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Monthly Archives: March 2010
I’m in Phoenix at the moment, shooting in the desert and then meeting up with Brand Camp peeps to talk all things biz! So, while I’m rocking the sunglasses and short skirts, a few thoughts on logos and branding as they relate to simplicity.
Lots of people talk about their branding and dog on how ‘simple’ or ‘boring’ or ‘low-key’ it is. They complain about how much their logo doesn’t reflect ‘who they are’ or ‘what they feel’ or ‘how they shoot.’
Okay. Let’s take a look at Apple. Most popular products on the planet, at the moment. Go to their website and look at their logo. Simpler than simple. The logo in no way captures all the incredible and fabulous things the company produces, but it gives us a peek at their sleek style.
Try to imagine a logo that screamed ‘cutting-edge inventive geeky hipster wearing retro, tight-tight eighties throwback jeans and an Ed Hardy t-shirt’ is our target market. It would be…a hot mess.
Again, think of all the things for sale at Target. Everything from clothing to dental floss to vitamin water. Imagine a logo that said all those things. Hot mess city. Same goes for Wal-Mart. Adobe. Any grocery store on the planet. And your business, too. No symbol on the planet can capture everything you do!
A strong logo rarely includes doodads or thingamabobs. The earth’s best logos are fairly simple. (Golden arches, anyone?) So think simple. And simpler, still.
Stop trying to commission a logo that screams YOU AND EVERYTHING YOU DO. It’ll be out of date in no time. Find one that whispers of your essence but allows room for growth across the years.
Oh, and the business therapy winner? Xander of Photographing Sound. E-mail me to claim your prize, love! Thanks to all of you who signed up for the Merit Badge mail, left comments, and tweeted about the giveaway!
So, your biz is having a bit of trouble. It might be your logo, it might be your marketing materials. Your web presence, your lack of focus, your inability to find time in the day to get anything done. Your Twitter addiction. Whatever it is, we’ll talk it out through equal parts e-mail and phone conversation.
One lucky winner will receive a business therapy session with me. You’ll fill out a branding questionnaire, I’ll come up with a list of improvements that could help your biz, and we’ll chat for thirty(ish) minutes.
Win a $149 business therapy session by signing up for the Brand Camp Merit Badge mail list below.
That’s it! If you’ve already signed up, you’re already eligible! The winner will be picked next Tuesday, the 30th. For brownie points, tell me WHY you should win in the comments below.
To earn an extra chance at winning, just follow Brand Camp on Twitter then tweet this:
Win a business therapy session with @brandcampblog here: http://bit.ly/1Fa45Y
Oh, and if you’re in a super-lucky mood, enter the My Branding Sucks giveaway over on the Totally Rad Actions blog, too.
Never, ever, under any circumstances…take a bus with that bus company that starts with a G and is a breed of dog. The strikes incurred by the company are outlined below. (Skip to the big headings if you want to avoid my angry rant.)
#1.) Attempt to buy tickets online and print at home: FAIL.
Since each of my FOUR e-mail addresses were rejected as ‘invalid,’ I had to order the tickets ‘will call.’ That resulted in twenty minutes of standing in line to get tickets. COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY standing in line.
#2.) Waiting in line: FAIL.
Customers started queuing up ONE HOUR prior to the bus departure, so I was part of a line-that’s-not-going-anywhere for a full sixty minutes.
#3.) Having enough seats on the bus: FAIL.
I got to the front of the line and the busdriver informed me that he couldn’t get any more passengers headed for New York City onto the bus. Period. Yes, I had a ticket. Yes, I was waiting for the proper bus.
#4.) Move to another bus: FAIL.
I was quickly shuffled to another bus, leaving twenty minutes later. It was full to capacity — and some people were sent onto the bus after it was full. They had to leave, carrying their luggage and banging it against every passenger in an aisle seat on their way out.
#5.) Legroom: FAIL.
Perhaps the seats were created with people under 5″ in mind. There was no legroom. My knees were jammed against the seat in front of me for a full 2.5 hours.
#6.) On time: FAIL.
Of course the bus left a bit late and arrived much later than scheduled. Of course.
What’s this mean for all you Brand Campers?
