Today, the world is ruled by technology. But even in this age of technology, logo design professionals should take some time off from their tight schedules and go back to the times when design was done by sketching. No, not on computers, on paper with pencil. This post is dedicated to those good old times and will describe how sketching with pencil on a paper will help you in logo designing.

Here are the reasons why I advise you to sketch the old-fashioned way.

You will be able to think deeper: When a logo design company takes up a new project, several ideas come flooding into the minds of designers. Using a paper and pencil to sketch these ideas as they arrive would help them think deeper and out of the box because that way their imagination won’t be confined by technical limitations.

You can go anywhere and sketch: If you are a logo designer, taking your laptop to wherever you go is not something uncommon for you. But if you try taking a sketchbook and pencil instead, you will realize that it is even more convenient than a laptop. You can go to the riverside, the rugged terrains, the subways or the countryside or anywhere else you want, to get ideas and you will see that a whole world of inspiration will open up before you.

You will be enriched as an artist: Developing sketching skills will fuel your artistic growth and make you a mature designer. You will get ideas faster and present them on paper quicker. When you will hold a pencil in your hand, design ideas would dictate its movements on paper and the more you sketch, the more innovative design concepts you will come up with.

You will realize the true reason why you are logo designing: Sketching connects you with your inner artist and as you devote more time to sketching, your concept would become clearer about what elements play an important part in your design. You will be able to describe your designs better to your clients.

Now, how you should go about it:

Brainstorm with the help of word lists and mind maps – These tools are designed to rescue logo designers like you when you are facing a mind-block. Though there are online tools for help, using paper will let your ideas flow in full swing and can even eradicate your discomfort of drawing on paper.

Sketch anything that comes to your mind – Or anything that you see around you and feel interested in. Begin with a simple circle or a straight line and give wings to your imagination!

Don’t be set back by mistakes – You might not have sketched anything with pencil since you were in school. So, mistakes are bound to occur. Don’t be upset. Continue sketching and you will get better at it. In fact, make ugly sketches intentionally. That would loosen up your mind block and help you draw better.

Sketch wherever you like – You don’t have to limit yourself to sketchbooks. You never know when an idea will pop up in your mind. So, sketch anywhere you feel like, even on tissue paper!

Use different media – Experiment with different media like pencils, crayons,  watercolors and charcoal on different types of surfaces. Stick to the ones that you feel most comfortable with.

Lastly, don’t forget to share your views!

Staying happy at work is important. It can sharpen your logo design skills and allow you to come up with impressive ideas. Unfortunately, it may not be always possible to remain happy at work. In such a situation, you can opt for certain strategies to stay happy. Read on.

Request for a Good Chair – By “good chair”, we do not mean expensive. Rather, we mean that it should be comfortable. Buying a good chair is important, because it directly affects your health and productivity. Ensure that the chair offers a good support to your back.

Reward Yourself – Rewarding yourself occasionally can fill your body and mind with happy feelings. This is especially important on stressful days. If you have successfully finished a difficult logo designing project, reward yourself by going for a movie or indulging in sweets. However, ensure that you do not eat excessive sweets.

Organize Your Workspace – In many situations, we feel frustrated because of a disorganized workspace. Avoid frustration by organizing your workspace. Start by throwing away unnecessary papers. For best results, adopt the habit of cleaning your workspace once a day.

Be Honest – It is important to be honest, both at work and other spheres of life. In case you do not understand requirements of a project, request the client for clarifications.

Do not assume that you would appear stupid before the client. Rather, use this opportunity to clarify your doubts and learn new things. Remember that clients prefer honest logo designers.

Fix Difficult Issues Immediately – If you face problems regarding a project, fix it as soon as possible. Waiting for tomorrow can worsen things. Additionally, remember that fixing important things will make you happy and relieved. Thereafter, you can concentrate on other issues peacefully.

Sleep for 7-8 Hours – Many of us feel stressed at work because of lack of sleep. To improve your productivity at work, try to sleep for 7-8 hours. Sufficient sleep will refresh your mind and body, allowing you to complete tasks faster.

Opt for Meditation – Meditation can be a good way to acquire a calmer mind. According to a study published in Psychological Science, meditation allows people to enhance and retain focus, even during a monotonous task. Therefore, start meditating and improve your productivity.

