TUSK: Brand Photography Case Study by Dhvani Patel

Introduction

Finding a photographic identity for an everyday object.

TUSK is a smart electric toothbrush from riidl, a startup building everyday products with a sharper design sensibility. This project set out to give the product its own photography language — one that could carry it across product shots and film.

What

TUSK brand photography

Role

Visual direction / photography

Output

Product photography + advertising film

Close macro row of TUSK toothbrush heads with printed smiley faces

Visual Exploration

Testing moods, colour, and light.

Before settling on a direction, the process moved through a range of colour and lighting treatments — looking for what matched the spirit of the product.

TUSK toothbrush emerging from green-lit foam against a black background, an early colour exploration

TUSK toothbrush emerging from magenta-lit foam against a black background, an early colour exploration

TUSK toothbrush resting on cobalt-blue glass pebbles under warm light, an early prop and texture exploration

Test Shots

Pushing the product against very different settings.

Early test shots ranged from dramatic and minimal to warm and lived-in, checking how the product read in each.

TUSK toothbrush lit against a plain black background, a contrast test shot

Light

Testing contrast and product visibility.

TUSK toothbrush and packaging styled with white flowers and a palm leaf on a white surface

TUSK toothbrush styled with white flowers and a palm leaf on striped fabric, a lifestyle test crop

Context

Exploring how the product could live within a bathroom/lifestyle environment.

Direction

Two concepts, narrowed to a direction.

The experimentation narrowed to two colour directions — a dark, charcoal-toned styling with a sharp, electric edge, and a cobalt-blue, bathroom-countertop styling with a fresher, everyday feel.

Three TUSK toothbrushes backlit in silhouette against black, representing the dark charcoal concept

Concept 1 · Dark & Charcoal

Two TUSK toothbrushes resting on cobalt-blue glass pebbles, representing the cobalt blue concept

Concept 2 · Cobalt Blue

Final Photography

The chosen direction, photographed.

Both concepts carried through to the final set — a dark, elevated product study, and a fresher lifestyle composition.

Final TUSK product photograph: the toothbrush head and body shown diagonally against black, reading ELEVATE TUSK — the chosen dark direction

Final Direction

Final TUSK lifestyle photograph on a cobalt-blue bathroom countertop with flowers and packaging

Lifestyle Study

Learnings

What the shoot taught along the way.

01

Narrowing the Direction

Too many initial ideas made it difficult to converge. Brainstorming sessions and mood boards helped merge them into one cohesive concept.

02

Working with Equipment

Lighting, camera settings, and equipment required experimentation, along with coordinating shared gear with other teams.

03

Time

A detailed shot list and scheduled time blocks for each section of the shoot helped keep it on track.

Looking Ahead

A better-planned schedule, more time set aside for concepts, equipment checks, and props, and clearer creative direction through mood boards and storyboards from the outset.