Do it wellthe first time

Branding and Logo Design tips for Small Business Owners

MARKETING DEFINITIONS

BrandA unique and meaningful promise made about an organization or a particular product or service. A reputation.

Visual IdentityThe image that an organization uses, such as a logo, that constitutes a unique representation of the organization and communicates the core attributes of the organization’s brand.

Positioning StatementA statement that describes the unique space an organization fills and how it is different from all other organizations

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BUILDING AWARENESS

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Establish one consistent brand & visual identity including:

Develop brand element usage guidelines including:

Create materials including: ACHIEVE

SUCCESS!

To support your public awareness and development goals…

•Logo•Name•Positioning •Key messaging

•Style guide

•Other organization-wide standards

•Brochures•Letterhead

•Signs•Website

SOME MARKETING DECISIONS ARE EASY TO PIVOT

WHILE OTHERS YOU MAY BE STUCK WITH

4 Principles of Good Logo Design

See articlehttp://www.offtheground.biz/top5-logo-

mistakes/

#1 – PROFESSIONALLY DESIGNED

You don’t have to spend a lot of money on a logo, but you do need to spend some

“Free” VistaPrint business card takes away your credibility

#2 – COLOR SELECTION

• 1-3 colors – MAX• Careful with gradients – should be based on a

single color versus multiple • 1 color option is essential for promotional

products

Both Entries on 99 Designs. Which one would you hire?

Be careful with color – there are lots of technical issues that can arise if not designed properly

#3 SOCIAL NETWORKING OPTION

2) Is readable as a small icon

3) Is either inherently square …

… or has a square alternative

1) Doesn’t get cut off on newsfeeds.

#4 – COMPLETE DESIGN

If you want a tagline – incorporate it into the design upfront

Creative Brief

To provide to your designer

DESIGN DIRECTION

Source : 99 Designs

BRAND ATTRIBUTES• Design direction for company will be focused on:

photography illustration

• Brand Attributeso Feminine ------------------ Masculine

o Modern ------------------ Traditional

o Edgy ------------------ Professional

o Luxury ------------------ Economical

o Fun ------------------ Serious

o Loud ------------------ Quiet

o Simple ------------------ Complex

o Abstract ------------------ Obvious

o ________ ------------------ ___________

o ________ ------------------ ___________

• Like / Not like: o Logos / brands we like:

• •

o Logos / brands we don’t like:• •

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Logo should be 1 – 3 colors max (including black or white)o Red: Passion, Anger, Vigor, Love, Dangero Yellow: Knowledge, Energy, Joy, Intellect, Youtho Green: Fertility, Wealth, Healing, Success, Growtho White: Purity, Healing, Perfection, Clean, Virtueo Blue: Knowledge, Trust, Tranquility, Calm, Peace, Coolo Black: Fear, Secrecy, Formal, Luxuryo Purple: Royalty, Wisdom, Spirituality, Imaginationo Orange: Creativity, Invigoration, Unique, Stimulationo Gray: Balance, Sophistication, Neutrality, Uncommitted

• Logo should include following versions: Tagline

With a tagline Without tagline Both versions

Social Networking Optimize design for social networking Include social networking alternative

DESIGN DELIVERABLES

• Logo o Color deliverables

• Black & White• Color – white background• Color – transparent

background

• Fontso Provide list of fonts usedo Provide zipped file with

fonts used

• Color breakdown (list)o CMYKo Pantone o HEXo RGB

o Formats• EPS• Jpg (high res)• Jpg (low res)• Png

Designer should provides you with the following:

ONLINE RESOURCES

While I like to use one of the trusted designers I’ve already vetted, I’ve seen some decent logos sourced online. The key will be to provide clear instructions in the Creative Brief.

• Local freelancers• 99 Designs www.99designs.com• Guru.com• Logo Tournament logotournament.com

Tip: you don’t have to accept any winner of an online logo tournament of you don’t love them.

About Julie

In 2002 , knowing nothing about the retail world, I co-founded a publishing company

We put out dozens of cool titles

SmartsCo – games and guides that make learning fun

Custom Publishing

We got great press

And were even featured in a national ad campaign for American Express

See clip of TV spot directed by Jesse Dylan at http://vimeo.com/13345298

We sold the company in 2008 and since then I’ve been running a small project management and marketing consultancy

• Marketing Communications• Website development• Content Marketing• Collateral• White papers

• Branding

We provide:

• Project Management• Custom development• Talent Recruiting

• Trade Shows & Events• Strategy and Planning• and much more ...

My strength lies in bringing all aspects of a project together.

design

technology

content

I focus on integrating

design, content and technology to stand out in a crowded market

If you need more guidance on how to build out your brand.

Call me!

415.215.1234

julielegrand08@gmail.com

linkedin.com/in/julielegrand

@off_the_ground