March 8th, 2009 at 06:34pm
Under Branding
Logos can be described as visual icons that provide a unique identification element to a business or product. Logos provide quick visual recognition of a Company which in-turn builds branding. Business owners and overly enthusiastic artists can often go astray in their efforts to design the perfect logo. There are too many examples of logo designs that look uninspired, overtly abstract or seem to be nothing more than whimsical art. Many of these logos are designed without forethought into usage, application or even cost impact upon a business. So how do you create a logo that makes business sense? Consider following a few simple guidelines:
Remember that your logo is a business tool. Your design concept should begin with a commitment to portray your business as professional and competent. A logo is not an art piece! Avoid using elements that may give a dated look such as those 1970s flowers that were on so many Volkswagen Beetle cars. A logo design should take into consideration how, when and where the logo will be used. A logo has a cost impact upon your business from the day that it is introduced. There is more to designing a logo than simply hiring an artist or online art shop to assemble shapes and colors it is a business decision.
Create your logo using vector graphics software. Simply put, images done in vector graphics can be resized and maintain design integrity. There is no loss in clarity, sharpness or definition and the file size remains constant. A common program for creating vector graphics is Adobe Illustrator. Software like Photoshop, which works in pixels, is better suite to working with photos and texture style areas. You can create your original image in any software but have it redone in a vector graphics format before you print or reproduce your logo. After all, a logo is all about sharp image.
Avoid complicated and intricate designs. A logo that is too intricate hinders rapid visual identification. The viewer is required to study the image in order to mentally process the image and relate its identification to a given company. Note the simplicity and high visual impact of the Nike Swish, an excellent image. Another reason to avoid complicated designs is that they do not reduce well. A busy, intricate logo on the side of a company truck may look wonderful but when the same logo is reduced in size for use on a business card it may become a meaningless blob of ink. Keep it simple and clean.
Limit color selection to a maximum of three colors. Ideally use one or two colors but never more than three. There are three main reasons for this guideline. One, your printing costs for printing business cards, letterhead, envelops, labels, etc. are increased for every additional color that you require. Your cheap logo design could end up costing you a lot of money. Reason number two, your visual impact or even identification could be diminished or completely lost in some mediums. Consider a logo that has overlaid images of different colors looks nice, right? What about when you fax your proposal or letter and your logo is now in a black and white realm? Does the black and white (grayscale) version still provide distinction? An example of lost-in-translation logo is a peacock used to promote color and via fax it ends up looking like a turkey. A final note on color selection is to carefully consider cultural and marketplace standards. For example, red may be lesser choice for a medical company due to the negative association of red to blood/danger whereas green might infer safety or a positive status.
Consistency and control in font usage. Do not use over two font styles, as it may be distracting and confusing. Try to use a standard font such as Times New Roman, Arial, etc. as it makes commercial reproduction of your image easier. Any font style should be sans serif and typically non-script to improve clarity in small format reproduction. An exception is a logo/name where the logo is the script font such as the trade name of a popular soft drink in a uniquely shaped bottle.
Check Trademark and Registration Rights. While a new logo runs a low statistical chance of violating any trademark or registration rights of any existing logo it is not a bad idea to make some effort to confirm this before you publish your new logo. And after you have settled on a final logo design you should take the effort to register or trademark your own logo. If you need an example of why then consider the yellow pages Walking Fingers logo. The design was never trademarked or registered and has no copyrights protection it could have been, but wasnt a huge loss of value for the original creators.
Get Real Services of Marietta, Georgia, specializes in small business consulting, marketing services, advertising, logo and website design for small to mid-sized businesses in the United States. For more information on this or related topics please contact their offices at 770.654.3223, send an e-mail to GetRealServices@bellsouth.net or visit http://www.GetRealServices.com
Author: James Hobson
Keywords: Logo design, business logo design, corporate logo design, logos, logo design firms, logo designers
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By admin
March 8th, 2009 at 06:34pm
Under Branding
Naming a is like laying the cornerstone of a building. Once it’s in place, the entire foundation and structure is aligned to that original stone. If it’s off, the rest of the building is off, and the misalignment becomes amplified. So if you have that gnawing sense that choosing a name for your new is vitally important — you’re right. With 18 years in the naming and , I’ve witnessed the good, the bad, and the really bad. Here’s how you can avoid the worst of the mistakes and get off to a good start.