Drink Coffee – Many people love drinking coffee, while working. While this can relax your mind, it can also perk up your health. A study published in Stroke: the Journal of the American Heart Association reveals that people who drink one cup of coffee every day have lower risk of stroke, as compared to those who avoid drinking coffee.

Listen to Music – Take a break from stressful activities by listening to music. It will help you to relax and make you a happier person.

Boost your productivity at work with these simple steps.

Have you noticed that we describe our friends and colleagues by using different words? For example, if a colleague helps us regularly, we may use the words ‘kind’, ‘generous’ to describe him. We do it because we believe that these words describe our colleague perfectly.

The same goes for brand as well. If you use the right words, they will allow you to establish a powerful identity of your brand. Herein lies the importance of including a catchy tag line in a logo design.

If you observe carefully, you would find that famous companies always use a tag line that beautifully describes their brand/product. For example, the tag line of McDonald is “I’m lovin it”. By using three words,  McDonald highlights the fact that opting for their products can provide one with immense joy.

Creating an Interesting Tag Line

People associated with any logo design company will agree that it is impossible to come up with intriguing slogans ‘just like that’. To develop catchy slogans, you may need to opt for several brainstorming sessions.

You need to be careful about the words you use during logo designing , because they have the power to evoke strong emotional responses. Additionally, you need to ensure that these words convey the intended message.

According to our opinion, for creating an exciting slogan, one needs to follow three logical steps. We discuss these steps in details.

Mind Mapping

For mind mapping, acquire a pen and paper. Sit down and think about your company. Write down the words that come into your mind, regarding your company. These words can include nouns, adjectives, and even alphabet. However, make sure that these words are related with the values and purposes of your company.

Select a Functional Advantage

What are the special features of your company? Why should people opt for services of your company, rather than your competitors? Note down answers to these questions in a paper. Narrow down the answers to select phrases/words that highlight practical benefits of choosing your company.

For example, the slogan of Expedia.com states’ Don’t just travel. Travel right’. The slogan highlights the fact that this company simplifies the process of traveling. With this company, you do not need to travel aimlessly. Rather, you can travel in an organized and smooth manner.

Opt For an Emotional Advantage

The next step is to choose a word that evokes an emotional response from the audience. Words that evoke positive emotions can include ‘love’, ‘dreams’, ‘forever’, ‘care’.

The tag line of DeBeers is ‘A diamond is forever’. This tag line highlights the fact that diamond has a timeless appeal and helps one to establish a lifelong bond.

Avoid Creating a Long Tag Line

To allow people remember your tag line easily, stick to 3 or 4 words. Do not exceed 4 words in any situation. If you consult tag lines of famous brands, you will find that tag lines of most of them include 3-4 words.

Follow these above-mentioned stages to come up with catchy slogans that reinforce the value of your brand.

Some logo design professionals believe in asking clients certain questions before taking up a project. Others, however, accept projects blindly. This results in several problems that can include poor payment, bad client, and boring work.

We think that the best way to avoid these problems is by asking clients important questions, before finally accepting the project. This will help you to evaluate whether the logo designing project is worth your hard work and effort. To make matters easier, we will highlight some questions that you should ask your potential client.

Even if you are associated with website designing, you can ask these questions. However, do not forget to modify them accordingly.

Questions related to the organization

1.  What is the name of your company?

2.  What products or services your company offers?

3.  What is the USP (Unique Selling Point) of your company?

4.  When did you start your company?

5.  Is it a start-up or a medium-sized company? Is it a large-scale corporation (you can judge size of a company by its revenue or employee number)?

6.  What are the positive and negative aspects of your company?

7.  Where do you want to see your company in 5/10/15 years?

8.  What was the main purpose/motivation behind founding the company?

9.  Who is your primary competitor?

10.  How your company solves problems of your target audience?

Branding

11.  If you are asked to describe your company in a single word, what would be your answer?

12.  If your customers are requested to describe your organization in a word, what would be their answer?

13.  Do you possess any logo currently?

14.  (If answer to the above question is yes) Would you like to retain any elements from your current logo?

