There is nothing like capturing family memories on print. The Album Room, founded by couple Pippa Paulson and Craig Paulson, has created an elegant atmosphere with ease where customers can either have photo albums professionally made or be in control of putting their high-quality albums together with expert guidance at their boutique in Union Square. The albums come in varying colors and designs, which can be viewed on their website.
Recently, the Album Room has created a line of high-end family photo albums, with spill-proof covers and soft colors, to tell your family stories. We asked co-founder Pippa Paulson some questions on the album making process, what the company hopes to achieve with their services, and how they keep families top of mind.
How did you and Craig get involved with creating the Album Room?
The idea for the Album Room was formed in November 2011. Craig, who had been a wedding and family photographer for 10 years, at this point, wanted to expand his range of high-end albums. There was a void in the market for a company that could handle all the post production involved with customized albums and supply the caliber of books Craig wanted to showcase his images. I was a print and TV producer so organizing a good workflow was an organic transition from advertising to album production. We already had great connections with color technicians, printers, and book binders. So, we decided to fill the void ourselves and create the Album Room that was not only available to Craig Paulson Photography clients but also to other photographers and the general public.
What do you and Craig hope to achieve with this boutique album design service?
Our goal is to help families, friends, newlyweds, and grandparents keep the tradition of the printed image that continuously brings enjoyment. We combine the customers vision and our expertise to showcase memories in an artful way. We are so proud to know our books and pictures contribute to make homes.
What do you want parents to know about this service?
Our customers don’t need the perfect images or the sharpest files to make an elegant album. We know when to use a creative crop, a black-and-white tone, or a vibrant color treatment to get the very best from an image. All albums, regardless of size and budget, receive the same care and attention to each picture. The Album Room is also a one-stop shop for families requiring a photography session and album.
Tell us, for anyone who doesn’t know about the Album Room, the process of the “Full Service” and the “Assisted Design Service”?
“Full Service” meets the needs of busy families that want a different eye to artfully tell the story. Clients receive a layout within two weeks, and communication with their designer continues until the book is approved. “Assisted Design” caters to clients that want to take control over their album design and save on the ticket price in the process. How it works: select images; come to our studio and design a layout with our intuitive software and a designer at hand. Color correction and order process is handled by the Album Room with both service options.
How much control do customers get when designing their photos albums?
Our customers have as much or as little control over their design as they wish. If they choose our “Assisted Design Service,” we give them all the tools and advice they need to create their vision. However, if our clients firstly want to see their story unfold through our eyes we design a layout and continue to adjust the layout accordingly until the book is approved.
What is the importance of parents printing family photos?
We see so much joy when families receive their books that hold important memories. I’m sure I am one of many people that still cherish looking through my parents’ 30-year-old albums. It’s so much easier to find a precious album than it is to find a picture in a sea of images on a computer. In the unlikely event a book gets lost or damaged we archive all our layouts.
What makes your service different from other album design services?
No other Album Design company offers an “Assisted Design” service to clients and still produces the high-quality albums that can only be supplied by professional photographers. The “boutique” element to our business means that our clients have a one-on-one relationship with a designer until their project is complete. New York clients can liaise with their designer by coming to our Union Square studio to work through design changes or enjoy the ease of our online viewing software. Our wide range of albums means that we can work with many different visions and budgets. Finally, we really enjoy our work and sharing people’s memories.
To learn more about the Album Room, visit albumroom.com!
