Canton House
Canton House designs civic buildings — libraries, swimming pools, a bus station. Their archive was full of empty, immaculate interiors that told you nothing about how the buildings are used.
Context
The practice wanted new work to be judged on how it performs in daily life, not on how it photographs at dusk. That meant rewriting the brief given to every photographer they commission.
Approach
We wrote a short art direction guide: shoot occupied, shoot at working hours, hold the camera at standing height, keep verticals true. Four fixed crops cover every use, from competition boards to the website.
Outcome
Two projects have been shot to the new brief. The images are being reused across submissions and press without recropping, and the practice reports far shorter conversations with photographers.
Project details
- Role
- Art direction
- Deliverables
- Direction guide, crop system, review
- Team
- Studio, two commissioned photographers
- Duration
- Ten weeks
Have something in mind?
The studio takes on a small number of projects each year. A short note about what you are making is enough to start.