Onoto Pen Co.

The Onoto Pen Co has been designing and making classic craftsman-made fountain pens since 1905.

Onoto have recently had a full Brand redesign, altering their identity across all formats.  In line with their new approach they also wanted to change the photography,  without fully knowing the style they would like to proceed with.

With no firm brief in mind I went into the test shoot with a view to let the products themselves influence the style of photography.

As a luxury brand I decided to keep the background as simple as possible to really focus on the amazing quality of the pens and the intricate details.  I shot these on black acrylic to give the foreground reflections with a black background to keep it simple.

With the photography styling agreed the first full shoot was for Onoto’s Christmas promotion.  For these I used fairy lights in the background for a warm festive look, with other decorations in the foreground.

The most recent shoot has been for the new Oxford University range.  For this project a mix of the Black background images as well as pure pack shot cutout images. 

With more limited editions and collaborations coming in the future I’m looking forward to the next project.

Alex Bailey