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Archive for the ‘Corporate Identity’ Category

JCPenny Redesigns Logo and Marketing Strategy Yet Again

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

Less than a year ago, JCPenny (excuse me, that’s lowercase jcpenny now!) rebranded, using the winner of a contest for the logo design. Apparently that didn’t work out so well for the retailer, because tomorrow, jcpenny will be rolling out yet another re-branding effort. Who would have thought that holding a contest for a re-branding wouldn’t be as effective as hiring an experienced branding professional??! I’m shocked, I tell you.

So now, jcpenny has rolled out another branding effort, with a new logo design, along with a “simplified” pricing strategy (that, frankly, still sounds rather complicated to me). (more…)

Tags: commercials
Posted in Branding, Corporate Identity, Logos, marketing | No Comments »

Logo Design for Dummies – and Thieves

Tuesday, August 16th, 2011

In the past few years, there has been a proliferation of DIY logo sites. Pay a fee, choose an icon from a library, add your business name in a font you like, and presto – a logo for your company! No annoying designer asking questions about your business and your clients, taking (in your mind) a long time to come up with options, charging (in your mind) an outrageous fee. What could be easier or more cost effective than doing it yourself?

Before you check these sites out, let me tell you a little more about the business practices of LogoGarden, one of these DIY sites, where, for $79, it’s literally a steal to get a logo.

(more…)

Tags: branding, copyright, Corporate Identity, fraud, logo design, Logos
Posted in Corporate Identity, Logos | 3 Comments »

Business Cards-Tiny Marketing Pieces That Have A Big Impact

Monday, March 21st, 2011

In this world of increasing on-line business relationships, e-marketing, and v-cards, you could be forgiven if you think that business cards are passé. But a well-thought out and executed business card can have a big impact on your clients and prospects. I’ve had prospects call me years after they first received my card because they found my card interesting enough to save. That’s an impression that a v-card just can’t match!

Even though business cards are small in size, a surprising amount of information can fit in that space. The Small Business Blog lists nine “must-haves” for every business card. And, if you need inspiration to take your card to the next level, designmess.com offers these creative business cards to inspire you!

Tags: branding, business cards, Corporate Identity, design
Posted in Corporate Identity, marketing, Small Business | Comments Off

I Love You Just The Way You Are or, When NOT to Rebrand

Wednesday, January 19th, 2011

In my previous post, I highlighted five signs it may be time to rebrand your business. However, there are times when staying the course might be the best course of all.

When might a brand makeover NOT be advisable?

You have recently rebranded, but now you don’t like it or don’t think it’s working fast enough.
Branding is a long-term investment of time and money. You need time for your message and brand to stick. Rebranding frequently only confuses your customers. And, remember, it’s less important that you personally like it than it clicks with your customers! The best thing to do is to do it right the first time, but some busnesses don’t because…
You can’t afford it.
Make sure you have the resources in time and money to invest (branding is not a cost) in the future of your business before you start. If you can’t do it right, don’t do it at all, or wait until you can afford it.
Strong recognition for your brand already exists.
The GAP – just the most recent example of a business “fixing” something that wasn’t broken, to their own detriment and ridicule. People form emotional attachments to a visual brand, so you have to be careful not to mess with that.
New management, but no changes.
It may be tempting for new management to put their mark on an organization, but if there’s no change in how a company does business or what it offers, it makes no sense to rebrand.
Internal issues.
If your company’s issues are not market-related, then rebranding cannot fix what ails you. Postpone rebranding until internal problems are solved and you have a stronger business to present to your customers.

Tags: branding, logo design, Logos, marketing
Posted in Corporate Identity, Logos, marketing | Comments Off

Are You Ready for a Brand Makeover?

Tuesday, December 21st, 2010

It can be difficult this time of year to concentrate on the business of your business. But the new year is just around the corner, and giving some thought now to improving your business in the year ahead will pay big dividends.

Branding is sometimes thought of as just the look and feel of a business, but it’s more than that. It also encompasses its value proposition and core offering. The decision to rebrand is a serious one and can have far-reaching consequences, both good and bad.

