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Tag Archives: logo
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 It’ll be out of date in no time.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!
There are so many things to write about that I’ve had trouble coming up with something to write about. (That ever happened to you?)
And then, my Hip Slip arrived. Doug and Chenin know I’ve been lusting after one, and it arrived without warning today. Squeal! Double squeal! The product itself is fabulous, but the branding is just as remarkable.
First, the box. Even the UPS man commented on the loveliness of the box.
Then, the paperwork. Yes, it’s that good. A postcard with tips for taking better photographs, as the Shootsac line caters to professional photographers:
A little information about the Hip Slip…
And consistent use of the logo:
Oh, and the bag itself. Chosen to match my studio colors, of course!
In the space of a box shipped from across the country, Shootsac delivers an experience. A little information, a lot of pretty, and a heap of usefulness.
What about your brand? How can you create an experience with your product’s delivery, whether it’s being picked up or shipped thousands of miles?
You may have noticed a dramatic change in the looks of the Brand Camp Blog. You see, months and months ago, I started the blog. I really wanted to focus on that ‘camp’ feel — thus the faux bois and the woodsy doodads & thingamabobs. Then I started developing a few products. This involved creating the concepts, then the products, getting beta testers to give feedback, hiring someone to write the instruction manual, setting up the storefront/cart thingie, and then…THE LAUNCH.
Well, I launched two products and visited the shop. It hit me like a ton of bricks: I WOULDN’T BUY FROM ME. The whole dealio looked rather rinky-dink, despite the hours of customization I put in behind the scenes, and the code I learned to tweak for ultimate bad-ass-edness.
I wouldn’t buy from me.
I cried.
What can you learn from this? Take an honest look at your work, your website, and your blog. Would you buy from you? If you’re looking with your most honest, most critical glasses on, what could you do better? What can be tweaked? Which galleries can be pruned, which articles shortened (or lengthened), which products photographed better? If you wouldn’t buy from you, what’s the first step in the rebranding process?
In my case, a new logo, a more magazine-y/fashion fair, color scheme tweaks, and a newly-appointed storefront customization brought everything closer to my vision for Brand Camp. It isn’t easy. It’s a time-consuming, tricky, and rough process. But it has to be asked:
Would you buy from you?
I like to learn stuff. So, this is an invitation to geek out with me. Some handpicked articles that can help you out, as you’re working through creating, designing, and/or writing for your brand.
Let’s start with Vital Tips for Effective Logo Design. It seems so simple to have a simple logo, but simplicity is…hard. The rest of the article provides us with iconic logos and — better yet — how their design principles can be applied to your own logo.
Want to go the custom website route? You’ll need 8 tips for working with web designers. I love that one of the guidelines is to be honest without being nitpicky. Genius! Now go read the other seven.
If you’re in the midst of figuring out what to share with the world in the way of a bio, try Problogger’s ‘how to write an about me’ page.‘ Quick, easy, helpful.
Spreadsheets make the biz world go round, and if you’re in need of a quick and simple solution for keeping tabs on $$ so you can follow your biz heart, try the Think Bakery blog.
Once you’ve brushed up on these topics, try a little search engine optimization tuneup through the LiveBooks blog: 10 things not to do.
Finally, challenge yourself: define your style in three words or less.
Today, a field trip. You know how Field Trip Day was THE best day ever when you were in elementary school? Let’s try that, internet-style.
Successful brands evolve. They make mistakes, learn from them, and make more mistakes, then learn…and in the process, they tweak their logos. There’s a fascinating look at well-known brands here. So go.
Go. See Target’s 1st, absolutely wretched logo, and take heart. You, too, will evolve.
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