Mistake #1: The Committee (Getting all your clients, employees and family members involved)
We live in a democratic society and it seems like the right thing to do- involving everyone in an important decision. This approach, however, presents a few problems. The first and most obvious fact is that you will end up choosing only one name — so you risk alienating the very people you are trying to involve. Second, you often end up with a consensus decision, resulting in a very safe and very vanilla name. A better method is to involve only the key decision makers, the fewer the better, and select only the people you feel have the company’s best interests at heart. The need for personal recognition can skew results– so you are best served by those who can park their egos at the door. Also make sure you have some right brain types in the mix. Too many left brains and the name often ends up too literal and descriptive.
Mistake #2: The Train Wreck (Taking two words and colliding them head on)
When forced to come up with a creative name, many aspiring entrepreneurs will simply take part of an adjective and weld it onto a noun. The results are names that have a certain twisted rationale to them, but look and sound awful. Someone starting a high end service franchise then becomes QualiServe. It’s a bit like mixing chocolate syrup with ketchup- nothing wrong with either but they just don’t go together. Other common truncations include Ameri, Tech, Corp, Tron, etc. The problem with this approach is that its simply forced and it sounds that way.
Mistake #3: Where’s Waldo? (Names so plain they’ll never stand out in a crowd)
The first company in a category can get away with this one. Hence you have General Motors, General Electric, etc. But once you have competition, it requires differentiation. Imagine if Yahoo! had come out as GeneralInternetDirectory.com? It would be much more descriptive, but hardly memorable. And with the onslaught of new media and advertising channels, it’s more important than ever to carve out your niche by displaying your uniqueness. Nothing does that better than a well conceived name.
Mistake #4: The Atlas Approach (Using a map to name your company)
In the zeal to start a new company, many es choose to use their city, state or region as part of their name. While this may actually help in the beginning, it often becomes a hindrance as a company grows. One client came to me with complaints he was serving more of the market than his name implied. He had aptly called it St. Pete Plumbing since he hailed from St. Petersburg, Florida. But yellow page shoppers assumed that was also his entire service area. With a little creative tinkering we changed the image of St. Pete from a city to the image of St. Pete himself, complete with wings and a plumber’s wrench. The new tag line? We work miracles!
Other companies have struggled with the same issue. Minnesota Manufacturing and Mining was growing beyond their industry and their state. To avoid limiting their growth they became 3M, a company now known for innovation. Kentucky Fried Chicken is now KFC, de-emphasizing the regional nature of the original name. Both of these companies made strategic moves to avoid stifling their growth. Learn from them and you can avoid this potential bottleneck.
Mistake #5: Clich you say? (A good name is worth a thousand words)
Once past the literal, descriptive stage, the thought process usually turns to metaphors. These can be great if they are not overly used to the point of trite. Since many companies think of themselves as the top in their industry, the world is full of names like Summit, Apex, Pinnacle, Peak, etc. While there is nothing inherently wrong with these names, they are just overworked. Look for combinations of positive words and metaphors and you will be much better served. A good example is the Fortune 1000 data storage company Iron Mountain, which conveys strength and security without sounding commonplace.
Mistake #6: Hide the Meaning (Make it so obscure, the customer will never know!)
Its great for a name to have a special meaning or significance. Its sets up a story that can be used to tell the company message. But if the reference is too obscure and too hard to spell and pronounce, you may never have the opportunity to speak to that customer. They will simply pass you by as irrelevant. So resist the urge to name your company after the mythical Greek god of fast service or the Latin phrase for Were number one! If a name has a natural, intuitive sound and a special meaning, it can work. If its too complex and puzzling, it will remain a mystery to your customers. This is especially true if you are reaching out to a mass audience.
I pushed the envelope a little on this one myself, naming my firm Tungsten, after the metal that Thomas Edison used to create brilliant light. However, my clientele consists of knowledgeable professionals who appreciate a good metaphor and expect a firm to have a story behind its name. Its also a way to differentiate my services (illuminated, bright, brilliant). So while it works for a firm, it would not do well as an ice cream parlor.
Mistake #7: The Campbells Approach (Using alphabet soup to name your firm)
This is a trend that is thankfully wearing off. Driven by the need for a matching domain name, many companies have resorted to awkwardly constructed or purposefully misspelled names. The results are company names that sound more like prescription drugs than real life es. Mistake #2 sometimes gets combined with this one and results in a name like KwaliTronix. (Or worse- mistakes #2 , #4 & #7, resulting in KwalTronixUSA). Its amazing how good some names begin to sound after searching for available domain names all night. But resist the urge. Avoid using a K in place of a Q or a Ph in place of an F. This makes spelling the name, and locating you on the internet, all that much harder.