If a customer points out a flaw in your business, listen.
I’m sure I’m not the first person who’s suggested assigned seating on the bus. Assigned seating would eliminate the need to queue in line for the bus and would eliminate those ‘oops! We’re full!’ moments. Likewise, if a client points out the difficulty of using your online proofing system or an inconsistency in your pricing/contract/etc…take it to heart. (Please?)
Apologize when you inconvenience paying customers.
If a gallery is going to be late or you’re running behind for a meeting, let your client know. Don’t be completely hard about the whole experience and then run to your bus when you’ve created a flash mob. Apologize. People understand. Simply expecting their cooperation while jerking their chain is NOT okay.
Charge more for a better experience.
If bus tickets cost twice as much but the experience didn’t suck, I would still buy them. If you’re overwhelmed with six sessions a week and want to transition to three…you know what to do. Amp up the experience. Underpromise and overdeliver. Blow clients away. (Oh, and buy Easy as Pie, of course.)
When all else fails…take the train.
If being an all-print photography studio isn’t working, why not open up digital opportunities for your clients? If all-digital is going down the tubes, how about expanding to prints? If you hate shooting weddings, try something else. Same goes for kids, dogs, families, iguanas, commercial work, architecture, nature, fine art, portraits, and mitzvahs.
Don’t be afraid to jump ship when something just isn’t working. You can bet that my Amtrak ride was comfy and awesome on the way home.
Visit any photography forum, and you’ll see tons of ‘what would you do’ questions. How would you light this, how would you respond to this client, how would you react to this situation…but I want to go a bit bigger today.
What would you do if you knew you could not fail?
What would you be shooting if money/success/fame/family worries were all taken care of? You have everything you want in life, and a camera. Where do you go? What are you photographing?
Now go. Begin. Start shooting the work of your dreams. Light that basketball while pretending Nike is your client; romp with the dog imagining Purina waiting on the line; shoot lifestyle as if Gap, Abercrombie, and J. Crew are fighting to have you. Let your dreams fly right through your lens, and see what turns up.
For me, the dream is shooting pets and people with film. I was literally jumping up and down when my shiny new (to me) F5 body arrived. The tones and feeling film renders can’t be duplicated in Photoshop, and the easy workflow — shoot, drop off at lab, pick up at lab, done — is ideal for being able to continue my work with this blog and with the Totally Rad Actions. For the reason I’m tiptoeing into the world of film, read this Totally Rad Actions blog post. (Hermione D. Granger and the ever-patient MattMatt pictured in these frames.)
But my dream isn’t your dream, so copying it would be silly. Would you like to shoot with vintage cameras, or stay digital? Shoot billboards? Paint your photos using fancy software or actual paint? Would you like to learn studio lighting or try out a new genre of photography? Would you like to work on personal projects a bit more?
What’s stopping you?
If you can identify what’s holding you back — fear, lack of organization, timecrunches, more fear, resentment, boredom, overscheduling yourself — you’re on the way to making time for your vision to come through. Pretty please, make time for it this week.
Remember Kindergarten? You see someone. You decide to be friends with that someone. You smile, you say your name, and you play together. Voila.
Attending the WPPI convention in Las Vegas reminded me of the importance of Kindergarten skills. I’m an only child who was raised in the middle of nowhere, so my basic social skills have always been a weeee bit behind those of you lucky enough to have come up with siblings and cities. It’s hard for me to make a first move and say hello, smile, and/or agree to be pals at first sight.
It got a bit easier in Vegas, possibly because I used my Kindergarten skills more than I have since…Kindergarten. I even ended up having dinner on the final night with complete strangers. (Yay! A breakthrough!)
With my bold, freshly-pumped skills, I intend to schedule some more meetings with strangers this week, and I challenge you to do the same. What if you call a photographer in your area who offers complementary services and then talk about anything BUT photography? What if you introduce yourself to a local business owner? (And have coffee, even?) What if you sign up for a networking event or agree to take a class? (I’ve been talked into Falconry, Burlesque Dancing, and Horseback Riding lately.)
Do any of these things, and you’re going to make a friend or two. You might even enjoy yourself! I’d love to hear about the ways you’re using your Kindergarten skills in the coming weeks and months…
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