WAIT! Define your Brand before you Design your Brand
You are talented. You have skills that people would pay you for. You've always wanted to be your own boss.
Is this you? That is awesome! So when should you reach out to schedule your branding, logo, website, etc?...
So here's the thing. And maybe this is going to sound counter-intuitive as someone who LOVES working with small business owners to define who they are and how to best represent them. But, now might NOT be the right time for you to contact a branding designer.
Sorry to be a buzzkill but hear me out...
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Misconceptions about Brand Consistency for Small Business
It is a common misconception that branding services are only for big companies. Many people believe small businesses either would be wasting their money hiring a design agency to support their branding or there just isn't enough money to have these luxuries.
While there are agencies that do exclusively work with companies paying large retainers which are way outside the possibilities for most small businesses, there are many of us who exclusively work with small companies - and prefer to do so!
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Has the Importance of Branding Changed during COVID?
Many companies are focusing their efforts on applying for SBA loans and cutting back where ever they can to reduce their monthly burn rate. But still, we continue to watch wonderful small shops in our communities lock the doors and wonder if/when they'll reopen.
This pandemic is a gut-punch to small businesses. Personally, as someone who's business can continue, I feel a mix of guilt for being able to work and responsibility to help struggling businesses transition online where possible.
But I wonder what will happen to the businesses who can't transition and are left to wait.
I connected over video chat yesterday with a wedding photographer who has watched his income dry up with canceled weddings and who wonders when he will get back to work. During the downtime, he is keeping his spirits up by coming up with creative projects to stay busy. But, the sad truth is that his 'bread and butter' projects may be months away.
So is it best to just wait and reduce your monthly expenses?
Instead, I wonder if this time can be spent strengthening your company's branding.
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Do You Speak Design?
Yes, as a designer, my job is to create a design which looks good. But graphic design is not about creating a design that is pretty... It's about design which connects with a sentiment, a feel, and at its crux; the ethos of a business.
Styles come and go. Good design is a language, not a style." - Massimo Vignelli, designer
This is why, as a designer, I cringe when a potential client wants to see my design style. Yet, in the moment, it's a challenge to explain to a new client why that's so.
I've come here to try...
Logo & Branding Design is about getting to know a business at it's core and finding imagery, line weights, typography, and other design elements which speaks to the feel of it.
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When to Properly Brand Your Business
Are you thinking about doing your own thing?... About quitting your job to pursue your passion. That's exciting - and brave. May I offer a bit of advice? Wait to create your logo. Wait to create that website. Wait to pay for a branding package and fancy shmancy marketing collateral.
Many cities in the US have Small Business resources to work with you to create your business plan. Use them. Meet lots of people - go to networking events and share your services. Use a template from Vistaprint.com to design cheap and cheerful print materials that work for now as you work out the kinks in what specifically you are offering.
If your company is viable in your area, you will find that people will pay for your services even if you don't have fancy branding.
So how do you know you are ready for an upgrade?
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To conform or not to conform? Is that the DESIGN question?
I actively work to be knowledgable regarding which design styles are trending. On Instagram, I follow accounts sharing design inspiration for logos, print collateral, and websites. And, I also watch youtube videos of other designers talking about predictions for what will be most popular next.
This morning I came across a video about the most popular trends for 2019 in graphic design littered with belittling comments about how they'll be staying away from these ideas JUST because they are trending. Other commenters lament with disdain that these will be what their clients force them to create. Is all this sputtering necessary? Come on guys really?...
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Designing a Logo for a Pub
Designing a logo involves a process of deep listening and creativity. It takes a balance of strong design principles and an understanding of a business' ethos. During my first conversation with a new logo client, there is often a mix of curiosity for the process and some apprehension. If I could read their thoughts I'd guess there is a mix of... "Even if they've designed some nice stuff... how can they be sure their logo won't be regurgitated?" or "What if I don't like what they create.. Will I pay for something awful?"
My goal is take my clients through a careful step by step process, learning more about them and their business along the way, and of course, finishing with a fabulous logo.
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Cheap Design is VERY EXPENSIVE
Just because you know how to chop vegetables and turn on your stove doesn’t mean you can whip up a gourmet meal or that you should call yourself a professional chef. It takes time, experience, often schooling and years hard work to hone the craft. And then you may just be good. It takes creativity and ingenuity to be great. It’s the same with design.
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Part Renegade, Part Professional: Creating a Logo for a Pirate
A logo derives meaning from the quality of the thing it symbolizes, not the other way around. - Paul Rand
Meet Andrew Pierce of The Gourmet Agent.
Andrew Pierce is a technologically savvy Realtor who works digitally, saving you time and money. Oh, and he cooks. He’s actually a professional chef too. As you get to know Andrew, you can see how interconnected his businesses are with his life. He works with real estate clients who use him for catering and catering clients who use him to sell their homes. And his clients LOVE him. He uses Virtual Reality to show them homes or to sell their homes and digital marketing to promote, so he’s effective and efficient. He has an incredible business model and he stays busy- really busy.
I met Andrew at a networking event, which by the way, he puts together every month with the support of Rockstar connect. (If you are in Wilmington, NC check them out on Facebook here.) He expressed that he has had a logo for sometime that just didn’t represent him anymore.
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