Its not that coined or invented names cannot work, they often do. Take for example, Xerox or Kodak. But keep it mind, names like these have no intrinsic or linguistic meaning, so they rely heavily on advertising and that gets expensive. Many of the companies that use this approach were either first in category, or had large marketing budgets. Verizon spent millions on their re effort. So did Accenture. So check your pocketbook before you check into these type of names.
Mistake #8: Sit On It. (When in doubt, make no change at all)
Many owners know they have a problem with their name and just hope it will somehow magically resolve itself. The original name for one of my clients was Portables, which reminded some people of the outdoor restrooms or the portable class rooms- neither one a good association. This added to the confusion when phone operators tried to explain their new concept of moving and storage. After some careful tweaking, we came up with the name PODS, an acronym for Portable On Demand Storage. The rest is quickly becoming history as they expand both nationally and internationally. Peter Warhust, President and one of the original founders states, For the record, changing our name to PODS was one of the best moves we ever made.
Exercise Experience, a former Florida based company, was frequently confused with a health club. In reality, they sold very high-end fitness equipment. This brings up a very key point — its better to have a name thats gives no impression than a name that gives a wrong impression. Much of the ad budget we spent on Exercise Experience was used to clarify that they sold fitness equipment. This was valuable airtime that could have been put to better use selling the equipment rather than explaining the . Ultimately, the company folded. Its not to say it was solely because of the name, but I believe it was a factor.
Mike Harper of Huntington Beach, CA, bought a thirty-year old janitorial and building maintenance company named Regency. We both agreed it sounded more like a downtown movie theatre than a progressive facilities management firm. After a thorough naming search, we developed the name Spruce Facilities Management. Spruce not only conveyed the environmentally friendly image of a spruce tree, (something important to the client), it also meant to clean up. The new tag line fell right in place Spruce The Everclean Company.
Its only a matter of time before Southwest Airlines and Burlington Coat Factory and others who have successfully outgrown their original markets begin to question their positioning. Much like 3M and KFC, they may need to make a change to keep pace with their growth and image.
In the fever to start your new or expand a current one, take time to think through some of these issues. According to the late Henry Ford, Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it. Albert Einstein took it one step further claiming, Imagination is more important than knowledge. By tapping into your creativity and avoiding these potential pitfalls, youll be able to create a name that works both short and long term one that allows for future growth. Like the original cornerstone of a building, it will support upward expansion as your company reaches new heights.
Phils life goal of creating environments where people thrive reflects his desire to assist in personal, professional and growth. Phil founded and ran a full service ad agency for over 17 years and now works full time as a naming and consultant. Phil resides with wife Michelle and four energetic offspring outside Asheville, North Carolina His work can be viewed at http://PureTungsten.com
Author: Phillip Davis
Keywords: naming a company, naming a , ideas for a company name, tips on naming a company or .
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March 8th, 2009 at 06:34pm
Under Branding
Ive been reminded recently, rather forcefully, that not all reality hackers are anti-neoconservatives. Bush endorses teaching intelligent design. I cant help hearing intelligent design as emerging from scores of focus group research.
Theres a war going on. Im not safe in my own house. Americans are bombarded by 3,000 paid messages each day Media uses militaristic terminology. In movie theaters, we are referred to as captive audiences. TV networks call us a target. If I click on a banner ad they refer to me as a hit.
Im sitting among memetic hitmen. Im writing from the 2005 US Account Planning Conference -Exploring the New Power of Creativity in Chicago’s Fairmont hotel.
Im not a registered attendee as I have been in years past. Im wireless in the lobby of the Fairmont Hotel, so I am a paying customer of the hotel. Im only trespassing when I actually attend the conference or eat a meal at their open buffets.
If youve read Thomas Frank’s One Market Under God, you know who these people are, social engineers for advertising and corporatocracy. My experience has been that most of these attendees get offended when I refer to them as social engineers. Im not really sorry if I am offending you by challenging your sensibilities.
Account Planning is the Peace Corp of CorporatocarcyThe Peace Corp General is a presidential appointee, those involved are an extension of George Bush. Account Planners may be doing good, but they are also paving the way. Similarly, account planners regularly pride themselves on being consumer advocates. I do it. It does help people. Regularly, account planners are the ones saying we can profit more if we screw the consumer less. Of course, that language is not often used.
Case-in-point: I worked on Baskin Robbins 2 Scoop Sunday for $1.99 promotion which greatly increased sales. A regular 2 Scoop Sunday had five ounces of ice cream covered in sauce and nuts and a cherry: two 2.5 ounce scoops of ice cream. This $1.99 promotion used one 2.5 scoop and one 1.5 scoop. Consumers were happy. We were selling happiness bythe waythat was our brand essence. Consumer had accepted one big scoop and a smaller scoop for $1.99.
