Tag Archives: Graphic Design
Posted in Architecture | Communication | Innovative Solutions | Marcellus Shale | Marketing | Natural Gas | Networking
This understated marketing piece shows that appropriateness is more important than a huge budget. A recent award from the SMPS National Marketing Communications Awards is proof.
“Well we’re going to be catching a flight in a few days to Dallas Texas for the Annual INGAA (Interstate Natural Gas Association of America) Conference to network with some folks from the Energy Industry and see what LDG can do for them. We’re only staying for the day so we’re traveling light. We need to get our message, service capabilities, and business cards into these people’s hands in way that makes them hang on to it and introduces them to our brand…”
Hmm, this sounds like a pretty typical marketing/graphic design assignment, I thought to myself, until Marty Muggleton, VP of Client Development finished his thought…
“Most everything aside from business cards gets tossed in the trash at these things.”
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Posted in Blogging | Client Service | Communication | Innovative Solutions | Marketing | Social Media | Sustainable Design
Photo: © Fred Fokkelman
The term “branding” – as it refers to an expression of a corporate identity or visual persona – comes from the practice of branding cattle. Branding often starts with research in order to develop a logo and then progresses to various other supporting visual elements or applications. Branding is often dismissed from a budget as an unnecessary expense. This is an understandable misunderstanding of the process and benefits of good branding.
Branding is an investment, and when done right it can pay off big time, not just in attracting attention from your target market and making a strong impression, but also in streamlining the design decisions that employees make every day (often without even recognizing them). The intention is not to be complicated or contrived but simple, supportive, and effective in order to create and maintain a recognizable and beneficial visual presence with your audience.
Things like templates and brand guides are not some fascist attempt to restrict the individual’s creativity, but rather a way to relieve employees from the burden of making small and/or repetitive design decisions everyday that would inevitably contribute to overhead costs and an inconsistent visual identity for the company. The most widely-experienced visual-design processes throughout the company should be understood and addressed during the branding process.
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