Girls who can

Problem → Approach → Outcome → Human Result

Nighttime city street scene with light trails from passing vehicles and a large illuminated billboard featuring a woman with glasses holding a science model, advertising an assessment day at St. Margaret's school.
Advertisement banners at a train station: one promoting work, shop, and play, and the other for St. Margaret's School for Girls, highlighting their open mornings on April 24 and May 29.
Cover of a magazine titled "The Sunday Times," with a blue background featuring a bridge, and smaller sections titled "Winter Sun," "Family fun," and "Best museums for kids."

Problem

St Margaret’s School for Girls needed to break through the visual sameness of independent school marketing. Competing for attention across Aberdeen City and Shire, they wanted to position themselves not just as an academic institution, but as a place where smart, empowered girls become powerful women. Their brief: create imagery for a city-wide billboard, press, and digital campaign that would reflect that vision.

Approach

Rather than following the sector’s usual polished, airy aesthetic, I proposed something bolder: a cinematic visual style rooted in authenticity, strength, and standout contrast. I immersed myself in the school’s culture to understand what made them different, then crafted a photographic direction that positioned them as quietly confident and creatively fierce.

We anchored the shoot around a STEM-inspired portrait, challenging the gender gap in science with a strong visual of a student in protective glasses holding a molecular model. The tone was dark, purposeful, and distinct, lighting the subject like a film still to create a sense of presence and ambition. Every shot was designed to feel like a statement.

Outcome

The campaign launched across Aberdeen on billboards, press ads, and digital placements. It gave the school a striking new visual identity that stood apart from competitor campaigns and captured attention at scale.

  • Featured in national and regional press

  • Displayed on roadside billboards and across Aberdeen city centre

  • Used across admissions, website, and social media

  • Delivered as a fully integrated shoot with multi-format asset delivery

Human Result

The school told me how proud they were of the campaign and how it gave their students a sense of visibility, purpose, and pride. It wasn’t just another ad. It was a message to every young girl that they could lead in any field.

The relationship has since grown into a trusted creative partnership, with ongoing work across brand photography, content campaigns, and social storytelling.