With Apple’s most recent release of the iPhone 4G, I thought it would be interesting to share the story behind the Apple logo—one of the most recognized corporate symbols in the world. Did you know that Apple is one of the only well-known companies to NOT incorporate it’s name into their logo?
How well do you know the world’s biggest brands? Time to find out! Take two brand related colours, a visual hint and a cryptic verbal clue. Put them all together and you should be able to identify all 21 mystery brands. Like this…have fun!
Check out the latest trends in color for print, web, fashion and home decor!
COLOURlovers is a creative community where people from around the world create and share colors, palettes and patterns, discuss the latest trends and explore colorful articles… All in the spirit of love.
Check out more at: http://www.colourlovers.com/
WALNUT CREEK — It’s a downtown divided; north versus south, with Mt. Diablo Boulevard its “Mason-Dixon Line.”
The split between the updated mall and newer shops to the south and the hodgepodge of older businesses and ethnic restaurants to the north is clear, says branding expert Roger Brooks. A fractured downtown can’t thrive, much less bill itself a regional retail destination, he said.
“It’s ridiculous; you should be joined at the hip,” said Brooks of Walnut Creek’s downtown.
To make Walnut Creek’s downtown a brand name, the business association should ditch the slogan “Escape the Ordinary” and build its brand as a tony shopping mecca with choice eateries, a true culinary destination.
The Host Country of every Olympic and Paralympic Games tells a unique story of culture and imagination through design and artistry. The Vancouver 2010 graphic identity seeks to unify and beautify the Games with a consistent look and feel throughout all its environments and communications. It will also allow VANOC to leave a mark in memories and in photos. Seen on the design of vancouver2010.com, brochures and publications, merchandise and uniforms, the graphic identity elements appear on buildings, street signs, banners and venues, dressing the city and venues in colour during Games time.
Keyboard shortcuts save so much time and also give your hand a break from the mouse! Give them a try. PC users just use the control key (or alt key) instead of command.
Command-J
Brings up window where you can select which page to jump to.
Command-2, Command-4
Zooms to 200% and 400%.
Command-K
Brings up the preferences window.
Command-TAB
Allows you to switch to other applications or Finder.
W
Shows design in preview mode (without frames or pasteboard).
X
Allows you to switch between fill and stroke in Swatch menu.
E
Selects the Free Transform tool.
Option-Double Click
On any placed image will open image for editing in original application.
Enjoy! And, feel free to share any other time-saving shortcuts that you’ve discovered.
© Copyright 2010. Banana Creative. All rights reserved. Would you like to reproduce portions of this article? Please contact
As we discussed in my last posting, strong brands don’t only belong to companies with big budgets. A brand is built upon the knowledge of who you are, the key value you provide, and communicating this clearly all of the time. For a company, talking the talk AND walking the walk, is what makes a strong and successful brand. Fortunately, this does not always involve a lot of money.
Use these secrets that I’ve learned over the past 19 years from helping companies build their brand from the ground up.
Be believable. A strong brand only makes promises that can be kept. Try to avoid overpromising or making claims that your customer knows are too good to be true. People today are savvy and naturally skeptical when it comes to marketing. So, be real when you are communicating your brand.
Be unique and interesting. Sometimes this takes courage, but allows your brand to stand out amongst your competitors. Your differentiation factor must also make a difference to your customers. Don’t harp on expected attributes like quality or service, but focus on what gives your company flavor and personality.
Consistently communicate your brand. There are many different business marketing channels that can potentially fuel your business—print, web, social media. But, your brand must remain consistent across all of these channels. A strong brand also communicates the same promise at every touchpoint, both internally and externally. Being consistent in how you communicate and visually present your brand, establishes recognition and eventually response in your marketplace.
Stay who you are both inside and out. If your brand promise is what makes you believable, unique and relevant to customers, then it makes sense to use your brand as the key part of your business strategy. This doesn’t mean you cannot refresh the design and look and feel of your marketing communications (in fact, you should!), but just make sure you keep the heart of your promise.
Instead of focusing on shrinking marketing budgets and skyrocketing costs, use these secrets to make an honest assessment of your brand. You will discover that it really comes down to one big secret: A strong brand means living it.
Would you like to share something that has helped build your brand?
© Copyright 2009. Banana Creative. All rights reserved. Would you like to reproduce portions of this article? Please contact
Strong brands don’t only belong to companies with the largest advertising budget, most celebrity endorsements, and snappiest jingles. All companies with strong brands have one thing in common: They know who they are and what they stand for. And, they use this knowledge at every internal and external touchpoint. A successful brand has a lot of research and thinking behind it. And, I will let you in on one big secret: it doesn’t always involve a lot of money.
