Archive for January, 2007

Color Scheme

Tuesday, January 30th, 2007

Color is an interesting subject and one that can baffle even the best designer. So how does one choose a color scheme for their next project?

If I’m designing for a client, I’ll look at their logo and marketing materials. I might ask myself – How can I take their primary color and use it to an advantage? Are there certain shades, tints, hues and/or saturations that might influence the project?

But what if the client doesn’t even have a logo? Now the color choices seem very limited.

One thing we can do is begin with a primary color and work from there. As mentioned above, certain hues, tints, shades and saturations can compliment the entire scheme. The problem with this technical technique is you can end up with uninspiring color schemes.

It is possible to do a “match” of colors from a photo or object the client likes. By selecting little bits and pieces from this photo or object, you end up with appealing and familiar colors. The downside – you could possibly pick the wrong colors that take away from the message of the product. Can you imagine a pastel colored brochure selling sporting equipment?

Finally, there’s good ‘ol trial and error. Some designers call it their intuition; others just call it plain ‘ol dumb luck. The pro to making a color scheme on trial an error is the fact that you can end up with brand new and fresh schemes. But it can be very dangerous to do this without a basic understanding of color theory.

Something else to think about when choosing a color scheme for a project is your audience. I know, I know, audience… audience… audience. But think of your audience from a different culture. One color in the U.S. might mean something totally different in another.

So the next time you’re looking for a color scheme, remember these three possible inspiration points

1.) Logo/identity products already in use

2.) Objects or photos with appealing and familiar colors

3.) Whip out some colors, mix and match ‘til your hearts content.

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What is Your Type?

Monday, January 22nd, 2007

No I’m not talking about your feelings toward a certain gender or vehicle, but I am talking about your logo for your company.

I recently came across this article written by Jeff Fisher for Creative Latitude. In that article he discusses the issues of the new Quark logo and its use of type. The press proclaimed the logo was “fresh” and Jeff points out that it’s not as fresh as some might think. So how does one develop a logo for their company without graphics or images?

Let’s begin by just looking at our logo. Is it fresh? We think so. Is it unique? Sure is. Granted, the name itself can be a chore for some people to actually pronounce, but we like it and it gives us an identity without the use of graphics or images. Now this isn’t to say images can’t be used in a logo, but often times using them as a “secondary device” in the type treatment is just as memorable.

The name of your company in type can be the major factor in setting your company apart from your competitors. Think of the Sony logo- very simple, clean and memorable.

You can also modify the type to add a pleasing element that appears as an image, but in reality it’s still the type treatment modified. As Mr. Fisher mentions, it also makes it more difficult to duplicate.

Finally, there is the “secondary device” we mentioned previously. You can look at the Top Flite logo or even Sanyo’s and see what we mean. Subtle elements added to a type face can make a statement for a promising and memorable logo.

So when thinking of your new logo or before rebuilding your identity, ask yourself what is your type?

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Sales Genius

Saturday, January 13th, 2007

When I first typed this subject line, I thought of Gatorade and their slogan is it in you? And what does Gatorade have to do with this blog and/or sales? Nothing really, but I thought I’d at least share my pathetic genius.

Selling – what an interesting aspect of business. The majority of the sales we do in the design industry revolve around the idea of how the cost of a project can help our clients achieve a certain goal. The goal could be to increase revenue by 15%, land 50 new customers in the next 30 days or market a new product to their customers. Whatever that goal may be, selling an idea or a product is not an easy task.

Part of Gonink is design and the other part is retail. The retail segment is where my sales tactics are still a bit shaky, but my business partner and finance advisor (i.e. the wife) is a real pro. She works for a major wireless phone company and when someone steps in the front door of one of her stores, she’s right there talking to them. Now, she doesn’t approach them with the used car salesman mentality, but as a friend. She immediately makes them feel comfortable and excited about a potential purchase.

I’ve learned from her that exciting a client/customer about their purchase is critical in obtaining a sale, but there’s also that fine line of not making them feel pressured at any point. You also must avoid making promises you can’t keep. For myself, if someone is asking for web design and wants a lot of bells and whistles, I inform them that if I can’t get it done, I have a vast array of team members I can contact to get their job done. By doing this, I have given the client an idea of how I work and how I will get their job done.

Finally, selling comes down to knowing a customer and how to treat them with respect to their personality. At one moment, you could be speaking to a soft spoken female who is not interested in you being upbeat, loud and overly excited, but would prefer you to take the lead on informing them of the details. And at the next moment, you could be talking with an obnoxious guy who is boisterous and prefers to be around people like him.

So the next time you go to make a sale, look for your inner sales genius.

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Survey Says!!?

Tuesday, January 2nd, 2007

Survey says!?

Many of us who were around when the Family Feud was all the rage back in the 70’s and 80’s certainly remember Richard Dawson saying those infamous words. But if you were to give a survey to your customers, what would it say?

We all hope that every customer would say things like superb, great experience or I won’t shop anywhere else. However there is a problem hoping that these are the types of responses you would receive and that would be the word “hope”. We all rely on customers / clients to survive, but what happens when you have an unhappy customer?

The way I see it, you have three choices:

1.) You can do nothing and not worry about who the customer will talk too or how they’ll speak of your business.

2.) Resolve the problem

3.) Resolve the problem promptly and/or offer discounts on future purchases.

Why would you even consider the first option? At Gonink we certainly wouldn’t, but there are those who would consider that option and more than likely are not concerned with word-of-mouth about their business. But take this fact into consideration – according to the TARP Institute, the average consumer will tell 9 to 10 people about their experience and 13% of those would tell 20 or more people. Now figure in the 9 or 10 people and take into consideration that they’ll probably tell 2 to 3 people the same thing or maybe worse. As you can see, it becomes a snowball effect and your business could suffer dearly.

So what to do?

Obviously, the third choice seems the most logical and it should (as a business owner) be your intention all along. But there are times where the second choice might be your only option because of outside forces that are beyond your control. If you want to stay in business for the long run, at the very least resolve the problem. Go the extra mile. Turn that customer from unhappy to happy.

No matter the position you take when you have an unhappy customer, the end result is a reflection of your company identity. And let’s not forget the fact that it will cost you more and take longer to find a new customer to replace the old one.

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