They, the new product development engineersas they were called, wanted to make the $1.99 Sunday two 1.5 scoops. I thought that might be fine. However, as the numbers were played with, and the concept of one big sccop and one small scoop resurfaced, they said that they should make it one 1.5 ounce scoop and one 1 once scoop. Then, it was proposed we give them two 1-ounce scoops and the consumer would be happy with all the sauce and nuts and a cherry.
I said, Maybe we can just sell a happy face for $1.99 They said, What? I said, There coming in to our stores to buy ice cream. We have said that ice cream is happiness. They may be willing to compromise for price, but giving them 40% of happiness they expected, even at a discount, may leave them dissappointed, and then we arent promoting happiness.
Consumers eventually got 3-ounces of ice cream. I negotiate another ounce of cream for each patron. I was doing good. Thats the cool aid: Im standing up for people.
When I read John Perkin’s Confessions Of An Economic Hitman, I felt like I should write The confessions of a memetic engineer.
Yesterday, I saw my old boss Jeffrey Blish give a lecture on the state of culture and account planning. He is a genius. His writing, before he found Jesus-I mean advertising-created the use of % of RDA on packaged foods. That was good. But I digress.
Yesterday, I saw Jeffrey speak about his work at Deutsch and their broadening influence on culture. He showed a Bon Jovi video his creative director Erik Hirschberg had concepted, a video that promotes the viral use of a smirk for subsuming the rage of youngsters. Brilliant memetic idea. Erik recently said, Brands are the new religion. Jeff Johnson, CEO of WestWayne says the same thing. The Culting of Brands explores the tactics of this brand warfare.
Jeffrey spoke about the power of irrational reasons to believe. Great cheese comes from happy cows. Happy cows come from California. Then Jefferey asked, Hows that for logic? Of course it is intellishit and he knows this and he is proud it is working so well and he should be.
Jeffrey suggested that those of us who wish to harness this technology should focus on two questions:
1) How is media consumption changing?
2) How is the consumer brand relationship changing?
Im more concerned with being an advocate for transparency.
Howard Campbell Recovering Ad Executive http://www.BenMack.com http://www.PokerWithoutCards.com
After 12 years in advertising, research and communications, Ben Mack is a writer and a freelance account planner. Ben is edgier than most freelancers. If you have a fringe project, he’s your guy. In the mean time, check out his blog at http://www.intellishit.com Thank you for your consideration.
Author: Howard Campbell
Keywords: account planning, apg, corporatocracy, ben mack, brand strategy, intelligent design, memetics
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By admin
March 8th, 2009 at 06:34pm
Under Branding
Imagine if Yahoo! had been named TheInternetDirectoy. Or StarBucks was christened Premier Coffees. The names would be far more descriptive than their current ones. But they wouldnt embody the essence or spirit of the companies they represent. Even if they offered the exact same goods and services, its unlikely Yahoo! or StarBucks would enjoy the same market share they now possess if given the more descriptive, and arguably accurate, names.
Now why is that?
In short, great brand names leverage our emotions. They resonate with the experiential right side of the brain vs. the logical left lobe. And emotions carry more motivational charge than logic. People buy emotionally and then justify rationally. And because great brand names create mental pictures they equate to a proverbial thousand descriptive words. They are the zipped files, the condensed soup, the computer macros, that all expand and unfold in our minds every time they are seen or heard.
Creating emotionally charged names requires knowledge, expertise and a knack for wording. The first place to find positively charged names is in the words themselves. Words have equity and that equity can be transferred into a company or product name. For example, a company that wanted their customers to see their products and services as fresh, new and exciting borrowed the emotional charge associated with the word virgin. Thats how we have Virgin Airlines and Virgin Records. A computer company demonstrated its fresh, friendly approach to the industry with the consumable name Apple. A campy clothing company exuded adventure with its name Banana Republic. An online job board wanted to impress employers and job seekers with its massive listings hence Monster. And need I mention Amazon? Borrowing on the attributes intrinsic to a word or phrase is a natural way to instantly instill emotion in a brand name.
But with more and more dictionary words being used, hoarded and trademarked, whats a company to do? Another way is to simply put familiar positive words into unique combinations. Witness our previous example of StarBucks. Whats brighter than a star or has more mass appeal than money? Does it say coffee? No, but it sounds more appealing than The Coffee Corral. And more importantly, company names rarely exist in a vacuum. They are on a sign above the store, or on a proposal or on a card being handed over by a salesperson. There is contextual support that helps fill in the blank so the name doesnt have to do all the literal, descriptive explaining. Thats where a lot of companies err. They make the name explain their category rather than evoke their benefits.
