
Articles
Cool logo now what? The importance of brand identity guidelines
A 501(c)3 client was so excited to use their new logo for apparel they began sending screen captures of proof files pending final approval to local vendors to get ready for an upcoming event. They received their new t shirts, pens, and local event banner around the...
Why does your story matter?
Does the backstory of an organization's timeline really matter? Can your commitment to climbing Kilimanjaro in college get you customers now? Does the origin of the family recipe behind the bakery influence a buyer's purchasing habits? You bet it does! The influence...
Why do you need an art director?
I was recently hired to come in and mop up a marketing mess made by...the accounting director. When a creative content issue arose, the President chose the highest-level director who had available time in her schedule. She 'designed' the M&A prospectus in excel...
How to evaluate a ‘good’ logo
"We are a bakery; so we used a wedding cake in our logo. It looked great, and we thought we nailed it. We finally realized it was a bad choice-we don't sell wedding cakes." "We just grabbed some clipart with kids in it-it's a school not Amazon. But it is not working."...
Pros and Cons of Self-publishing
Have you written the next best American novel? Do you have a curriculum that can impact the next generation? Is your life story ready to be told? No matter what form your story takes, it may be time to consider publishing. In today's fast-paced publishing market,...
A resume that gets you noticed
Before I started designing personal brand identity for business executives, I interviewed an HR Director from a Fortune 500 company. I asked her, "What does a potential employee need to do to get your attention?" She said with a defeated sigh, "Anything interesting...
Brand Strategy: What is the right approach?
"My nephew went to school for graphic design. He did it for free. Can you fix it?" "We took the initials of the shareholder's kids to make the company name. It seemed like a good idea at the time. How can we make our company more professional?" "We have outgrown the...
How we got it done back in the old days
When I first began in this crazy business, we did not have computers. You might call me a dinosaur if you are under the age of twenty. My first graphics job during college was working for a map company. With painstaking care, I would ink the lines for the roads, cut...
Losing lexicon
As published in the Appleton Post Crescent My daughter looked at me in disgust. A young couple bolted past us calling each other nasty names spewing a torrent of violent expletives before moving on. Feeling violated by this unwelcome barrage, we determined the words...