Magic Behind the Brand

Your Logo & Identity Markers

We are all biased when it comes to our company and our logo and won't admit that it needs an update every 10 years. But what does it really take to have an amazing logo that has that WOW factor, one that attracts people, makes them want to engage with you, and have that look that looks like it took 5 years and a $100,000?

Design Brief. When I start a new project with my clients, they are either re-branding or starting a new, so either way I have a Design Brief, which is a two-page document that puts everything on the table; all the essential questions from color, visual, word marks, special effects, the market geography and demographics of your audience, information about your product or service and much more including colors you don't want. This allows me to have a broader understanding of the conceptualization for my design. If you are working with a designer who doesn’t offer this, you should probably start questioning them.

Research. Develop a plan and start your research, look at other business that are the same industry as you are and see what everyone else is doing. Look in different areas to see what businesses are doing around the country, which ones are successful and why. Keep a spreadsheet of the good, bad and ugly that you find so when you sit with your designer you will have examples for them - what we think is good and you think is good could be completely opposite.

Keep it Simple. We aren’t in Germany where every name you have to go to school to read or try to pronounce it, if it takes too much effort, more than likely the consumer will forget it and/or move on. The name of your business is a strong element and will tell your story if done correctly.  You would think that this is common sense but if your customers can’t pronounce it, there is a problem because they won’t use it, and then what, a complete re-branding and logo design process, well that is up to you and how much money you already spent of your marketing plan. Re-branding is a huge deal with consistency and consumer comprehension – which we will talk about later. 

Word-mark or Logo-mark? Decide if you are looking for a word-mark, symbol or logo mark (which is both a symbol and word-mark combined. You can see a few examples of them below. This is outlined in my design brief I had out to my clients to ensure complete understanding of what they are getting.   Never forget about the shadow of versatility. You are vastly in the design looking at drafts making changes.  Remember that this will have to go on everything you have; make sure it is versatile from all mediums. From clothing to pens, promotional items and marketing material. Have variations of the logo for clothing that is dark versus light and vice versa, and also make sure you obtain the vector art from your graphic professional so you can make those variations you need in the future.  

Straight up. You can never be 100% on what people think is too long or not straight forward enough or even if it’s catchy because face it everyone is so diverse – from geography, male/female, and demographics from that area and about a million other factors so the best way I’ve found is after your logo is done conduct a survey, that way people don’t feel like they are throwing you under the bus and you can get a great outlook.  Just in your defense keep it short and sweet – it doesn’t need to be five plus words long.

Step by Step. There is a process for your logo, and it’s not perfect it’s definitely a necessity. It might not progress as prompt as you want, and that is exactly what you want. Take your time and let the designer do their job. After the initial meeting, there is a brainstorming and conceptualization session, then drafts are designed, then we step back and take a breath – this allows us to think and let the design set in to make sure it makes sense and then tune it up before we send you the draft production. This is a sheet in a brief outline that shows you a few different logos and possible diverse versions of the logo. After you meet and discuss option and choose one or choose to make changes, we take a step to the side and let the creative process take hold and finish up or make more revisions and repeat until you have a logo/brand that you are satisfied with.  This shouldn’t be a hasty development process.

Be Picky. To an extent yes be picky; if you don’t like it say so without being rude or a problem client, it is much easier to work with someone who is laid back and gives you an ounce of design freedom while following the guideline set forth in the beginning. If you are a Hitler during the design process, it is likely that the project will not be as successful as you want – frustration and stress do not equal a great brand!

Consistency. Uniformity of your brand and use of your logo are crucial to how you are identified out in the community. Humans are very visual beings, they love to use known companies and products by business’ they can identify. So when we talk consistency, it is not just on your website and business cards, it should be your letter head, fax sheets, clothing, marketing and promotional material, Internet Ads, social media accounts, and update any articles or blog you have as well. The best avenue is to create a massive email newsletter blast with your old logo and introduce your new logo to get the word out there on a mass scale. Don’t let potential customers or even current customers fall through the cracks just because they didn’t recognize you.

Rationalize. Just remember that no one is perfect, no logo or brand is perfect.  Perfect is in the eyes of the business owner, and you have complete design freedom with the logo. It doesn’t have to fit in a perfect box shape – that’s the beauty of it, you can color outside the lines.  Don’t over rationalize your logo with grids and straight lines, build your brand by your rules to make a lasting impression.  This will be with you for the next 20+ years so make it your way!