Yet another way of accomplishing this task is by creating a word that sounds ish. When I say ish I mean it sounds like it matches the company or product- even if it doesnt make sense. An example you ask? But of course. My favorite is Viagra. It has the V of vigor and vitality, plus the iagra of Niagra. While not an existing word, it plays on existing, familiar parts and patterns of speech that create a natural flow to the name. Hence the name Viagra is, in my book, ish. It fits the product and the category. Cialis doesnt. Which means Cialis will have to buy the emotional bond with lots of emotion-rich (and expensive) advertising. It can be done, but it will cost. A whole lot.
Borrowing existing word equity, creating unique combinations and inventing ish words. Just three of the ways to develop a great brand name. Try each of these techniques and if you can’t come up with a name, ask a really good Scrabble player!
Phil Davis - President, Tungsten Brand Marketing
Phils life goal of creating environments where people thrive reflects his desire to assist in personal, professional and growth. Phil founded and ran a full service ad agency for over 17 years and now works full time as a naming and consultant. Phil resides with wife Michelle and four energetic offspring outside Asheville, North Carolina.
For more information visit: PureTungsten.com
Email: Phil@PureTungsten.com
Author: Phillip Davis
Keywords: naming a , naming a company, naming a corporation, naming firm, naming tips, naming advice
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By admin
March 8th, 2009 at 06:34pm
Under Branding
What about me? Are you asking yourself this question? If not you should be. Don’t wait until you are in crisis mode when you are losing your job or your business before you think what about me?
Here are a few points to consider.
No one is indispensable. What’s your best option to make yourself essential?
What would happen if you lost your job?
Are you expecting a raise this year? How much?
What would happen if you were asked to locate?
What would you do if you suddenly decide you can’t stand your job anymore?
Get the picture. Keep these considerations in mind and put yourself in the forefront of this thought process.
So what about you? Are you waiting for the ax to fall or are you sitting on the sidelines letting events carry you along? Are you actively pursuing avenues that will help you manage your destiny rather than it managing you?
I’m always amazed but the number of colleagues who come out of the woodwork when they get in trouble. I have been providing them with a game plan for years, but it has fallen on deaf ears. When the going gets rough they then call for help.
The best advice I can give is to be proactive. Get a routine established in self- promotion before it’s too late. Plan a self promotion activity every week so that you constantly focus on your visibility.
Here are some self promotion ideas for consideration:
Write an article.
Make a speech.
Write a press release.
Enter a competition.
Get an interview.
Start an e-zine.
Get a personal website.
Pick up the phone and call old contacts.
Send out a clever how are you card.
Give a testimonial.
Attend a conference.
Does that give you enough ideas? Every week you should schedule at least one of the above activities. The summer is an ideal time to get started because work is a little less hectic. Here’s a hint. Use the dog days of summer as a theme. Have a lot of fun with this one with great cards, funny dog cartoons and other creative ideas.
FYI: Dog Days is the name for the sultriest period of summer, from about July 3 to Aug. 11. Named in early times by observers in countries bordering the Mediterranean, the period was reckoned as extending from 20 days before to 20 days after the conjunction of Sirius (the dog star) and the sun.
So happy dog days of self promotion. Get busy because the next time I hear from you I don’t want to learn you have gone to the dogs.
JoAnn Hines’ specialty is PACKAGING PEOPLE. Whether you want to be paid more, you just lost your job, or you want to progress in the one you have, Ms. Hines advice and expertise can help you transform your personal brand. She can show you how to package yourself and make your brand a hot commodity. It’s easy once you know the ropes and begin to utilize her insider’s secrets. She shows you step by step how to increase your visibility, credibility and marketability with easy to use tutorials and templates.
It is time to get started Packaging Yourself. Email me the Chief People Packager @ pkgcoach@aol.com
Author: JoAnn Hines
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By admin
March 8th, 2009 at 06:34pm
Under Branding
As consumers, we don’t really think about the importance of branding. We just seem to go with the flow of brand names that have become synonymous with our daily living. But the impact of a name reinforces the importance of branding when we promote our business. Think about one of the world’s most popular athletic shoe companies, Nike. The importance of branding is exemplified by the fact that when you hear Nike, you think athletics and Just Do It. A great brand name and association has catapulted Nike to the top of its industry.
When you are considering the name of your company, you need to remember the importance of branding. Deciding on a name is not a fluke, but instead is a well thought out process and analysis of names and meaning. The importance of branding begins with creating a simple name for your company. Consumers remember simple. Also, making sure your name can be associated with a positive value, characteristic, or position is part of the importance of branding. Consumers like products to which they can associate positive qualities.