15.  Why do you want to modify or redesign your logo?

16.  When did you introduce your current logo?

17.  Can tell us about the mission statement of your organization?

18.  Do you want to include any slogan or tag line in your logo?

19.  How do you want to create brand image of your company?

20.  What is the most distinguishing element of your logo?

21.  Why did you opt for this particular color or icon in your logo?

Design specifications

22.  Do you want to use any particular color scheme in the logo? Can you state the reasons?

23.  Do you want to use your logo in any particular medium?

24.  Do you want to include any particular elements in the logo?

25.  According to your opinion, what is the definition of a good logo?

26.  Can you state your preferences, regarding icon and typography?

27.  Do you have any restrictions, regarding development of the logo?

28.  Can you give us some examples of logos that you love and those you hate?

29.  Can you tell us what the primary purpose of a logo design is?

30.  What are the particular occasions when you would like to use this logo?

Target clients

31.  Who consists of your target audience?

32.  Who opts for your products/services the most?

33.  Do you want to modify or expand your current target audience?

34.  Can you tell us about your primary types of advertising?

35.  Are you targeting any specific gender?

36.  Can you tell us about the average income of your target client?

37.  How do most of your clients come across your company?

38.  In which area do your maximum clients reside?

Timing and budget

39.  What is your budget for this logo design project?

40.  What is your deadline?

41.  How many rough concepts you would like to receive?

42. Why did you choose our company for this project?

43.  What is most critical for you-speed, quality, or price?

44.  Apart from this logo design, do you require any other services?

45.  Are you planning any special event where you want to launch this logo?

Additional queries that can bring in extra money

46.  Do you require help regarding any other project?

47.  Are you aware of any person who wants innovative logo designs?

Asking these questions will clear your doubts regarding the project and enhance quality of your work. Furthermore, it will allow you to maintain a good relationship with your clients.

Visual vocabulary consists of design elements that play a crucial role in creating brand identity of your company. These elements are secondary ones (logo being the primary element) and consist of graphic design, colors, font, and the paper type.

After you have incorporated all the elements in the visual vocabulary, checking their consistency is critical. This is because a consistent visual vocabulary will create a professional image of the company, making it (the image) even stronger. Furthermore, it will help people to recall corporate identity design of your company more easily.

Here are few ways you can develop a consistent visual vocabulary.

Incorporate Similar Images throughout your Promotional Materials

With the help of this strategy, your company can create a powerful impression on the target audience. We discuss this point in details.

• Use the logo design of your company in all the business documents and marketing materials. You can also consider repeating your contact information, line art, tagline, and any decorative styles throughout the products and advertisements.

• Let us assume that you own a web design company and use interesting images for highlighting your business. Stick to images. Do not use clip-art suddenly because it would disrupt image of your company.

• Maintain consistency by placing graphic and logo designs in similar areas of marketing materials. If you have incorporated the logo in upper section of your business card design, do not place it in lower section of the brochures.

Choose Coordinated Fonts

Select few coordinated fonts and use them repeatedly in the marketing materials.

• Logo Font- This is the font you should use in your logos. It should be unique and interesting.

• Secondary Font- Fonts used in taglines, graphics, quotes, and headlines are known as secondary fonts.

• Tertiary Font- You can opt for tertiary font, when secondary font is unavailable. You may use it for mid-length information, such as contact details.

• Serif text Font- This is perfect for printed documents, especially lengthy ones.

• Sans-Serif Font- This font is ideal for designing a website or creating shorter printed materials.

• Website Font- This font refers to the one you can use for creating a website.

Depending on your business requirement and preferences of target audience, you can use some or all these fonts to create consistent visual vocabulary.

Opt for the Same Color Scheme

Using similar color palette is critical. This will help your audience to identify your company more easily. Here are few tips.

• If your logo consists of one or two colors, including them in the main color palette of your company can be a great idea. Avoid using excessive number of colors. Remember that this strategy can create a disjointed image of your brand identity.

• If you want to extend the basic color scheme, using shades of existing colors can be a great idea. For example, if you use light green in your logo, you can select dark green for extending the color palette.

• Using complementary shades of the main color can be a simple way to extend your color palette. For more information, refer to the color wheel.

• As stated earlier, color consistency is important. If you use bright colors in logos, do not use suddenly dull colors in brochure designs.

Pick out Coordinated Papers

Using high-quality paper for marketing your products is critical. Read on to know more.

• As stated earlier, consistency between various elements of visual vocabulary is critical. The same rule applies for paper quality as well. If you are using thick paper for brochure designs, for example, choose the same paper for creating letterheads.

