Humanizing a technology-startup’s Brand with lifestyle photo direction

Brilli Wellness Circadian Lighting
Creative Director, Photo/Art Director

A smiling woman showing her phone to a man sitting on a bed in a cozy bedroom with wall decor and lamps.

Below are selected images from two lifestyle photoshoots I directed for circadian lighting brand, Brilli Wellness Lighting, a $90 million dollar-backed start-up. These images highlight Brilli’s circadian lighting benefits: energy and focus (Charge Up), relaxation and sleep (Wind Down), and balance (Get in Sync), driving brand awareness during COVID-19.

Challenge

As the brand’s Creative Director, I was responsible for visualizing and capturing the core brand story through all imagery, including lifestyle. When I joined, Brilli had not yet captured any proprietary lifestyle images and was utilizing stock images.

The goals of this project were to elevate brand awareness and create educational visual assets that clearly demonstrated the product's key features and, most importantly, health and wellness benefits, in an aspirational yet relatable setting. This involved meticulous set and style design, talent direction, and post-production oversight to ensure every image served as a powerful tool for Brilli’s marketing strategy and omnichannel uses for these images

Approach

I concepted and storyboarded lifestyle imagery showcasing Brilli’s “wellness-from-home” lighting across two locations: a Soho apartment and a California home, each tailored to distinct customer personas.

I partnered with photographer Dabito for the California shoot, providing creative direction, moodboards, and shot lists to capture the mood, focus, and relaxation benefits of each product line, and worked directly with photographers on-site at the Soho location in NY.

A woman sitting at a wicker table, smiling at her laptop, with a blue desk lamp and potted plants in a bright, decorated room.

Brilli’s Charge Up bulbs deliver crisp, blue light that boosts energy and focus, reflected through bright blue accents and a wellness-from-home aesthetic. Photo: Dabito

A young man with dark hair and a beard, wearing a blue shirt, is smiling and drinking a green smoothie from a glass outdoors near a black wooden wall.

A green smoothie and cactus plant emphasize the product-brand color and health benefits of Get in Sync lights. Photo Credit: Dabito

A woman with curly dark hair looking at her reflection in a bathroom mirror while eating food from a bowl with a spoon.

Brilli lighting isn’t just for improving mood and sleep; it also gives a boost to your daily beauty routine. Photo credit: Dabito

Woman sleeping on her back with a sleep mask on her forehead, smiling with eyes closed, in bed with white bedding and pillows.

Brilli Wind Down ensures the natural release of melatonin in the evening, for more restful sleep.

A young woman with shoulder-length brown hair, wearing a white and blue striped sweater, is sitting on a white couch by a window, smiling and holding a booklet titled 'Art Miami' inside a brightly lit room with large round windows and brown brick buildings outside.

Brilli Charge Up improves mood, focus, and energy.

A woman holding out an LED light bulb towards the camera with a blurred background.

Brilli’s core consumer is the “wellness-minded millennial” (predominantly female), who lives in an urban setting and seeks to squeeze wellness into their busy lifestyle.

Woman smiling and sleeping on a bed with white pillows and comforter, wearing a yellow shirt and a headband.

Nothing feels as good as a good nights sleep. Photo Credit: Dabito

A woman practicing yoga indoors, standing on a yoga mat, balancing on one leg with hands in a prayer position, smiling, with large windows and city buildings in the background.

Shot in SoHo, we showcased how Charge Up lighting transforms any space from home office to home gym with energy-boosting, energy-efficient circadian light.

results

Target logo with red and black concentric circles and the word 'target' in red lowercase letters underneath.
The logo of The Home Depot with white text on an orange background.

retail & e-tail partnerships

The logo of People magazine in black text on a white background.

earned media coverage

21%+

Higher click-through rates in display ad a/b testing

1000%+

increase in product sales yoy
(2019 vs. 2020)