How Do You Know When Your Brand Needs a Revamp?

A brand is the image of a business. It’s amazing how we can take a shape, a colour or a clever idea and combine them to create something that people will instantly recognise.

The best brands are world famous. A successful brand is something that every company and business strives to achieve. But what do you do when you gain that achievement? How long can you hang on to a successful brand for before it needs a revamp?

It’s important here to distinguish between a brand and a logo. A logo could be said to be a part of a brand. Change the logo and you could change the brand in some way. The two are connected but different. You could make alterations to the brand and the logo may no longer be relevant.

Clearly sometimes it is time that catches up with your brand. A brand is all about making people believe your product or business will give them a positive experience. A successful brand sells more products.

Sometimes even a successful brand will come to the end of its lifetime. Sticking with the same brand for years on end gives the image that your business is a stick in the mud that never moves with the times. Take a look at the branding for businesses in the Fifties and see how much of it is the same today. You won’t find much – if anything – that is still around today.

On some occasions a company that wants to take a whole new direction might find its existing branding won’t adapt to go with it. But the views of the public can also make a big difference, since some changes in logos and branding have been met with derision from the public. Clearly you have to consider the views of your audience – it’s not just about what you want to do.

One thing is certain though; you have to get the advice of a professional company in order to consider any changes you want to make to your brand. This is one area where professional knowledge counts for an awful lot.

How can you tell if your logo is good enough?

Hop on the internet and it won’t take you long to find reams of information about logos. What makes a good one? When is it time to change an old logo and revamp it into something new and more modern? How do you know if you’ve got a real stinker?

Logos are one of the things we do here at Ratio7. We’ve got years of experience in knowing just how to create the best logo for any business. A logo is one of those strange and wonderful things that are hard to describe – you know a bad one when you see it, and you know a good one too. But putting each type of logo into words is incredibly difficult, which is why it’s always best to get the experts in to design a new one.

A good logo is something that instantly brands your business. A bad logo will brand it too, but not in a good way. The worst kind of logo is arguably one that you look at for five minutes, and you’re still not sure what on earth it is or what it represents.

If you’ve got a good logo it will get positive responses from your clients. It will also be recognisable, even if they see the logo outside of its usual placement. For example if a client happens upon your social media pages and sees the logo before reading any text, will they be able to recognise it as yours? Furthermore will it give them a positive image they like? Positivity is a major aspect to remember here, as the logo has a major job to do to represent your business.

Great logos look good whatever size they are as well. If your logo looks great in large format but practically disappears when it has to be shrunk to fit a magazine ad, it’s time to get a new one.

In short, if you’re not sure how well your current logo is performing for you, you can always contact us here at Ratio7 to find out more about getting a brand new logo designed with just you in mind.

Colour Trends for the Web

Colour trends vary by genre: home decor, fashion, automotive and, not surprisingly, digital media. Like fashion, certain colours and colour combinations are often in or out, hip or passe’. Who can forget peach and teal from the 1980′s or burgundy and hunter green from the 1990′s? But, like fashion, certain colours and combinations gain new popularity because of their retro feel.

Some colours have staying power and what your digital media needs to say and who it needs to reach is often affected by these standards. Red=power and confidence. Navy or grey=tradition. Green=organic (and now, sustainable). E-commerce sites for little girls are nearly uniformly pink.Generally speaking, you can’t go wrong with some of these colours in graphic design if your business needs to send one of these messages.

But if you need to re-brand or start a brand based on the cutting edge, current trends, here are some suggestions:

Vintage Wine per Benjamin Moore

Lemon Citrus Yellow from Colour Futures

Organic Meets Industrial (think soft green and silver or brown and copper)

Retro (yes folks, keep your eyes open for both turquoise, burgundy and hunter green)

Colour is trending a bit more muted, less electric orange and citron green and, instead, more soft clay-like colours.

Keep in mind. Colour, like branding, needs to be updated periodically. Consumers eyes grow accustomed and they stop seeing your logo after many years. A great way to re-brand is through the use of new contemporary colours. If you feel that your business needs a new look to signify new growth or to attract a new demographic of customers, contact Ratio7 for a free consultation. Our web and digital media designers understand the message that colour sends and how it translates onto computer,  television and mobile screens.

Branding: It’s All About Emotion

Branding is a funny little term that means so much. Your company’s culture, its image, what it wants to convey, how it wants to entice is all part part of “branding”. But the most important part of branding is the emotion it wants to evoke in the viewer and potential customer.

A great film for all business owners about to work with an advertising or branding company like Ratio7 is Art & Copy. The film is advertising 101 in a sense and helps businesses understand what emotions their design firm is trying to pull from them and work with them to convey in their audience. Great brand strategies like Nike’s Just Do It and the original Apple MacIntosh 1984-style commercial are all covered. What do they have in common? Emotion.

When working with you on branding, logo and web design, video production or print, Ratio7 knows that you need to get your message across and will encourage you to consider the various emotions that will stir your audience: intrigue, connection, laughter, curiosity, contentment, confidence, reassurance, enlightenment, security. All of these are common feelings that companies try to inspire in their customers and we understand how emotionally compelling storytelling helps you do that.

When meeting with your graphic designer for the first time, consider what you want your potential customers and audience to feel. When you stir an emotion or solve a problem, you build brand loyalty. We understand this and will help you find the answers that suit your company best!

Leverage That Logo!

Many companies use their logos in very traditional ways (signage, letterhead, business cards, online branding), but new and exciting ways of using your logo are popping up. You may have heard of Jason Sadler and his I Wear Your Shirt endeavour? Companies are paying him to wear their logos on a t-shirt. It is brilliant concept and certainly a different kind of marketing strategy for a business!