• Make sure that type of the paper complements purposes of the business. If you have a website design company, choose textured paper. On the other hand, smooth and white paper is perfect for those who offer technical or medical services.

We highlighted few tips that will help you to create a consistent visual vocabulary. Additionally, you need to ensure that the writing style that you use for brochures and advertisements is consistent as well. Paying attention the marketing timing is critical as well.

Let us assume that you send readers newsletter on a particular date and time of the month. In such a situation, you should always try to send it at the same date and time every month. This will fulfill your clients’ expectations and create a positive impression.

Corporate identity refers to the professional image of a company. To create a strong corporate identity, you need to market promotional materials of your company aggressively. These materials can include logo, brochures, website, business cards, envelope, and letterhead.

The importance of a powerful identity lies in the fact that it leaves a strong impression on the target audience. It highlights benefits of your company and informs customers about your values and goals. Unfortunately, some people believe in the myths surrounding corporate identity. We highlight these myths and highlight the correct approach.

Myth 1- Small companies do not need a corporate identity

This is a wrong concept!

Corporate identity comes with various advantages and even if your company is small, you should take advantage of them. Remember, that with the help of a strong brand identity, you can enhance your reputation and number of clients. This in turn, will help you to expand your business.

Myth 2- Anyone can create the design of my company

Some people assign the job of developing corporate identity to friends/colleagues. They believe that this strategy will save money. Unfortunately, they are unaware of the fact that this is a wrong approach.

If you hire unprofessional persons for creating your corporate identity design, it can permanently damage reputation of your company. These persons may not take the project seriously and give it as much attention as a professional would give. Rather, opting for professional graphic design services would be a good idea.

Myth 3- I do not require a brand identity

If you own a business, you will require a brand identity. This is irrespective of the size and purposes of your company. Remember, that brand identity is a critical tool for creating awareness about your company and earning profits.

Myth 4- Building corporate identity is an impersonal approach

No.

If you create the identity of your company in a clever manner, people would never consider it as an impersonal approach. In fact, if you research in details, you would discover that many large companies have personalized their identities. Examples can include KFC and Mrs. Field’s Cookies. Corporate identity of these companies is based on their personal approach. Likewise, you can also add a personal touch to your brand identity.

Myth 5- It is not worth of any expenses

It is true that for creating a powerful identity, you need to spend money. However, consider the fact spending money in this regard will guarantee you a higher return on investment. With help of a strong company identity, you can attract greater number of customers. This in turn, will improve your sales rate and overall profit.

Myth 6- It involves excessive work

It is not true that to develop corporate identity; you need to put in greater efforts. It is a known fact that to establish a business, you need to work hard in general. Creating a brand identity is only an aspect of the hard work you need to put in. It does not demand any greater effort exclusively.

Myth 7- I cannot opt for symbols that have been implemented before

Wrong.

You can always opt for previously used symbols. However, the way you combine these symbols should be unique. This is important because it will help you to create a unique logo design. You can consider useful techniques, such as arranging symbols in a different way or creating symbols by using paint strokes.

We highlighted few myths surrounding corporate identity. Study them carefully so that you can avoid falling into their trap.

In recent times, logo design has become a crucial marketing tool for most companies. This has prompted many people to think that they can develop a strong brand identity by creating only logo designs. However, this idea is not right. Logo design is not synonymous with brand identity. Rather, it is only a part of corporate identity.

A logo, in simple terms, can be defined as a symbol or name that represents the company. Logos can consist of text and images. Examples can include IBM and Starbucks respectively. Sometimes, designers also combine text and images to create unique logo designs. Examples can include KFC and Skittles.

Purposes of logo designs include highlighting unique features of the company and creating a memorable impression on minds of the target audience. Sometimes, logo designs are developed and redesigned to increase awareness about a company.

As compared to logo design, brand identity is a broader concept. It indicates the perception that customers have about a particular company. Additionally, brand identity includes logo designs, taglines, values, and advertising campaigns that a company promotes. In brief, brand identity highlights personality of the company.

Apple, for example, is a company that possesses a strong brand identity. Customers are aware of the fact that Apple launches innovative products and has a strong support network. It is associated with values such as honesty and commitment. With the help of these values, innovative products, and a creative logo design, Apple has turned itself into a powerful brand.

Can you control your brand identity?

