One of my designers sent me this link the other day (http://www.makemylogobiggercream.com/). It’s a brilliant spoof of all those infomercials that claim to have a break-through product. Except in this case, it’s a cream that makes your logo BIGGER, among other things!
Now if you watch the video on the website, you may realize that this was created with advertising designers in mind as a way of making fun of clients who always want to make their logos bigger, use more of the white space or add a starburst to jazz up the ad. I forwarded the link to all my designer friends but held off on sending it to clients because it may hit a little too close to home for some of them.
But then I thought, why not address the legitimate issues raised by this mock infomercial. It’s a chance to help educate business people on why designers do what we do. So here goes a product-by-product rebuttal to some common client/design issues:
1. Make My Logo Bigger Cream - There’s actually a scientifically proven ratio of what percentages of elements on an ad works best. It’s 75% primary image, 15% text and 10% branding. You have to have a primary image to grab people’s attention so that they will even look at your ad. Then the text informs them, then the logo reminds them of who you are. If you were to equally distribute the 3 elements, then nothing will stand out and no one will stop to read your ad. And if you make your logo the biggest thing on the page….well, no one really stops just to look at a logo. Would you?
2. White Space Eliminator - Sometimes, clients feel like they are paying for space on an ad or for space on pages in a printed piece and therefore feel the need to fill it up with content. But here’s why that might not be a good idea. One of the most effective tools designer’s use to grab people’s eyes is “contrast.” If you’re going to have a big thing on the page, then you should have a little thing to contrast it. If you’re going to have a bright thing, then you need a dark thing. And if you’re going to have positive space, then you should have some negative space. If everything was the same (size, brightness, spacing) Nothing would stand out and nothing would grab people. So white space is usually a good thing to have. Also, white space evokes class and elegance. If you compare the store windows of a 99cent store and that of Saks Fifth Avenue, one has a ton of items on display, and one has 1 or 2 items. So which one looks classier to you?
3. Starburst Dust - Starbursts are great when you’re having a bargain bin sale, but the fact is, if you don’t want your company or brand associated with any kind of bargain bin, don’t use it.
4. Flouresencizer - Sure florescent colors or a lot of bright colors draw attention, but is it appropriate? And more importantly, does it reinforce your brand? When you see Red & White what cola drink do you think of? When you see Red & Gold, what burger chain? When you see Brown, what shipping company? Get the picture? Pick your official colors and stick to it and eventually those colors will be synonymous with your company. Did you know that Mattel officially patented a Barbie Pink?
5. Emotionator - This was probably the only product advertised that was spot on. But the trick is to make sure you’re evoking the correct emotions. In advertising, you don’t want to sell the “features” that a product has but the “benefits” those features can give to your customers. And sometimes, that benefit is the fulfillment of an “emotional need.” Volvos fill people’s need to feel “safe.” LL Bean fills people’s desire to appear “rugged.” Nike fills people who prefer to look “athletic.” But like I said, you need to tap into the correct emotional need. So don’t show a cute puppy if you’re trying to sell computers.
Though I must say, I’m amazed at how much auto racing equipment is sold by using images of bikini-clad women.
Last summer, the wife and I took the kids out on Safari (at the San Diego Wild Animal Park). And as I listened to our tour guide describe the life and habits of the animals there, I couldn’t help but think about the many wild creatures that roam the concrete wilderness that is New York City. So I’ve taken it upon myself to catalog the various creatures living in the Big Apple. Here are my observations to date:
MTA Buses (Slowus Ridus)
The largest of the New York denizens, these benign behomeths are most often seen wandering along the North & South bound Avenues and the occasional East & West bound streets. Though previous studies state that they always travel 15 minutes apart, my observations indicate the contrary. These animals often travel in packs of three. Bus riders usually have to wait 20-30 minutes between mass bus sightings. The creatures that drive these buses are the most generous creatures of another species called the MTA workers. Often letting people board despite broken card readers and empty metrocards.
Taxi Cabs (Notgowus Harlemus)
These fast yellow hunters prey on New Yorkers who are either in a hurry, make over 80K annually or are too good to ride the subways with the rest of us. Taxi cabs prefer chilly temperatures in the 30s & 40s as this is just the right weather when people find it too cold to walk while at the same time being warm enough so that there is no snow on the ground to impede their progress. Taxi Cabs are the only NYC creatures that molt, changing their outer shell every 5 years as required by an otherwise powerless entity called the TLC.
The MTA Worker (Olwes Onstrikus)
Many people don’t realize how crucial these denizens are to our ecosystem. Without them this city grinds to a screeching halt as evidenced by the strange behavior they exhibit called “the strike.” Similar to the way salmon instinctively swim upstream to their birthplace to spawn every seven years, MTA workers have the uncontrollable urge to go on strike every three years and will do so until they achieve something called a “successful contract negotiation” which is a misnomer because no one truly leaves the table happy.