Temporary tattoos have increased in popularity recently. If you have a company with a hip focus or one that markets to children and young people, you can purchase temporary tattoos of your logo and distribute these as a “freebie” for people to wear. Every time someone sees the tattoo, it is free marketing for you.

Stickers have a real cult following! People are putting stickers everywhere as a form of “tagging” like graffiti. Now, we don’t recommend that you break any laws, but offering stickers for convention or seminar attendees (who love “schwag”) can be a great way to get mileage out of your logo. There are also removable window decals for cars.

With Christmas approaching, consider giving away company ornaments. Many businesses put up trees and your logo on an ornament could catch someone’s eye. Another surprising affordable interesting item are jump or flash drives. There are also Swiss Army style tools.

Provide your employees with logo gear as well! Every time they wear that t-shirt or use the umbrella they received, they are marketing your business.

Make sure your logo is fresh and eye-catching. If you need rebranding or a new logo, feel free to contact us.

What Makes a Great Brand?

Fast Company has a brilliant article reminding business that, despite new media, internet, social networking, a company’s brand remains important to your businesses results. Here’s a summary for those of you tempted to ignore or downplay the importance of this business basic

Your brand needs to be believable and your team needs to buy into what it stands for to promote it accurately and with enthusiasm.  Though a well thought out logo is important, this is not your brand! Your brand is about your culture and what your products/services stand for or what you want them to mean for consumers.

Your brand should be relevant. The only way to maintain relevance is with ongoing and in-depth customer engagement.

Things change fast in the marketplace. Thus, your brand better be adaptable. As the market and consumer needs change, you need to review your brand strategy to make sure it still fits with the image you hope to convey.

You need to be able to gauge your brand’s return on investment (ROI). In other words, it’s effectiveness needs to be based on solid numbers like market share and revenue.

One of the most challenging requirements of an effective brand is that it should be unique (differentiated). Your brand should be about consumer solutions, not features. Design and creativity are key components of effective branding that stands out from a saturated market. Your graphics firm should understand this and help you build or change your brand into something that captures attention and conveys what you want your company to stand for!

Before You Hire a Logo Designer

Logo design is an art and a science. The process can seem a bit tedious and like it is lacking a structured process. There is no way to do logo design without a great relationship between designer and client. Lots of communication and tweaking are involved until the client feels fully satisfied. There are a few steps to take in advance of hiring your designer and ways to make the process of logo design smoother.

Talk to your team, if you have one. If not, solicit input and ideas from people you trust and who know you and your business. The more ideas you have upfront, the easier it will be for the designer.

Ask yourself some questions. Do you want a casual colorful image or something more conservative and traditional? Where will you conceivably use the logo? Web, print, uniforms, banners, or additional licensed products to sell? Jot them all down.

Do your homework. Get out there and really look at other business logos. Identify the good from the bad and then save the ones that really speak to you and that seem like something that fits with your company’s culture.

Develop a budget. Most logo designs are bid as a single project, but do keep in mind this isn’t a 1 hour task. There will be lots of conversations, research on the designer’s part, and actual drawing and design. Ask yourself what you can realistically afford.

Once you’ve started the process, make yourself available to the designer. Your logo won’t get done if your designer can’t reach you! Realize that you are a key element of the design and make time in your schedule for phone calls and meetings.

A logo should reach out and visually grab potential customers. Great logos stand out in people’s minds: McDonald’s arches, Nike’s swoosh. Talk to Ratio7 about your logo needs. We’ll work with you to develop your distinctive brand!

Add Special Zing to Twitter

You are running around social networking land like mad, trying to make an impression for you and/or your business. You are trying to build your brand-either corporate or business. You are on LinkedIn, Facebook, FriendFeed and Twitter (perhaps more). LinkedIn and Facebook offer nothing in terms of customization, but Twitter…ah….

While Twitter provides easy to use background template designs, they are used by the vast majority of Twitter members and don’t allow for adding graphics or text. Your Twitter background is an opportunity for more people to learn about you and see a link to your website or blog.

However, Twitter does allow for you to upload a background as a single page. A graphic designer can create a custom background and embed your logo, your image, a bio and links which acts like an advertisement for your business or services! Be forewarned. Links are simply text, they are not hyperlinks so people cannot click on them. This is Twitter’s fault-not your designers!

Ratio7 offers full service graphic design, including Twitter backgrounds as well as WordPress blog and site themes, print, logo and Web design to make your business more visible! Call or email us for a free consultation now.

Today’s Business Card

Despite advances in technology, Web design and capabilities, a business card still makes an important statement and is a necessary tool for networking. If you are still using one of the 1500 business cards you bought 5 years ago, it might be time to have a designer review both your design and the content on the card. With the advent and popularity of social media like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn as well as blogs, you need to provide a variety of ways for people to contact you. Besides, business cards continue to change shape, size and material so it might be time to break out and have some fun with that tiny piece of cardstock that represents you after you’ve walked away from an in-person meeting.

What changes can you make?

Ratio7 finds that clients are increasingly choosing a portrait set up vs. landscape. See below for sample.

Consider adding all your social media contact info, a brief overview of your business or service offerings, or just a striking logo  on the back side in a contrasting color. See below for sample.

Try selecting a unique material to make your card stand out. Cards come in wood, metal, vellum, plastic, aluminum, cardboard and more! To generate ideas, check out the Flickr business card group here.
Small changes like rounded corners, or even one rounded corner, make your card stand out from the pack. Raised lettering, a punch out on the card, or a magnet feature are all options.

Finally, do add all of your social meda contacts on your card. This can increase your following and contacts and gives your network the ability to find you and what you do in a variety of locations.

Ratio7 is a full-service media and graphics firm and can create a striking, yet affordable new look for your business card. Just contact us for a free consultation!