Since brand identity lives in minds of the clients, many may think that controlling this identity is impossible. However, this is not completely right. It is true that you cannot control what people think about a particular company. However, by implementing certain smart strategies, you can create a positive brand image of your company, thus influencing people’s thinking. We highlight the aspects that you can control.

• The story

Every company has a story to tell to its target audience. The story can include features of the company, its uniqueness, history, and ways it can solve problems of the customers. To tell a story, you need to take help of visual communication, business writing, and powerful marketing strategies.

For example, eBay promotes itself as a company that helps people to buy and sell everything. KFC tells its story by highlighting its products and the founder, Colonel Sanders, who invented the fried chicken recipe.

• The logo

Opt for interesting logos that promote special features of your company. Logo design of Amazon.com, for example, highlights an arrow that stretches from the alphabet A-Z (of the word ‘Amazon’).  This indicates that the company sells every product starting from A to Z.

• Promotional materials

Apart from creating logos, you need to pay attention to other promotional materials. These can include brochures, business cards, and e-books. Maintain a consistency in all these items.
A logo is only a partial aspect of brand identity. To create a powerful brand identity, you need to tell a story, create interesting logos, and promotional materials.

Starbucks, one of the biggest coffee chains of the world, recently introduced a new nameless logo. Though the new logo design highlights the company’s signature twin-tailed siren, it no longer includes the words ‘Coffee’ and ‘Starbucks’. The introduction of a nameless logo has sparked off a controversy regarding its usefulness.

Most people believe that nameless logos only work for companies who have already established themselves as a brand. Probably that is the reason why Starbucks did not hesitate to take this bold step.

Logos can be broadly divided into three categories-

Typographic logos- Typographic logos highlight the company’s name in unusual and creative ways. A good example of a company that uses typographic logo is Calvin Klein. The logo of this company highlights the initials of the company name in an interesting way.

Since typographical logo involves only playing around with text and fonts, many assume that it is easy to design. However, the reality is different. Designers have to choose a unique font to distinguish the logo in midst of thousands of others. Additionally, they have to pay attention to other factors, such as letter and word spacing and shape of the letterforms.

Type and symbol logos- These logos involve symbols and name of the company. Apart from creating awareness about a company, type and symbol logos can subtly highlight values of a company.

The logo design of the famous Jaguar car company can serve here as a good example. While the upper part of the logo highlights a wild cat jumping, the lower part points out the name of the company. The wild cat creates a powerful image and the strong typeface that highlights the company’s name, matches it perfectly.

Symbol only logos- Companies that have created a strong brand identity of their own usually opt for symbol only logos. Examples can include Apple, Shell, and Starbucks.

Simplicity is the biggest thing that symbol only logos can teach designers. A good way of understanding the simplicity involved in famous logos is to break them down in their basic forms.

If you remove text of the National Geographic logo, for example, you will be left only with a rectangle. Implementing this strategy by yourself will help you to understand that when it comes to powerful designs, simplicity is the key.

Nameless logos can be successful, only in case of companies who have earned great popularity. As part of a logo design company, if you have to deal with a client who wants a nameless logo for his/ her start-up company, convince the person that it will not be a good idea. Rather, assure the client that a typographic logo or type and symbol logo would be the perfect choice.

Of course, if you are designing for a renowned company that everyone knows, it’s a different matter.

Many young people these days are willing to become graphic designers. Benefits of being a graphic designer can include good money, creative satisfaction, and flexible timings (you can work as an employee or a freelance graphic designer).

Since graphic designing is a lucrative career option, many youngsters are willing to know about the skills that are necessary to break into this field. Of course, an exact definition of a perfect graphic designer does not exist. Still, we have pointed out few traits that a good graphic designer should possess.

1.   Latest technological expertise

It may sound harsh to some, but fact remains that mere sketching and pencil-drawing skills will not help you to acquire a good job in the graphic designing industry. Recent technological advances have altered the concept of graphic design. Today, even a small-scale firm opts for computers to create and modify designs.

For these reasons, to become a graphic designer, you must possess a basic knowledge of using computers. More specifically, you should be aware of graphic software, such as Corel Draw, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, and Freehand.

If you are planning to become a designer but yet to know graphic software, start gathering information about it. Remember that searching for graphic designer jobs, without possessing the essential skills, would result in a futile search.