Union Picketers (Wolfus Whistlus)
Unlike the MTA worker, who go on strike every third year, Union picketers are always on strike somewhere in the city. They congregate in front of construction sites, restaurants and commercial buildings to intimidate their natural enemies called business owners and undocumented workers. Union Picketers are one of the few creatures that exhibit any evidence of having an actual religion, often bringing with them to these gathering areas their supreme deity which takes the form of a giant inflatable rat.
Commuters (Gottus Catchus Mytrainus)
Though some from these group were at one point NYC residents, many of them are native to the suburbs of New Jersey, Connecticut, Long Island and even as far off as Pennsylvania. They live in these areas for the better quality of life but make their living in the more dangerous environment of Manhattan. The females can be identified by their “power suits” with non-matching tennis shoes and the males enjoy imbibing alcoholic drinks at Connely’s before boarding MetroNorth, the LIRR or NJ Transit.
Tourists (Canius Tekar Picturus)
Some say these visitors are the lifeblood of New York City, bringing much needed dollars to the Hotels, Restaurants (mainly Olive Garden), Museums and Broadway shows much in the same way Bees bring pollen to the flowers. They can be identified by their brightly colored clothes, cameras around their necks and their peculiar habit of holding a map while staring straight up at the sky. Some behavioral scientists believe they are navigating by the clouds and others speculate that they are telling time using the sun. For reasons unknown, tourists can only be found in Manhattan. And in the winter months, they can be distinguished by the ski-lift badges attached to their jackets.
Tubies (Vomitus Onsidewokus)
Slightly more annoying than the Tourist, these creatures are often the offspring of the Commuters but are not fully mature. They travel to the city after dark using tunnels that they’ve dug thus giving their name. Tubies come here in search of loud music, alcohol and the chance to mate. But mostly, they just imbibe a lot of alcohol making them even more obnoxious. This is the reason why native New Yorkers avoid Webster Hall.
The Rapper (Blaringus iPodus)
This creature can often be seen entering subway cars loudly and vocally “rapping” along to a song only they can actually hear on their MP3 player. While generally harmless, they often annoy other subway riders who don’t share their high opinion of Jay Zee or even worse, Shawn Kingston.
The Break Dancers (Hippus Hoppus)
There is an urban myth that break-dancing promotes eternal youth. This could be due to the fact that these same kids have been entertaining us with their daring feats of skill and death-defying moves since 1981. They never seem to get any older. They can often be spotted in Midtown or Central Park on the weekends.
Teenagers (Nicotinus Addictus)
We all know that baby pigeons exist, but why is it we never see them? The same can be said about the NYC Teenager. The best time to spot them is in the late afternoon between the hours of 2 and 4pm when they pour out of buildings called “PS” and fill up the subways increasing the noise level 200%. The offspring of Resident New Yorkers, they have the distinction of having the most primitive mating rituals of all the city’s wildlife, which often involves teasing, poking and being loud in general. As they mature, their mating rituals will evolve into a completely different form called Match.com which scientists are still trying to understand.
The Transplant (Ilovus Nuyorkus)
These migratory animals come in all shapes and sizes from all corners of the globe. They come here lured by the promise of fame and fortune but often settle for a spouse. Transplants are often so enamored by their new environment that they are willing to pay for something called “Manhattan rents.” However, this condition usually wears off after two years when their lease is up at which point they move to Park Slope. Many transplants eventually return to their native lands but some of them simply move to the suburbs after finding a mate and producing their firstborn.
The Struggling Actor (Cani Tekyerorderus)
A sub-species of the Transplant, these young thespians come to New York with dreams of making it big on TV, Film or Broadway. Once they accomplish this, they embark on a long migratory flight to the Western part of the continent where the US Government has created a wildlife preserve especially for them called Hollywood. To see them in their natural environment, watch any episode of Law & Order.
The Bicycle Messenger (Caniyus Yerfonus)
Even faster than the yellow cab, bicycle messengers have been clocked traveling from Midtown the Wall Street in under 20 minutes. Like the bat, Bicycle Messengers have developed a natural sense to help them navigate the busy NYC streets. If you ever spot one of these speedsters coming at you as you cross the avenue, continue walking as the Bicycle Messenger has already calculated and pinpointed where you will be when he gets to the intersection and how to best avoid you. If you try to dodge him, you will only confuse his “radar” sense.