Another aspect of the importance of branding is that your name must be different and unique. If your name is too close to another company’s then people are likely to mix you up, which reduces revenue. Also, the importance of branding needs to be voiced to your employees so that your message is clear to all of your employees and the public. If you have a vision or goal statement, then you need to voice the importance of branding here also. Employees need to understand the importance of branding so that it is communicated in the office and to consumers every day. The message you are trying to get across in branding depends on your employees putting it out there to consumers.
Still don’t think there is any importance of branding as it applies to your company? Well consider that brand name recognition can increase your profits by between 10 to 20 percent. If you are looking to increase your profits, then you may come to understand the importance of branding. Analyze the importance of branding and determine how you can use your name to promote positive qualities. Encourage your employees to learn about the importance of branding and to put the branding message out to the consumer. Believe in your brand name, what it means, and consumers will follow.
Hopefully this articles has proven useful to you. Download my Free E-Book and receive valuable tips, strategies and techniques designed to grow a successful Home Based Business. Receive The Free Quick Start Workbook.
Copyright Charles Fuchs is an established Six Figure Income earner and one of the top online marketer’s. He specializes in helping people start their very own Work at Home and Home Based Business on the internet.
I grant permission to publish this article, electronically or in print, as long as the bylines are included, with a live link, and the article is not changed in any way.
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March 8th, 2009 at 06:34pm
Under Branding
My logo and color scheme started one lovely spring day in my office, after two years of working with words and images. I purchased some rubber stamps and played with them. A logo emerged: simple, elegant, with the right feeling for my . I took the ideas from the stamps and played with Photoshop on the computer until I had created an original logo that felt totally right.
Luckily for me, in my day job I worked among some of the top designers in the world at the Department of Architecture at MIT. An elegant Italian Ph.D. student named Maria was doing me the favor of giving me feedback on my logo. She loved it! That was reassuring, but what really helped was what she said next.
And this can be your color scheme, too! You can get green boxes, or white bags or boxes with green ribbons, and make all your packaging match up with this. Oh, it will be so pretty!
This started the wheels turning for me. Until then, I had gone with a rich, sparkly look. My display had used deep colors: black velvet, sheer purple fabric with silver snowflakes, and black velvet displays. Using this logo, and getting the advice from Maria, meant that I would need to go in a different direction.
I decided that the color scheme for everything in my would be the colors of my logo: lime green, white and grey. First I designed cards that were professionally printed on white glossy cardstock. Then I designed my website in these and coordinating colors.
For packaging, I used kraft boxes with round logo stickers, then moved to organza bags in white and pale lime green. I gradually changed my show setup so I had the perfect color tablecloths in pale lime green, with white and black displays and fixtures; even my tent is green. I also added a little color and whimsy in the form of bright bowls from which I hung flowerpot creatures purchased from a crafts shop. The creatures have proven so popular that I bought extra to resell at shows!
Little by little I continue to improve my setup, making it more elegant and professional. Each time I set up, I receive many compliments on the setup itself, and it does attract customers. People find the color scheme peaceful and inviting, and it doesnt compete with the jewelry. I also found this when I designed a brochure. The jewelry is quite colorful, and the subtlety of my color scheme provides a good background for it.
My advice for when you are setting up a logo, website and/or booth is to find a color scheme that matches you and the feeling you want your to convey. Dont be afraid to experiment with different pieces to get the look you want; it has taken me three years to get to this point, and its still developing. You may want it to be as colorful as the rainbow or as sophisticated as basic black. Whatever it is, the important thing is to be consistent. That way, people will start to recognize the look of your and remember you, helping to build over time.
Author Susan Midlarsky of Aspiring Arts handcrafts jewelry with stones that harmonize well and are beneficial to the human body, color combinations that are connected to refinement, and sometimes offerings from nature. She has also recently started making glass beads; you can see her progress at her online blog. Susan loves the magical glow people feel upon finding a piece of jewelry that suits them or fills a need.
Author: Susan Midlarsky
Keywords: logo design, color scheme, logo, web design, web site design, design web, web page design
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March 8th, 2009 at 06:34pm
Under Branding
As a beginner, you would be forgiven for thinking that marketing is simply advertising your product or service, how wrong you are.
Marketing is the art of allowing people to know that your business exists. You could be selling brand new BMW’s at $1 each, but if nobody ever got to hear of your amazing deals then nobody could ever buy into the bargain. You would be left, scratching your head, thinking how do those dealers keep selling them?