2.   Print production knowledge

Graphic design has a strong association with printing. In most cases, clients ask designers to print their creations. For this reason, many companies these days hire only those candidates who possess at least fundamental printing knowledge.

To master print design, you need to understand print layout software, such as Quark Express, and Adobe. Additionally, you should have an in-depth knowledge of concepts, such as master pages, grid layout, and color separations.

3.   Creativity

Surveys reveal that while hiring graphic designers, employers look for people with strong creative and aesthetic sense.

A designing industry thrives mainly on creativity. Unless you are creative and possess the ability to come up with unique designs, you will not succeed as a graphic designer. Graphic and logo design industry is a fiercely competitive field, where creativity will help you to gain an additional edge over your rivals.

4.   Educational background

Educational background plays an important role in the designing field. All those who are looking for entry-level graphic design jobs should possess a bachelor’s degree. However, if you want to work as an assistant graphic designer, a diploma certificate would be sufficient.

5.   Good communication skills

Most jobs these days require candidates to possess good communication skills. This is also important in graphic designing field, because here you need to communicate with clients regularly.

Apart from verbal skills, strong writing skills are crucial. The reason is that many times clients ask designers to write a tag line or brief description of their products.

6.   Portfolio presentation

A well-made portfolio is a valuable resource available to a person, who is seeking a job. Surprisingly, many choose to ignore it. They believe that a person who has an experience of more than 10 years in the designing field should create a portfolio. However, this is a wrong concept.

Your portfolio acts as your representative, highlights your personal and professional accomplishments, and points out your values. Remember that a well-made portfolio can create a strong impression on minds of your prospective employers.

Apart from all these skills, knowledge about web designing can act as an extra advantage. Upgrading your skills regularly is equally important.

In the logo design industry, creating unique logos and meeting deadlines are not enough. A logo designer should possess creativity skills. Along with it, the designer needs to possess the ability to convince clients that the logo meets their requirements perfectly.

However, things do not work out so perfectly in the designing industry. Clients are often stubborn about their preferences. Many a times, the designer, working on behalf of a logo design company, gives in to the client’s demands. As a result, quality of work suffers, with the designer grumbling that the client has murdered his/her creative skills.

As a designer, you need to accept the fact that clients will always find some fault in logo designs. In such a situation, you can follow the client’s instructions and make necessary changes. Alternatively, you can try to convince him/her. Here are few tips that you can consider:

• Confidence is the Key

When it comes to handling clients, confidence is the key. Confidence creates the impression that you possess the required expertise and skills. Clients have more faith in confident designers and usually, do not push them for making unnecessary changes. If you appear confident and assertive before the client, there are high chances that he/she will allow you to retain the original design.

• Gently Highlight Your Skills and Expertise

Confidence represents the first step of convincing the client. The next step is to point out your credentials and expertise. This does not mean that you have to present your degree, testimonials, or certificates before them. Rather, this would mean creating the image of a passionate designer who is completed devoted to the client’s project.

• Point Out Your past Successful Projects

If the client still forces you to make unnecessary changes, point out your past projects that have earned reputation and acclaim. Most clients want to make changes because they do not have complete faith in the designers. Discussing about your past successful projects will reassure them. However, consider the fact that this may not be the right strategy in every situation. Some clients may evaluate this strategy as defensive or egoistic.

Still, if you can tactfully implement this strategy, it may convince the client.

• Avoid the Defensive Approach

If you are working as a designer in a logo design company in India, you should avoid the defensive approach at any cost. Understand the client’s point of view and stay levelheaded. Do not take the disagreements or criticisms personally. Remember that clients do not have any personal grudge against you. A defensive approach will convince them that you are an egoistic person and they may react negatively.

• Do Not Dismiss the Client’s Suggestions Altogether

Many designers make the mistake of rejecting a client’s ideas altogether. This creates the impression that the designer is an egoistic person who cannot accept criticisms. The right way of handling the situation is to convince the client that you have considered his/her ideas, and, if you have rejected those ideas, explain the reasons behind it. This will help the client to understand the reasons behind the rejection.

In the logo designing industry, disagreements with clients is common. The best way to deal with this situation is to adopt a sensitive and yet, firm attitude. Communicate with your client regularly. If you do not want to accept the client’s suggestions, explain the reasons behind it and state how it would benefit the project.