Senior Citizens (Wenus Iwus Yoragus)
Slow-moving and gentle, most of these species are friendly to humans thought there are a few that are cantankerous and should be avoided. Unlike Senior Citizens found elsewhere on the North American continent, the NYC variety are surprisingly mobile, usually coming out in the late morning to ride the MTA Buses which they have developed an almost symbiotic relationship with. Evidenced by the fact that MTA Buses have evolved an appendage that lifts them up onboard when they are using a wheelchair or walker. The longest lived of all creatures, the senior citizen are the keepers of city history, able to discuss for hours, World War II, The Great Depression and the Kotch Administration. Many believe that these white haired animals are the luckiest of all the New York City wildlife as they often possess something called a “Rent-controlled” apartment.
Filed under: Marketing Tips
This piece was originally published in the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce’s publication Business Matters Spring 08 issue.
How much does it cost to get a logo designed? In 1971, Carolyn Davidson designed the Nike “swoosh” for $35. Nowadays, you can find websites that will design your logo for as little as $50. Then there are the big branding firms that charge thousands of and believe it or not, the money is usually worth it. But that’s because you’re paying for things like legal research to see if a similar logo already exists; focus groups to see what people think of your logo or company; styleguides which serve as bibles on how to “apply” your new logo; trademarking, and of course there are the hundreds of billable hours for design time by “seasoned” and “award-winning” designers.
But if you’re a small business, you probably don’t need all that because 1) you’ll probably be doing business locally which means it wont matter if your logo looks a little like another company’s 5 states away. 2) your not going mass market, so you don’t have to worry about what focus groups 3) you won’t need a styleguide since your logo isn’t going to be used by thousands of employees in hundreds of offices worldwide, which means you can pretty much keep it consistent all by yourself.
So should you just pay some design student to do it for a hundred bucks or so? You could, but you’re taking the chance of getting a logo that may look good to you, but is actually poorly designed and not just for esthetic reasons, but for practical ones. There are a few rules to logo design that you probably want to follow if you’re planning to use it a lot or grow your business over several years:
1. A logo must look good in BLACK & WHITE before it looks good in color. Why? Because there may be times when all you can afford to print in is Black and White. A logo with 23 colors is going to look pretty bad on photocopies. Doesn’t mean you can’t have color; just make sure the Black & White version looks as good as the color version. And it’s probably a good idea to limit it to two colors. three at the most. No, just two. Unless your company name has the word “rainbow” in it or your business involves children.
2. A logo should NOT be intricate. Sure that fancy decorative lace pattern on your logo looks good all blown up on an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper. But how does it hold up on a 3 x 2 business card? Can you even tell what it is? Can your printer even print that small? Simpler, bolder, better. Ixnay any small type on it too.
3. A logo should be designed on a VECTOR-based program like Adobe Illustrator. NOT PHOTOSHOP. Vector means lines along mathematically calculated points. Photoshop deals with pixels which are what digital photographs are made of. Ever try to enlarge a digital photo? It gets blurry, right? That’s called pixelation. Good luck putting your Photoshop logo on the side of your delivery truck! With Adobe Illustrator files, the image is represented by numbers, so that no matter what size, your logo looks sharp.
4. A logo should make sense. Whether it is a type treatment or a symbol, a logo should convey something about what your business is about. Someone should be able to look at it and say “Hey, you sell clocks!” Why make it hard for potential customers to know what it is you do? If your logo is just a pretty design, then it’s just taking up room and you wasted your money.
Many of these “logo design” websites, often disregard most if not all of the above. And if you already did get your logo designed by one of these places, then at least you only spent $50 or $100 dollars.
But how much should you pay for logo design? Do this: come up with a budget that you’re willing to spend (And don’t forget, you’ll still need to pay for printing) then find someone who’s previous logo designs you like and will work within your budget and who you trust and think you would enjoy working with.
So whether you hire some kid off craigslist for $100 or go with an experienced designer who’se charging upwards of a few thousand dollars, follow these rules and you can’t go wrong.
Filed under: Sales
March 29 2008
I was reading Details Magazine on the couch the other day when my wife started to tidy up the living room (which by NYC standards is half of our house). As the minutes (and pages) ticked by, my wife was obviously getting more and more irritated.
“Why am the only one working around here?” she finally asked indignantly. At this, I immediately got up and started doing the dishes. Having been married now for 8 years, I know from experience that it’s simply easier NOT to argue. But in this particular case, I would have been perfectly justified to have done so because the truth is…I was working.
Now I wouldn’t call myself an avid reader, but I do like to keep abreast of things. A lot of politics, a ton of business news, a decent amount of film industry updates (especially if it involves space ships or guys with capes), some international and technology developments (Go Apple!) and maybe a smidgen of celebrity gossip.