So, what are some signs that it may be time for you to consider a brand makeover your business?

Decreasing customers and sales?
If you’re losing customers to your competition and/or you’re not attracting new ones, it’s time to think about how customers view your business. Have your offerings become irrelevant to your customers? Is your visual identity out-of-date and no longer attracting customers? Or are you …
Attracting the wrong kind of customers?
Rebranding can help your business make the switch to highlighting new benefits you will be offering a different target market. Your business also may be attracting the wrong customers if…
Look and function don’t match?
We’ve all seen the man or woman who dresses inappropriately for their age- it’s a real disconnect. It’s important to “dress” your business to attract your target customers AND reflect what your business offers.
Management change?
If this change means a new way of doing business, then it is an opportunity to show your customers that something is new and fresh.
A function or philosophical change?
If your business has a new way of doing business or a new offering (such as a hair salon now offering spa treatments), it may be a good time to consider rebranding.

Tags: branding, logo design, Logos, marketing
Posted in Corporate Identity, marketing | Comments Off

Eight Steps to the Best Logo for Your Business

Thursday, November 4th, 2010

I’ve been asked by clients if logo design ideas come to me in a “flash of inspiration.” I wish! But like most other jobs, design is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration. The process of designing a logo requires logical steps of listening, research, development, feedback and refinement to achieve the best results.

DEFINING THE CHALLENGE & UNDERSTANDING THE GOAL
Answers to questions like, Who is your target audience?, How does your company differ from the competition?, What words would you use to describe your ideal logo?, What other types of logos appeal to you?, help designers and clients get on the same page regarding what is expected of the new identity.
RESEARCH
Armed with this information from the client meeting, looking into what competitors are doing and getting a better feel for their market is the next step. This helps to understand what might and might not be appropriate for the overall message and feel that the successful logo will need to convey.
INSPIRATION
Here’s where the 10% happens! Often, after fact-gathering, designers “let it be” for a few days. Brainstorming, changing environment, asking Why?, and What if? help look at the logo challenge in new and different ways. It’s hard to be creative and critical at the same time, so the good, bad, and ugly are all included. Only when many concepts have been worked up do we proceed to…
REFINEMENT
This is when a critical eye is used, refining some ideas and rejecting others, going off on a tangent with another, and taking the viable sketches and translate them to a digital format. We present at least three different design approaches to the client for their initial feedback. All initial concepts presented are black-and-white, concentrating at this point on the form of the logo. A successful logo needs to work well in black-and-white as well as color.
CLIENT REVIEW & FEEDBACK
Client feedback should be implemented early and often in the design process. Collaborating with the client assures designing a logo that best represents them and their company.
REFINEMENT REDUX
After a client’s initial feedback, it’s back to the drawing board! Changes based on the feedback, possibly including a new approach as a result of reviewing the initial ideas, are all incorporated for the next client review.
ADDING COLOR
Once the final logo design has been agreed on, color palettes are developed for the logo. Again, it’s important to understand the client’s audience and industry in choosing appropriate colors for their identity. A client meeting is held to review the color concepts, and further color refinements are made if needed.
CLIENT FILES
Hooray…we have a winner and now it’s time to deliver the appropriate file formats to the client. These are what you should expect to receive from a designer: an EPS file of the logo in black-and-white and color, suitable for any reproduction use; a JPG and/or GIF file that is suitable for web use; a TIFF file (higher-quality than a JPG) and can be used in Microsoft Office programs. We also include a Logo Standards Guidelines, outlining the best practices for using the new logo in different situations.

Tags: branding, Corporate Identity, design, logo design, Logos
Posted in Corporate Identity, design, Logos, marketing | Comments Off

The Democrats Unveil New Logo & Slogan. What Do You Think?!

Tuesday, September 21st, 2010

The Democrats have apparently spared no expense or resources to create a new logo and slogan. (Note to the literal-minded: I’m joking!) In this video, Real Times’ Bill Maher shows he’s not partisan as he takes the logo to task and offers some alternate slogans that the Democrats might want to consider.

