I just added some new projects to my gallery. Please take a look. I never feel like I explain them enough, so I’m going to take a minute to go through them with you.
KMI- gallery item number 5-
I really enjoyed working with Kevin. He has great vision and business sense- he really knew where he wanted to take his photography business and it was really easy working with him. The logo they had before was in a handwritten font that really didn’t read “KMI”, which is a bit of a problem. So through a series of discussions and concepts, we were able to come up with a good identity that represents the beach atmosphere and his jet-setting destination wedding photography. Once the logo was settled, the rest of the project kind of snow-balled into place. It was really fun watching the whole series fall into place. I wasn’t really sure about the Carolina blue at first… I don’t usually like using such a light color without a grounding darker color (usually black) but once I started designing the splash page it was really clear that such a high-key color was perfect for a minimalistic design. And it really works well with his photography, using a darker color would have really weighed them down. I also created the templates and organized the actions for his photobooth image’s watermark as well as for his blog. (still to come!) I also incorporated the “wave” graphic from his logo throughout his collateral, in varying degrees of intensity, to enforce his brand.
I want to divert myself for a minute and get on my soapbox about branding… I think there are so many business owners out there that really misunderstand the concept of branding. It really is much more fluid than you might have heard. Yes, there are the McDonald’s and Target’s among you that do really need to keep a solid and tight hold on your brand, don’t get me wrong. However, to many small businesses- they’re holding onto a logo that hurts their company based on the unwritten laws of “the brand nazi”… you know what I’m talking about- keep your logo the same as it was, even if its outdated; never ever change your brand color or typeface… These logo laws really don’t apply to a majority of businesses. There really is no harm in staring your logo in the mirror and saying, “Is this logo helping me, or am I essentially wearing bell-bottoms and not pulling it off?” Although, it is true, many of these “trends” in design do make circles… which is why its important to really BRAND your company instead of investing all your time and energy into a “trend”. (Anyone else remember the “orbit” logo trend of 97? We don’t see many of those floating around anymore- the reason, they were a trend- they didn’t help anyone form an idea of your company in their brain. They were garbage that for an instant in time told everyone “I’m cool and techie” – not a legitimate brand) Also not included into most people’s minds about branding is the way you present yourselves, this goes much farther than a logo. What do your presentations look like? When your client receives communication from one part of your company, does it correspond to another part? This is a very easy way to really cement yourselves in the minds of your target market.
So with these slow economic times, now is the perfect time to really evaluate your brand. Look yourself in the mirror- are you wearing bell bottoms? Crazy space costumes? Maybe you seem too unattainable to your belt-tightening consumers? Perhaps now is a good time to find a good brand consultant. 