what is a visual lookbook?
how to make one and how it can help take your creative projects to the next level!
in this 4-part article series, we’ll be exploring visual lookbooks, their importance, how they can help you execute your creative projects, and how to create one! at the end of this series i’ll be providing you with an example lookbook that i have created for a mock music video that you can download and use as a template for your future lookbooks!
what is a lookbook and why is it important?
a mock music video treatment that jakiyah cabell made for IAMDDB’s “Scare You”. (2020)
it's a way to fully break down and articulate your ideas and aesthetic choices to your team.
a lookbook is a visual document & presentation that is used to articulate ideas, the creative vision, marketing strategies (where applicable), and aesthetic choices for projects in the film, music, fashion, design, and marketing & advertising industries. each industry has a different name and general use for this document such as creative briefs, treatments, pitch decks, bibles, etc. but overall they serve the same purpose regardless of the industry and they make the process of executing ideas so much more efficient!
what problems does creating a lookbook solve?
this screenshot is from a media pitch deck that jakiyah cabell made for the streetwear and lifestyle brand Can’t Buy Respect. (2020)
by creating a lookbook, you are creating space for your ideas to flourish. giving yourself the opportunity to really flesh them out and live with and in them. the lookbook serves as a guide to your creative direction for all of your visual and/or cinematic projects. it’s a way for you to see your plan in full and create time to revise it before execution. it's also a way to make sure you have everything you need for the project so that the pre-production and production process can be a lot smoother.
a lot of people don't really think too much about the creative and aesthetic side of their projects for whatever reason but if you are selling something you should put a bit of extra thought into it and lookbook creation will assist you in that process. that way when you get into the habit of creating your lookbooks you’ll see how it will help you execute many of your content ideas, youtube videos, photoshoots, product shoots, campaigns, music video concepts, commercials, short films, feature films, documentaries and more!
if you are looking for investors and funding or pitching to studios for your film and tv projects, lookbooks, pitch decks, and TV bibles can also assist you because you get the chance to show them a visual component of what they will be investing in. but what is most important when creating pitch decks with the sole intent of pitching to investors, you want to leave all the fluff out. they couldn’t care less about your aesthetic choices to be quite frank. what they care about is the money; when they can expect to see a return on their investment, how the money will be spent and how much money is projected to be made if they did invest in you and your project. the goal is to ensure you are providing them with a tangible document with FACTS versus words, pictures, and big ideas. you’re giving them a chance to see your vision and how you will spend their money to ensure they receive their return. the more straightforward and honest you are about your intentions make for a more trustworthy and open-ended, long-term relationship between you (the creative/artist) and them (the investors).
how can it help take your creative projects to the next level?
this screenshot is from a media pitch deck that jakiyah cabell made for the streetwear and lifestyle brand Can’t Buy Respect. (2020)
you’ll be going in-depth and ideating concepts down to the detail. from idea to execution. you’ll of course adjust along the way but you will ultimately change course having that blueprint is going to make the execution and adjustment phase more possible. because you can consider alternatives as well while creating the deck. it makes you think bigger picture. and just gives you more insight and foresight into making the project come to life!
in the next build, we will break down the different types of “lookbooks” and how they are used in different industries. after that, in the next article of this series, we’ll explore what elements are necessary to have in a visual look-book and how to create one for your next creative project!
read the next article in this series here: https://www.jkyhcbll.com/blog/elementsofalookbook
the music video treatment and lookbook example
download jakiyah cabell’s mock music video treatment for speechless by beyoncé!