And on another front, The Atlantic accuses the Democrats of plagiarizing the logo from a small Ohio-based pizza chain. Change that matters, indeed!

Tags: branding, Corporate Identity, logo design, Logos
Posted in Corporate Identity, Creativity, design, Logos | Comments Off

Are You Having An Identity Crisis?

Monday, March 15th, 2010

How important do you think it is to have a logo for your business? Sure, mega-international companies like Nike and Apple have instantly recognizable identities, but what are the benefits of a custom designed logo for a small to medium-sized organization with a much smaller budget?

Dressed for Success

In fact, a well-designed logo may be even more important for them! It gives a competitive advantage to a smaller business seeking to make a favorable first impression in a crowded marketplace. An effective, consistently used logo identifies the business’ core competency and personality. It reflects the organization’s professionalism, quality and pride. It says who they are when they’re not physically in front of their customers. It makes a favorable first impression on new customers and reinforces the organization’s qualities for existing customers.

Studies show that most people remember visuals better than things they read or hear. If someone forgets the name of a business, their memory can be jogged by the graphic representation of the organization-it’s logo! You can think of a logo as a unique abbreviation representing a business.

The Price of Fame

But what about the cost of a custom-designed logo? An identity designed by a professional designer can cost what seems like a lot of money, but when all the other expenses of starting up and running a business are considered, the money spent on a well-designed logo is a wise long-term investment. A logo is a once-in-a-business-lifetime expense. Amortized over the life of your business, you can see what a reasonable cost it really is, especially for the return you get on having a unique and memorable business identity.

A professionally-designed logo will work in more practical ways as well, such as being legible across a variety of reproduction like business cards, merchandise, web site, display graphics, etc. A logo designer should provide a Style Guide for the logo’s proper use, as well as a variety of appropriate logo file formats.

Tags: branding, Corporate Identity, logo design
Posted in Corporate Identity, design, Logos, marketing | Comments Off

Cookie Cutters are for Baking, NOT for Web Sites

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

cookie-cutters

Recently I was asked to review the existing web site of a potential client. It was built using a free site template from a major business software provider, and it had all the tell-tale signs…generic graphics and an unsophisticated layout, a restrictive and bland content area…in other words, it could have been any site for any company and was completely unmemorable.

Worst of all, the site had no search engine visibility! Because of the numerous search engine optimization faux pas I discovered in the coding, I was not at all surprised by the business owner’s complaint that no one could find them on the web. Web site templates can be based on outdated code and standards and not built for web accessibility, W3C compliance or cross-browser compatibility.

Further investigation into the “free” website service revealed that users are locked into hosting on the software company’s servers only, e-mail is extra, and should a site grow to more than 5 pages, then additional costs begin to add up dramatically. The bottom line is, the benefits of the free website were skewed toward the software company and not the small business.

In contrast, a custom-designed web site is designed and built around a business’ particular brand and it’s personality, taking into account the purpose and audience of the site. It provides a company with the unique visual appeal that their customers want to see and will respond to. A custom site offers flexibility to incorporate the functionality that the business will need to keep their site growing, useful and productive for years to come. When site issues arise, a client can call their web designer for support. How responsive do you think support for a free site will be, and what are the chances you will speak to the same person every time you call?

Recently, this software company has been running TV ads touting the benefits of using their free site design tools over hiring a professional, alluding that web site designers are unreliable, over-priced and slow. I imagine there are such designers out there, the same as in every industry, but I know there are many more who will do a wonderful job for you at a fair price and in a timely manner. My blog entry on “How To Hire the Right Designer for You” will give you tips on how to hire wisely.

Even for small sites, custom web site design is really the best option. A cookie-cutter site will never make a business stand out from its competitors. If a site looks generic and cheap, then so does the business it represents.

Tags: budgets, design, designers, marketing, web sites
Posted in Corporate Identity, Creativity, design, SEO, Small Business, Web Design | 1 Comment »