a session with the directors on the school’s position, its strengths and gaps, and its plans to grow. Then I wrote the creative inputs for the studio: reference brands, type preferences and what the directors expected to see.

I managed the review rounds until the school had a logo built from a sun, a book, waves and a child, the slogan “Transforming Through Education”, a brand guide, a letterhead, business cards and an email signature.

For Planet Lodges in 2022, I planned the stages and approvals before any design work. I shortlisted three designers and appointed one, then wrote the brief on the brand’s meaning, tone, references, visual expectations and practical use. Each round of feedback was checked against those agreed standards, instead of personal taste.

For Good Earth Tours in 2021, I briefed the outside designer and ran the reviews with one set of feedback each round. I checked the logo, colours, type and patterns against real use, such as stationery, clothing and a phone wallpaper.

What goes into a brand brief?

On Lairs Camps, a new group of luxury safari camps opening with Jackals’ Lair, I wrote the direction brief before Yöy Agency started. It covered tone, theme, messaging, naming and the tagline. In every review, I checked the imagery, type, colour, logo use and the first applications against it.

Before you brief anyone, have answers to these:

• what the brand stands for, and who it is for
• how it should sound and look, with two or three brands you admire and the reason for each
• where it will be used: signs, uniforms, vehicles, menus, the website and social media
• what already exists and has to stay, such as a name, a colour or a symbol your guests know
• who gives the final yes
• your date and your budget

How do you direct a photo shoot or a campaign?

For the Rivertrees Country Inn festive season in 2022, I set one theme, Emerald Green with copper, cream and burgundy, before anything was printed or photographed. It ran through four adverts, for the Festive Summary, Christmas Eve, Christmas and Boxing Day, and New Year’s Eve, each with post and story versions for social media. The print included A3 and A4 posters, A6 table flyers and four-page dinner menus.

I directed the shoot with Sky Studios, so the photos of the entrance, the tables and the decor carried the same theme as the print. For a shoot today, I write the brief, choose the photographer and review the work with you until you sign off.

In 2024 I directed the branding of the Nomad Tanzania head office with the agency Fathom. There were 13 themed spaces, each tied to a Nomad camp, and more than 75 canvases. I briefed the agency, chose and refined the images and managed the reviews to sign-off. Before anything went up, I checked the prints for scale, sharpness and finish, then directed the installation.

What should you have at the end?

A brand project should end with files your team can use without calling anyone. On the projects above, that meant logo versions for each use, the colour codes, the fonts, a brand guide, templates such as a letterhead and an email signature, and files kept in order. For Lairs Camps, the kit also has a leaf pattern, merchandise from tote bags to mugs, and social media templates, so the next camp opens on the same base.

Plans work the same way. In 2025 I worked from Tanzania with two UK brands, through their marketing lead. For Love Boo, I reorganised the brand asset library and wrote a four-week relaunch plan. For Seissense, I built a repeatable creative direction system for their short videos.

Working with me from anywhere in Tanzania

I’m based in Dar es Salaam and I work online. Before websites, I worked alongside design and marketing teams in the UK, Australia, the UAE, Morocco and Canada, so distance is normal for me. A project runs on WhatsApp messages, voice notes and email, with Zoom or Google Meet when a video call helps.

Art direction and creative project management are quoted after I read your brief, because each project is a different size. Your budget sets the scope, and the written quote confirms the price and the dates before anything is booked.

If the project includes a magazine, a company profile or a brochure, Editorial design in Dar es Salaam explains how a publication runs with me.

Short answers on art direction in Tanzania