Have you ever wondered why Coca Cola makes millions of dollars all over the world when there are other soft-drink companies in the market? They sell because of two things: their USP (Unique Selling Proposition) and marketing strategy. The same rule applies in the website design industry. If you are a freelance website designer and want to get regular projects, you need to highlight your USP to the clients and convince them to choose you.

Think about what makes you different from other designers. There are lots of web designers vying for the clients’ attention. Why a client should hire you when there are others? If you can’t stand out from the crowd, you can’t survive.

Find Out What Makes You Special- What is your USP? Are you an excellent logo designer? Can you create unique and wonderful layouts? Are you an expert in Flash design? Whatever your USP is, make it your trademark and convince your clients that you know about it better than anyone else in the field. It will help clients choose you quicker.

For example, if you want to brand yourself as an expert logo designer, people who want to design a logo for their company will come only to you.

However, there is a drawback with such branding. If someone wants to design a website in WordPress and you claim yourself as a Joomla expert, they won’t hire you. Another problem is, if that particular field loses its popularity, your career is over.

Some clients like to hire a web designer a few weeks before their website launch, and demand project completion within a very short deadline. If you work very fast and can deliver a logo within a week or two, that can be your USP.

Create A Respectable Profile- Make people aware of the fact that you are an experienced web designer. Start writing blogs and share useful tutorials, participate in seminars, etc. Once you establish yourself as an expert, you would be swarmed with new projects.

Also, you should have a portfolio site. When potential clients visit your site, they must be able to see your work samples and decide. Include your past clients’ testimonials in the site. When a future client reads the praises of another reputable client for your efficiency, reliability and timely delivery, he will be convinced about your capability.

Localize Your Services- Getting projects and earning money is lucrative, but the competition is much tougher when you compete with designers all over the world. When you present yourself as a local designer however, local clients will be more interested to do business with you. Especially, small-scale businesses don’t want to hire foreign companies, but when you present yourself as “web designer in Kolkata” or “web designer in India”, they can approach you without worries.

Flaunt Your Own Style- Over time, you will gather experience and will be able to create your own style. Try to be distinctive so that clients can recognize you when they see a website designed by you.

Also, besides designing a website, offer something extra to your clients. For instance, you can offer logo design services with website design at reasonable rates. When you offer multiple services, clients don’t need to go to other designers. This way you will save your clients’ money, as well as time, and they will be interested to hire you again.

How Much Do You Charge? - Some designers think that if they offer their service at a cheap rate, clients will certainly hire them. But there are two problems in this: low price is often considered equal to low quality. Also, in today’s competitive market, quoting the lowest price is impossible. There is always someone ready to offer a cheaper rate. Don’t try to make “cheap rate” your USP. Charge a reasonable rate and show your clients that your quality deserves a lot more.

Just like designers search for new clients; clients also look for reliable designers. A business owner always wants to hire designers who offer impeccable services, quotes an affordable charge and have expertise in their profession. When you highlight your USP, it becomes easier for a client to make up his mind and hire you.

With corporate branding and marketing of products, brands and their logos now have a huge impact on consumer minds. People these days not only buy a product by its brand name, but prefer to call it so too. For example, we don’t go to a fast food restaurant and say we want a burger and a bottle of water, instead say, “Give me one Big Mac and one bottle of Kinley.” That’s the impact of brands!

We all have our own favorite brands and like their names, but most of us have misconceptions about brand names. Let’s explore the famous brand names and find out how they came into existence.

Adidas- Adidas is often thought of as the acronym for “All Day I Dream About Sports”. The brand name is actually derived from the founder of the company, Adolf Dassler. “Adi” stands for Adolf and “Das” stands for Dassler.

Adobe- This software giant got its name from a river! Unbelievable, but true! Adobe’s co- founder, John Warnock’s house is beside the Adobe Creek River in California.

Google- The mighty Google is well-known to everyone, but do you know how the name came into being? The company wanted to patent the word “Googol” as their brand name. “Googol” is a number number that means 1 followed by 100 zeros. “Google” was actually a spelling mistake.

Apple- Apple’s logo design has nothing to do with the type of products the company manufactures. Why is the half-eaten apple then used as their logo? Newton discovered gravity when he saw an apple falling from a tree. The Apple logo stands for motivation for new innovation.