You must get your message out by every method known to mankind. This can be by direct advertisement, by personal contact, by phone, by chat room, by ebook, by viral methods, by contests, by giveaways, by conference, by affiliation, by broadcast, by joint venture, by email, by by by, the list is endless. The subtleties of branding and image all play their vital roles.
Take this strange event for example, if I flew over Disney World one day in a small aircraft, like you do, then buzzed around for a while and wrote my name, Pete Lauder, in smoke, into the sky. Everyone that looked up would say Pete Lauder, who’s he?
Most would ignore the whole affair and carry on with the day out, but a small element would think, Pete Lauder, I’ll find out. On returning home they would most likely tap my name into Google and find one of my web pages, but there would be no mention of any event in Florida, in fact, as much as I love Florida, I live in the UK. They would then go on to read my site, trying to find out about this strange sky writing. As a result of visiting my sites, some readers would buy my product, some would subscribe to my newsletter, but they would all remember my name, perhaps only subconsciously, but remember me they would.
You don’t need to fly over Disney World, be clever and use the net.
Take ten years and propel yourself into the future, a major recession has hit the western world and everyone is suffering. The people that were once too cautious to venture into business, now see it for what it is, a means of survival. They want to maintain the lifestyle they once knew, and surely want to add to it, so they begin to look around the internet at some of the offers that bombard their inbox daily.
Very soon they will come across the words, by Pete Lauder. Our prospect will instantly, subconciously connect with the name, because they have seen it before, and as if by magic, our prospect will follow me down any path I am steering at the time.
Because I’ve been working away in the background for ten years with my marketing, I am still around, and my name is a respected authority on internet business, and quite rightly so. I am sitting pretty, but my business still needs prospects.
By doing what I do now, I can guarantee that there will never be a shortage of new and eager prospects knocking on my door for the rest of my life. Your mission is to get yourself known and accepted, by every means possible. I am an experienced copywriter, but prefer to illustrate my messages by highlighting a method and allowing the prospect to work it out, this is a very powerful marketing technique, and you should be using it.
Marketing is never advertising for the moment, as I write this, although it is a legitimate, informative, published article, it is still, a form of marketing.
Just for the record, do you remember my name?
Pete Lauder is an internet publisher and success coach with a wealth of practical business experience. You can learn all aspects of business and success, by creating systems that allow you to earn as you learn. http://homebizassistant.com
Author: Pete Lauder
Keywords: Pete Lauder, branding, advertising your product or service, respected authority on internet business
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March 8th, 2009 at 06:34pm
Under Branding
Companies have been their collateral materials such as letterhead, envelopes, cards, etc. for years. In fact, we often identify a company by its familiar logo or special color scheme. Branding works!! At the same time, many companies send customers and vendors large files, proposals and presentations on CD-Rs. Since CD-Rs have become the new and more efficient way of exchanging important information, it would seem that more companies would find it valuable to brand their CD-Rs also.
Most CD-Rs purchased by es come from retail office supply stores. These generic CDs usually have the logo of the retail store or disc manufacturer printed on the label. So why promote the store that sells the media? Companies are missing an excellent opportunity to brand themselves in this manner!
Another positive to with this type of media is in the perceived value of the media itself. People tend to keep CD-Rs because they are perceived as something of value.
To make sure that you dont miss this important opportunity, here is the solution! Find a CD duplication vendor who will provide your company with branded media. Yes, you too can brand your company by arranging to have your logo screen printed on each piece of blank media you purchase (ours is pictured above). Also, the quality of the media will be much higher than the media you purchased at the retail office supply store.
When artwork for your company logo is created for CD-Rs, enough room should be left on the disc to write specifics about the discs contents, such as version number, serial number, a date, a persons name, etc. A process called Perfect Printing is an option for customizing this information after your company logo has been screen printed on each blank disc. The combination of your screen printed logo and the Perfect Printing of specific content will give your media a more professional look. Furthermore, anyone looking at your discs will see your company name over and over again.
So, what are you waiting for? Start your media today!!!
To find out more information visit on how to brand your CD-Rs visit www.spinergymedia.com.
Article by: Adam Platzer Spinergy CD Replication, CD Duplication, DVD Replication, DVD Duplication, CD Screen Printing Phone: 800-333-1428 http://www.spinergymedia.com
Author: Adam Platzer
Keywords: CD Replication, CD Duplication, DVD Replication, DVD Duplication, CD Screen Printing
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March 8th, 2009 at 06:34pm
Under Branding
Discovering and owning a powerful word that reflects you and your business is the true key of successful branding.
Some organisations invest fortunes in this endeavour but there’s nothing stopping any of us from doing the same at a fraction of the cost.