During the past 19 years, I’ve helped hundreds of companies, both small and large, build their brand from the ground up. I’ve learned some secrets that I’d like to share with you. Use them to beef up your brand.
Be yourself both inside and out. Figure out who your company is, how it is perceived by others, and what it stands for. Online questionnaires, focus groups, and phone conversations with your customers and stakeholders can help gather this information. Get answers to these questions and align your organization with the value it brings to them. That means keeping this promise and personality whether you are training employees, answering the phone or communicating with your customer. For instance, if your organization is all about speedy service, then your website better load quickly.
Clearly communicate who you are. Narrow down one primary promise your organization can make to customers, and articulate it well. Having multiple promises that are vague will only confuse the situation. When you clarify this in a way that employees, stakeholders, and customers can use as a compass for making decisions, then you have the core for a strong brand.
Be relevant. A strong brand means something to its customers. If your customers care about what you’re offering, and you are solving a problem for them, your brand will deliver. Look beyond the expected promises such as quality, service or integrity, and focus on your organization’s unique value.
Would you like to share something that has helped build your brand? Check out my next posting for more secrets to building a strong brand on a budget.
© Copyright 2009. Banana Creative. All rights reserved. Would you like to reproduce portions of this article? Please contact Banana Creative for permission.
Is it more environmentally-friendly to market your business on the web or in print? The answer may surprise you! International Paper just released a new brochure detailing some eye-opening facts about communicating electronically versus on paper. Read on for more:
NEWS RELEASE
——————————————-
International Place
6400 Poplar Ave.
Memphis, TN 38197
“Are pixels greener than paper?”
Down to Earth Brochure, “Pixels vs. Paper,” Myths and Misconceptions
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - June 24, 2009 — More and more people are communicating with electronic media. But are electronic devices more environmentally friendly than paper? To address this important question, International Paper (NYSE: IP) has launched a new brochure in its Down to Earth environmental series, “Pixels vs. Paper: Are pixels greener than paper?”
Every decision to communicate has some impact on the environment and the brochure reveals some important facts about communicating on paper vs. electronically. Also, the new Down to Earth brochure includes some facts that may surprise you. For example, did you know . . . Paper comes from a renewable resource – Trees.
• Every day the paper and forest products industry plants more than three times the number of trees than are harvested — paper is truly renewable and sustainable.
• Electronic devices are typically made of plastics and other non-renewable resources and often contain chemicals and metals.
• Paper is biodegradable and nearly 60 percent of all paper in the U.S. is recycled.
“International Paper’s Down to Earth series has received outstanding responses, so we are continuing the series this year,” said David Struhs, International Paper’s vice president, Sustainability. “With the Down to Earth series, we hope to clear up some of the myths and misconceptions about our paper and the forest products industry and provide thought-provoking educational pieces that help our customers better understand important environmental topics.”
Struhs added, “International Paper believes pixels and paper both have a place in our communications future. By linking paper with the efficiency of electronics, we can streamline our communications and help maintain the best environmental balance possible.”
For more info and a copy of this brochure go to: http://www.ipsustainability.com
What are the secrets to successful website design? I get this question a lot, and though there are many smaller tricks to designing a powerful website, I’ve narrowed down 5 major elements that must exist in order for a website to get results:
Relevant Content
Put yourself in your audience’s shoes. What’s in it for them? And why should they work with you or your company? Let them know that you understand their challenges and pledge to be their solution. Offer valuable information which will hopefully, guide them to your business.
Smart Design & Usability
Build and reinforce your existing brand with smart design. Professionally designed websites are consistent with existing marketing materials, and visually appeal to your ideal customer. Make it simple to navigate through the pages and offerings. Test all links to make sure they are functioning correctly, or else you run the risk of losing a potential customer.
Information Hierarchy
How the information is organized on the website is essential to communicating clearly to your audience. The most important offering should be located at the top of the page, and should be visually prominent. Sounds simple enough, but you’d be surprised at how many sites ignore this concept, and end up with too many competing elements.
Visability
A well-designed website doesn’t amount to much without an audience. Traffic-building tactics such as an easy to remember and keyword URL, search engine friendly content and code, and advertising will help drive traffic to your website.
Clear Call to Action
Each page of your website should contain a call to action, or an area that attracts the user and clearly tells them what to do next. This area usually tells them when, where and how to obtain more information. A call to action is not to be confused with a contact line (company name, address, phone, email, etc.), which should appear on every single page, as well as a separate navigation link.
When choosing a professional web designer, it is important to ask about their key components of website success. And, make sure all of the above elements play an integral part in their design and development process. Once these are integrated into the website design, your business is sure to get the results you expect.
© Copyright 2009. Banana Creative. All rights reserved. Would you like to reproduce portions of this article? Please contact Banana Creative for permission.