Just Don’t. Don't try to make the logo do too much: it doesn't have to reflect every aspect of the company's history or demonstrate what the product or service is. A computer company's logo doesn't have to show a computer (Apple's doesn't). A restaurant logo doesn't have show food (McDonald's) doesn't. Keep it simple.

Be Responsive. Make your logo design responsive to everything. It’s going to be used everywhere. Remember our conversation in the consistency discussion above, well this goes hand in hand. Your logo will be used on your website, so responsiveness is very important, especially when probably 50+% of clients are on smart phones these days. Do your research on your demographics and make it happen!

Super weird fonts. I see this way too often. Clients think that the weirder or more script the font the better the look, it is quite the opposite. You can have a unique font and put your own twist on it and still have an amazing look, just make sure it is readable – and consistency is key!

Use Your Negative Space. This might take some creative flow to find an object that represents your business and a space to put it in. I love the example from FedEx.

Silent but Deadly. Check for hidden words, abbreviations, meanings, and objects. Can you spot the hidden images below? Be careful of the hidden objects, some can be great and planned and others aren't noticed until it’s too late to fix and the damage has been done.  Click the link to view more.  http://mentalfloss.com/article/53146/11-hidden-messages-company-logos

Thanks for stopping by to read the Top 14 Things to Remember when you are designing your logo.

Happy Marketing!

Are Emoticons Bad for Business or Do They Say It All?

We all communicate in different manners, and it is an ever changing with all of the new technology out there, and with the break out of the emoticons and emoji’s it is now advancing to a new level.  With the idea that an image is worth a thousand words, we can now transition from toneless messages and avoid mis-interpretation when emailing co-workers and clients.

For young adults and teenagers might not ever know how it was without the emoticons because they have been with them all along, so it is a normal thing for them to use emoji’s in messages. But for the older generation we had to endure years of not knowing what the sender was trying to say or the tone they were depicting.  But what transpires when they are in the spot of a professional career and have to adhere to business communication rules.  Do they have to leave the emotions behind? What is acceptable and what is too much?

Business communication is different than messaging a friend, your clients expect a level of professionalism with communication.  Expectations such as grammar, and accurate punctuation are just a given when in communication via email, inter-office memo or internal messaging systems, there are certain levels of competence expected.

Here is a full list of emoji’s you can use just copy and paste no app needed or copy paste this address in your web browser. http://getemoji.com.

~ The Atlantic

“The biggest problem about all electronic communication is that it's toneless. In the absence of tone, people read negative tone into it.”

Language barriers are everywhere, but emoji seem to break that barrier with an emotion attached to the message when normal email or messaging communication can fail because no one can predict the tone of the message, now with a smiley face at the end of the message you have a complete understanding of the message that is portrayed.

Now we can eliminate the guessing game “name the tone” of the message, unlike when you are face to face, you can effectively read body language.  So what is acceptable, there are different levels that you can use your head about when sending a message.  There aren’t any straight forward rules but here are a few guidelines if you aren’t sure.

1.       If it is a close friend you work with or someone you hang out with after work, then yes emoji are fine – just keep it between the two of you, don’t make it an inter-office message.

2.       Your communication with your boss depends on your relationship, and if you two are lax together or strictly talk to each other only at work only when you have to.

3.       Your other co-workers, just depends on their attitude and your relationship with each of them, but it’s for you to determine.  If they aren’t in your circle, then probably not a great idea to start with until they get more comfortable with your personality.   

4.       Your customers I would say depends on if they are a new prospect or client then keep it professional until you get to know their personality, but current customers that you have a business relationship with would be fine.  I have customers that we hang out outside of work and we use emoji’s all the time.

5.       Formal communications I stay formal and keep the J out of the conversation they is always a time and place for them and this isn’t one.

Not all emoticons have an appropriate place in business, you definitely don’t want to use most of them, but a thumbs up or smiley face occasionally doesn’t hurt if the mood calls for it. In my field of work in marketing and social media, I use them more than let’s say lawyers, can you imagine a message from a lawyer that looks like this, “great job today 😁 (happy smiley) way to go 👏 (clap hands). Let me know what you are doing with your other cases 👌 (ok) bye 👍 (thumbs up), that just doesn’t fit the expertise of the professions they are in, so it is up to you to make a smart projection on when the occasion calls to use emoticons or leave them for another day.  👍

Happy Marketing!

7 Tips from Real World Views on How to Avoid Logo Disasters

Shannan K. DuShane | November 18, 2016

Every person on this planet has their own opinion on what aspects look nice, what expressions are weird and other stuff that you don’t know what you’re looking at, but that is the beauty of art and expression of design, there are no laws to what is good or bad, just opinions of those who have expressions. So why are we so afraid of opinions, because they are critical of the business you have built and run and you feel like you just got shot down from a plane. It’s panic mode and now what?