Today I’ll introduce you to a simple, low-cost, branding process that will magnetise your business without breaking the bank.
Our discovery begins by answering three simple questions:
* What Are You Like?
* What Do You Do?
* How Do You Do The Things You Do?
So let’s begin…
STEP #1 - What Are You Like?
Understanding your names (or nouns) can really help to trigger your imagination. If I were to ask what you’d be if you were an animal, you’d feel a certain affinity with a particular animal and quickly be able to answer… Monkey, Cat, Tiger, Lion, Bird, Fish, Dolphin etc.
If asked for your profession you’d say one or more of the following… Coach, Therapist, Consultant, Teacher, Chef, Speaker, Author, Trainer etc.
If I asked you what you’d be if you were a car you might think… Ferrari, Rover, Mini, Porsche, Maserati, Lexus, Rolls-Royce, BMW etc.
If I asked for your role you might say things like… Man, Woman, Leader, Supporter, Parent, Carer, Entrepreneur, Explorer, Protector, Guardian, Helper etc.
If I asked what thing you sold you might say… Comfort, Books, Time, Inspiration, Words, Tools, Skills etc.
Brainstorm as many of these nouns as you can - it’s good to have more than one for each category. This process will trigger all sorts of other ideas to help you to realise your unique coaching name.
Time To Write…
Read the following statements and come up with as many answers as you can for each one:
* If I were an animal I’d be…
* If I were a car I’d be…
* If I were a colour I’d be…
* If I were to announce my occupation I could say…
* If I were to announce what I had to offer I’d say…
* If I were a famous figure from history I’d be…
STEP #2 - What Do You Do?
Once you’ve got a good list of names you can start asking what you actually do. Spend a good time on this. It may seem a challenge at first to think entirely in terms of what you do so use your lists of people, animals and things for inspiration. What do they do? Here’s some ideas…
* Coaches… encourage, listen, support, reflect
* Trainers… share, instil, empower, guide, teach
* Tigers… leap, hunt, run, survive, inspire, stalk
* Birds… fly, soar, see, dive, migrate
* Leaders… lead, inspire, persuade, encourage
* Chefs… cook, create, nourish, feed etc
You’ll notice a pattern here, you’ll have created a big list of doing words (or verbs).
Time To Write…
Go through your lists and play word association by answering the question… What does an XYZ do? for each one.
STEP #3 - How Do You Do The Things You Do?
Once you’ve got a good list of names and doing words it’s time to add spice to the mix…
As the song goes, T’Ain’t What You Do It’s The Way That Cha Do It
Discovering how you do something will give your brand a lot more clout than just knowing what you are and what you do.
We use adjectives to describe how we do something, how we compare to others, what makes us unique or what makes us easy to identify. For example…
A Tiger is… big, bold, fast, fearsome, stealthy
This is good, but it’s not all, you can go further by adding adverbs if you’re struggling by linking a noun with it’s verb to see what happens. Here’s another example…
A Tiger Leaps… stealthily, quickly, decisively, smoothly
You can take the ly ending off most words to create more appropriate adjectives for your brand. So in this case you’d have a list of words as follows: stealthy, quick, decisive and smooth.
Time To Write…
How do people describe you and what you do?
How would you like people to describe you?
What sets you apart as different? (think about your appearance, voice, manner, style etc)
How do you do what you do? (are you slow and methodical? fast-paced and energetic?)
Now, do the same for your list of animals, cars, roles, famous figures etc until you have a really big and full list of words.
Summary
You’ve now collected all the information you need to discover your unique business identity. You may already be getting a feel for how this process can give you a lot more ways to view and describe yourself but this is just the first step…
There are two more steps covered in this F’REE eBook, which you can download immediately, entitled Find Your Power Word….
Enjoy the book and thanks for staying tuned!
‘Dangerous’ Debbie Jenkins
‘Dangerous’ Debbie Jenkins
debs@debbiejenkins.com
(c) Copyright 2005 www.BookShaker.com
SUMMER CAN BE SLOW FOR BUSINESS
But don’t let that get in the way of your success.
This is the ideal time to work on your business
rather than in it. Get 2 F’REE eBooks and prepare
for more success with less effort here…
http://www.leanmarketing.co.uk
I’m wondering if… You Know Other People who should be reading this too? So do us all a favour (they get 2 free books - we get a new subscriber - you get to look good) when you Pass On This link… http://www.leanmarketing.co.uk
Author: Debbie Jenkins
Keywords: outsourcing,ecommerce,ecommerce consultants,business,small business,e-commerce,experts,advice
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