You are starting up a small business and it needs a name. Exciting! Given your budget you’ve decided to take on the responsibility yourself. You named your kids after all and Brandon and Brenda turned out okay so why should your business be any different?
Before you launch Brendco, I would like to humbly ask you to read this blog post.
Your business’s name is one of the key ingredients that make up your brand. If a professional naming exploration is out of the question, we at least need to get you up to speed on some basic considerations. In my experience, it is not that DIY namers aren’t...More
While there are many reasons that small businesses work with the wrong design partners, the most common would appear to be cost. After all, doing it yourself, off shoring the work or hiring the cheapest designer around would seem to be motivated by price.
However, I have found that bargain hunting is often a symptom of a larger disease. They are in a rush, and in attempting to budget for everything at once they are willing to accept anything in terms of quality. I call it the “fast food” approach to branding.
If having business cards that look like they were ordered off the dollar menu doesn’...More
When an organization or initiative is born, one has to look at the competitive landscape and attempt to define a new brand. This is exciting, challenging, and often much easier than attempting to renovate an old brand. New brands are new construction, and they are free from the burden of legacy.
With existing companies, you are looking at a more delicate process. Perhaps some thought was given to their logo many years ago when they were starting up. For many small businesses, it is an afterthought as they focus on other priorities. Leaving the company’s image in the hands of their niece/...More
During a recent conversation, a friend of mine in the business said that a particular company would not make an interesting client. It was a statement that stayed in my mind long after we spoke, as I had almost the opposite reaction.
I don’t think what I observed in the company was any different than what my friend saw. Which is to say, they were a small business that was relatively unknown. Though they had been in operation for some time, their branding was unprofessional and belied their experience.
That said, the difference was clearly in how we interpreted the aforementioned. After some...More
