JTP
JTP
About
Client
Jay Towns Photography
Role
Founder, Creative Director
Project
Seasonal Campaign
Year
2025
Client
Jay Towns Photography
Role
Founder, Creative Director
Project
Seasonal Campaign
Year
2025
Client
Jay Towns Photography
Role
Founder, Creative Director
Project
Seasonal Campaign
Year
2025
Process
(01)
The Company
Founded in 2018 during my freshman year at Northwestern University, Jay Towns Photography has grown into a Chicago-based practice serving over 500 clients. While the business has expanded, Northwestern remains a meaningful throughline. I return each year to re-engage the community that shaped my earliest work as a creative freelancer.
(01)
The Company
Founded in 2018 during my freshman year at Northwestern University, Jay Towns Photography has grown into a Chicago-based practice serving over 500 clients. While the business has expanded, Northwestern remains a meaningful throughline. I return each year to re-engage the community that shaped my earliest work as a creative freelancer.
(01)
The Company
Founded in 2018 during my freshman year at Northwestern University, Jay Towns Photography has grown into a Chicago-based practice serving over 500 clients. While the business has expanded, Northwestern remains a meaningful throughline. I return each year to re-engage the community that shaped my earliest work as a creative freelancer.
(02)
The Insight
Northwestern student life is universal and niche at the same time. Everyone is overwhelmed in roughly the same ways, but no one wants to feel like just another name on a booking calendar, especially when it comes to graduation photos. More than style or price, students are looking for a signal of trust in a graduation photographer's competence and expertise. Photo: 2021 JTP Poster Design
(02)
The Insight
Northwestern student life is universal and niche at the same time. Everyone is overwhelmed in roughly the same ways, but no one wants to feel like just another name on a booking calendar, especially when it comes to graduation photos. More than style or price, students are looking for a signal of trust in a graduation photographer's competence and expertise. Photo: 2021 JTP Poster Design
(02)
The Insight
Northwestern student life is universal and niche at the same time. Everyone is overwhelmed in roughly the same ways, but no one wants to feel like just another name on a booking calendar, especially when it comes to graduation photos. More than style or price, students are looking for a signal of trust in a graduation photographer's competence and expertise. Photo: 2021 JTP Poster Design
(03)
The Process
Now a full campus cycle removed, my ads toe the line bewtween being too polished and trying too hard to be relatable. It’s not believable to say “I’m just like you” when I haven’t sat in a classroom in years. Instead, my messaging pulls on evergreen truths: the chaos of grad season, classic Northwestern overthink, and the quiet pressure to get grad photos right — if not for you, at least for your parents. That distilled insight becomes the copy. I pair it with images from the most recent season, intentionally featuring students who are visible and well-known in their circles, so the work feels current, credible, and anchored in the community itself. Photo: 2023 JTP Poster Design
(03)
The Process
Now a full campus cycle removed, my ads toe the line bewtween being too polished and trying too hard to be relatable. It’s not believable to say “I’m just like you” when I haven’t sat in a classroom in years. Instead, my messaging pulls on evergreen truths: the chaos of grad season, classic Northwestern overthink, and the quiet pressure to get grad photos right — if not for you, at least for your parents. That distilled insight becomes the copy. I pair it with images from the most recent season, intentionally featuring students who are visible and well-known in their circles, so the work feels current, credible, and anchored in the community itself. Photo: 2023 JTP Poster Design
(03)
The Process
Now a full campus cycle removed, my ads toe the line bewtween being too polished and trying too hard to be relatable. It’s not believable to say “I’m just like you” when I haven’t sat in a classroom in years. Instead, my messaging pulls on evergreen truths: the chaos of grad season, classic Northwestern overthink, and the quiet pressure to get grad photos right — if not for you, at least for your parents. That distilled insight becomes the copy. I pair it with images from the most recent season, intentionally featuring students who are visible and well-known in their circles, so the work feels current, credible, and anchored in the community itself. Photo: 2023 JTP Poster Design
(04)
The Result
Rivaled only by moms in Facebook groups, these seasonal posters became the primary acquisition engine for JTP: • 300+ students photographed over seven years, with peak volume in 2022 and peak revenue in 2025. • Margins per shoot increased ~150% over four years, driven by referrals, repeat visibility, and compounding trust. Go Cats 💜 | Photo: Graduation 2024
(04)
The Result
Rivaled only by moms in Facebook groups, these seasonal posters became the primary acquisition engine for JTP: • 300+ students photographed over seven years, with peak volume in 2022 and peak revenue in 2025. • Margins per shoot increased ~150% over four years, driven by referrals, repeat visibility, and compounding trust. Go Cats 💜 | Photo: Graduation 2024
(04)
The Result
Rivaled only by moms in Facebook groups, these seasonal posters became the primary acquisition engine for JTP: • 300+ students photographed over seven years, with peak volume in 2022 and peak revenue in 2025. • Margins per shoot increased ~150% over four years, driven by referrals, repeat visibility, and compounding trust. Go Cats 💜 | Photo: Graduation 2024