With design and branding, you are dealing with the same aspects of publicly criticized design and branding, it better be good or Joe public will let you know they are less than impressed of changes occurred. The eye of the public is a huge facet when constructing a brand, whether it’s new or not, it’s pretty clear when it isn’t a good, you’ll have to make a choice by reverting back to your original logo or starting from scratch to clear your name, and create peace and a happy place in the public eye.

Here are a few tips that I’ve learned from over the past 10 years.

1.       Never use pictures and generic images in your logo. These are hard to use due to resolution of the image, it might not transfer to shirts very well and might be too busy for other ad spaces. Keep it simple and calm.

2.       Interview designers.  Please Please, don’t go with the first individual or amateur you find because they are cheap. You get what you pay for, and in the long run it might be 4 times more than a professionally designed logo to get it right because of no experience. Or having to have it redone because of inexperience.

3.       Don’t be afraid of color.  Color can be fun, but choose wisely. Do your research with your audience and your geographic area, some colors are frowned upon in some cultures and they all have a meaning and reaction scale for each color in the spectrum.

4.       Trademark infringement. This happen more than you think, you see logo’s you like and you try to change what you can but still looks like the original. This now becomes a legal battle in some cases, check your state and local laws and do your research in your area and 100+ miles around you to make sure you aren’t copying another business or industry. After you are good make sure you make your logo secure by gaining copyright or trademark rights to protect your business and investment.

5.       Super detailed logos beware.  They look amazing on paper, but then what, you have apparel, website, advertising, social media with 7+ different size profile and cover images for your logo and promotional that you have to think about. Will your logo transfer over to embroidery and your website the exact same without affecting the integrity of the brand? Will the font be readable in all aspects and transfer well in your marketing and advertising you have planned? Talk with your designer to make sure you cover your bases.

6.       Look carefully! You have white and negative space in your logo, does it represent anything, sometimes you can’t see what might be lurking in the background because you’ve looked at it 100 times. It’s so important to get someone to proof your work, even 2-3 people to be safe. Better to be safe than sorry later.

The last note for today is in regards to #7 responsive websites. Now a day your customer base is on the move 24 hours a day, make sure your business is as well, and your logo works well with responsive websites and it can be viewed properly and is compressed or your customer base will move to the next business if yours can’t be mobile like them. So there you have it, 7 ways that you can be more cautious about designing your future logo.  Happy Designing!

I Need to Update My What?

Shannan K. DuShane | June 28, 2016

I thought I would tackle the question that I get asked every time I meet with a client or potential client, in fact I was just posed with this question by a friend who owns a doggy salon today while getting my dogs groomed,

“Is it necessary to maintain my blog on a regular basis?”

I sat there and stared at her with a puzzled look.  So I asked her, "Why have a blog or page on your site that you wouldn't want to update regularly?" So as you guessed, the answer is YES! Of course you need to update your blog on a weekly basis.  Some businesses or individuals do it daily because they have so much to talk to their customers about. I told her, the only kicker is if you post regularly make sure you are looking to increase your new website visitors, see a surge in your brand recognition and expand your possible clientele, otherwise don't bother. 

 Did you know that a Hubspot study revealed the following fact:

Companies which maintain blogs have up to 97% more inbound links than companies which do not? Corporate blogs are an essential ingredient in marketing strategy and can provide fantastic results for your business if managed properly. 

 When meeting with a client, whether it is a new marketing plan we are devising or if they are just having issues with attracting visitors to their site, one of the items on my agenda, I always ask if they currently have a blog or resource page on the site, and the second is to see if they maintain it or has it gone to the blank outer space of the world wide web.

 The one thing as you look at your website and you think how important is it to update your address, phone number and other information, your business is also looked at for updated and new content on a regular basis. Now I know your busy and have a million things to do but don’t leave your online customers behind, they look to you for education, resources and honest opinions, this how you build the trust and loyalty of an organization.  Find the time to post, even if it is about a local organization, news, weather, funny memes, anything to connect with your clients.

 On another positive note, blogging or if you just even have a simple resources page, it is a great place to increase your inbound and outbound links, which in return will advance your seo efforts too.  You don’t have to spend hours on this, make it as simple as you like. So take a moment this week, have a coffee and list 10 topics your customers ask you about, then add to that list every time a new question is asked and you will have a well maintained resource page and on your way to happy customers.

 Happy Marketing!