I’ve always enjoyed reading (not counting high school) but I didn’t realize how handy it would be until these last few years. You see, being well read is good for business. And I don’t mean just staying on top of your industry, but of being reasonably informed about a wide range of subjects.
Have you ever sat next to someone at a party or even gone out on a date with someone with whom you had absolutely nothing in common with and therefore had nothing to talk about? A lot of awkward silent moments there, right? And when you’re out networking or meeting with a potentially new client, the last thing you want is a lot of awkward silent moments. What you want is chemistry.
Everyone wants to do business with people they like. And when a potential client asks for a meeting, that means they actually have a need for services like yours and you’ve already made the cut…ON PAPER. The only thing they want to know now – is do they personally like YOU. You already have the qualifications, what you need now is the chemistry. And what is chemistry? A lot of it is just having the right personality. But a lot of it is also having something you can both talk about aside from business. Maybe it’s politics, or family, or movies. Similar interests is what we’re looking for. So the more interests you have, the better.
This is also true when networking. It’s not enough that people get to know you, but you need to make sure they remember you (a whole nother blog entry) and you certainly want them to like you. And the best way to do that is by having great conversations.
Now I’m not saying you should read up about everything. Or pretend to be interested in topics that you’re not. (Bring up sports and I’m dead) But try to be up to date in as many subjects that DO interest you and it will serve you well more often than you know.
I once took a call for an employee who was no longer with us and when the caller left her company name I said “I know your company, you help place immigrants in professional jobs.” The caller was quite impressed as they weren’t that well known yet. But I had read about them a few weeks earlier in a business magazine and actually considered reaching out to them as I truly believed in their cause. It was a random call, but because I had read about them and because I was familiar with the bigger issues they were addressing, they became a client and we produced their first TV spots for them. And that’s just one example, and an extremely darn good one.
Head hunters have a term they use after interviewing applicants. They call it “Passing the elevator test.” What it means is that a person is either someone you wouldn’t mind being stuck on an elevator with or not. The more pleasant and interesting your are to talk to, the better your chances of passing that test.
So hit the books (or newspapers, or magazines, or the internet.) But make sure the chores are done first.
Filed under: Web/Tech
The funny thing about web design is that it’s probably one of the most complicated marketing tools you can choose to use and yet many people hire the most affordable designer they can find, which often times means, they may have the least experience in getting through a web development project.
They may be great designers, but more than any other kind of design project, websites take a long time to complete, involve a LOT of content, and usually have more complex structures than you first think. Lots of things can and often do go wrong. I’ve heard (and been part of ) so many situations wherein the clients are never satisfied with the work and the designers are frustrated with the amount of revisions being asked for. One of our clients even went to court with their previous designer, which is almost unheard of in this industry.
The key to making this process as painless as possible is to have a written contract that specifies deadlines, design fees, all deliverables, exclusions and as many contingencies as you can think of. Here are some other mandatories for your contract.
1. Agree on the number of concepts, the number of design revision rounds, and the number of content revision rounds. As a general rule, the less rounds the better. Maybe 3-5. This forces everyone to be decisive and thus saves time and money.
2. Think about everything else. Will the designer do the maintenance as part of the contract or is that extra? Or maybe you want to have a content management system (CMS). Who’s in charge of getting the web hosting account? Buying the domain name? Choosing keywords and submitting the site to search engines? Who will promote the site, submit to other sites for cross-links, measure traffic? All this should be spelled out clearly in your agreement beforehand.
3. Create a wireframes or “text-only” website with no graphic elements. This will give you the client the opportunity to proof and finalize the navigation before the designer actually builds the “designed” website. Everyone should test and approve this wireframe site before moving forward. It’s usually easier and less frustrating for the designer to make changes to structure and navigation in a text-only site instead of a fully designed one.
4. Test, Test, Test! You should test your wireframes site, your employees should test it, your friends and family should test it. The object is to find shortcomings in the way information is accessed. Should you have the contact info be under “About Us” or should it be on it’s own page or on every page? Should the testimonials link from the products page, the about us page or both? Should you have a FAQs page? a Bios page? A News Page? Decide all these BEFORE building the final site. If you keep changing your as the actual site is being built, the designer will want to charge you more.
5. Agree on a launch date and stick to it. But this also means that you need to approve and give feedback in a timely manner. If you tell the designer you need this website up on March 1 but you don’t approve the design or content until February 25 when they submitted it to you 3 weeks earlier, then you’re not being fair to the designer.
Building a website, is like constructing a building. You need to know which rooms are going to go where, where the lobby will be, and where the stairs are going to go. You wouldn’t build one without a final architectural plan now would you?
