American hardwood flooring manufacturer Schafer Hardwood Flooring needed a website, badly. Its current website was in a state of disaster: content was outdated, navigation was confusing, and it looked like a mess. The way the website appeared was the exact opposite of Schafer’s high end brand, V3 Flooring. They needed a solution, so they called Artonic.
The company decided on a small custom web design that showcased their products and capabilities. Above all else, the website had to align closely to the V3 brand.
A key to this manufacturing website design was photography. It needed to be breathtaking, professional, and sleek.
The company manufactures wood flooring in Michigan. Their manufacturing facility is large and filled with stacks and stacks of wood. This is where we started with our photography session.
Your Manufacturing Facility
One question that is asked a lot by clients is, “How can you take photos of our warehouse… that are good?”
That’s fair. Manufacturing facilities may not appear visually pleasing to the average Joe. But that’s why you hire a professional photographer to capture images you never could.
A professional photographer has a very sensitive eye; she can envision a variety of viewpoints, use space creatively, and make your facility look amazing.
You may see a row of saws mounted on a wooden board, but somehow it becomes an artistic display of textures and shapes when seen by a photographer.
Photographing Employees
Another concern for clients revolves around employee photos. You know it’s important to show your audience what your company does – in this case, Schafer Hardwood manufactures wood flooring.
This is another reason you choose a professional photographer. He has the ability to find beauty in almost anything, even wood flooring manufacturing.
Employees may feel more comfortable if they see the photographer’s work before the photo shoot for your company. This allows them to see that the photographer is competent and artistic. This lowers anxiety about the photo session and increases trust in the photographer.
The result? Authentic, visually attractive images that represent your manufacturing company. 
Additionally, a client can see your manufacturing process (or at least, get a idea of it). This helps her to understand what you do, why you’re different, and why your prices are the way they are.
Employee Portraits
Before taking employee portraits, be sure to mention the session to your employees. Let them know what’s expected of them, what the session will be like, and what to wear.
For Schafer, the employees posed outside, in front of a wheat field and forest. Colors worn included neutrals like white and tan.
Equipment
Your machinery and equipment can be an unexpected focus of your photography. Don’t shy away from photos of your equipment or employees running machinery; authenticity outshines almost anything else.
The glue machine, below, dispenses glue in thin, precise lines. Next, the vibrant color of an electronic meter pops against a more sedate, neutral background.
Hardwood Floooring
Photography was captured in actual clients’ homes to show off the beauty of Schafer’s wood flooring. As an American hardwood flooring manufacturer, showing beautiful floors was essential.
Black & White Or Color
An image looks very different depending on if you choose to use color or black and white. As you can see below, the color version is full, vibrant, friendly. The black and white image is stark, polished, arresting. Both are attractive; the final choice depends on your brand image. (There is a place for both in most website designs.)
Black & White Photos
Textures and objects are defined and highlighted in a unique way in black and white photography. Below, your attention goes to the ceiling’s texture, the blunt ends of the boards, and the blur of lights. It no longer looks like a manufacturing facility. It looks cool.
The type of lens our photographer used altered the everyday into something evocative.
Below, a garage door morphs into a funky portal.
Color Photos
When color is used, photos are softer and more expansive. Brown, tan, ivory, rusty orange compliment this employee’s dusty blue hat.
Artonic OnSite
Schafer’s has a retail office with samples of finished hardwood flooring next to its manufacturing facility. This allowed us to take photos of V3’s large wood grain selection.
Project Details
We used the photos taken at multiple homes and in Schafer’s manufacturing facility to create a clean, modern website design.
The website offers detailed information about the product, including possible applications.
In addition to custom photography, we also created unique custom icons for the homepage. Each icon links to a sub-page on the website, guiding visitors deeper into the site.
View V3 Hardwood Flooring Photography
We took photos of a piece of V3 American hardwood flooring and diagrammed it. This helps visitors understand the unique properties of the flooring.
Curious how we use wood grain texture in web design? Below, deep mahogany wood becomes a rich backdrop for white text.
Each page includes a special CTA (Call-To-Action) that utilizes wood grain for texture only, stripped of color, with gorgeous golden orange text.
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Michigan, USA