Nike- Nike was derived from the “Greek goddess of victory”. That’s why they use the ‘swoosh’ in their logo’s design. The tick also personifies victory.

Toyota- This world famous Japanese car manufacturer got its name from its founder, Sakichi Toyoda, whose surname was initially used as the brand name, but was later, changed to “Toyota”. The word Toyota uses eight letters of the Japanese alphabets. Eight is the lucky number in Japan. The company wanted to give their brand name both numerological luck and a ringing sound for universal appeal.

Coca Cola- We love to drink Coca Cola, but how many of us really know what the name stands for? The secret lies in the recipe for this popular beverage, which uses coca leaves and kola nuts. Coca-Cola maker, John S. Pemberton, changed the spelling of “kola” into “cola” to create the famous brand name “Coca Cola”.

Hotmail- Hotmail is based on HTML and the company wanted to give it a name that will sound like HTML and have the word “mail” at the end. They finally selected the name “HoTMaiL”, but later changed the word casing and made it “Hotmail”.

Mercedes- Emil Jellineks, the man behind this company, patented the car’s engine after his daughter, Mercédès Jellinek.

Hope my article gave you some new information and also rectified some old misconceptions about famous brand names.

You can’t find new clients if you don’t promote yourself. You have to make people hear you and hire you to stay in competition. However, self-promotion needs intelligent strategy to garner the desired result.

Every small and big company promotes their service and there is nothing bad in this. Unless you tell people about yourself and what you are offering, how will they know about you? Of course, self-promotion does not mean banging your own drum without clear focus. Nobody likes a bragger, but everyone likes to hear the achievements of a talented man.

Here are some tactful self-promotion suggestions that will help you capture the target audience’s attention.

Let Your Work Do The Talking- Before promotion, you need something that you can promote. What is the best thing that a man can promote about himself? His work or the services he provides of course.

If you have created an amazing logo design or started providing website designing at an affordable cost, people will be more interested in you.

To promote yourself, you first need to believe in yourself and the work you do. If you feel that you can design a website the way no one else can, your self confidence will boost your self-promotional skills.

Promotion Must Be Planned- Some people like to promote their work to the world as soon as they do it, while some people like to share their success with the people they trust and gradually let other people know about their achievements.

You can brag about your work if you know it’s flawless, but the wise thing to do is to give it some time. Let the small number of users try it and when you make it absolutely excellent, promote it. A good example of thoughtful promotion is Google +. Till date, Google has not made it available to everyone.

Tell People How You Can Change Their Business- When you meet a new client and want to impress him, don’t say things like, “I have 10 years experience” or “I have worked with X,Y, Z brand.”

There are several other web designers in the market who have worked more than a decade in this industry and have worked with many more brands than you ever did. Why will the customer come to you?

To interest clients, tell them how you can improve their business and earn them more profits. Claims like, “my website design will increase the conversion rate by 20% for you” will impress them. But, when you claim such things, show him data, where you helped your past clients to get more customers through your unique web design. One page statistical data is much more convincing than an hour of futile talk.

Listen More, Talk Less- This is the most subtle way of self-promotion. You may meet two clients one day. One of them is facing a problem with the contact form and another with the products page of his website. Unless you know what their problem is, you may start telling what a good webpage designer you are to the person who is looking for a great contact form!

Listen to your potential client’s problems and then offer them the solutions by saying how efficient you are in that particular field. If your expertise can solve their problem, they will be more interested to hear your ideas.

Don’t Pretend- Every web designer has his own personality and style of work. Don’t try to be someone you are not. You can’t be a jack of all trades, and acting like one is the gravest mistake you can make.

If you are good at graphic design, only promote your graphic designing skills. If you start promoting yourself as an expert in all aspects of  web development and fail to deliver, people will realize you are nothing but a liar. This will not only damage your image, but hurt your business as well. If you claim something, stick to it and satisfy the clients with your service.

Every client likes a sincere web designer who fulfills his promise. Hollow self-promotion will land you in trouble. When you promote your work, service or ideas, show people enough reasons to believe you.

In today’s age of marketing, where every company strives hard to create a brand presence for themselves, a professional logo is a must-have that has the power to pave the way to success easily. Hence to stand tall amidst others, every company, be it small or big, ensures that they have a well designed logo that not only represents the company values and essence to its targeted audience but also adds to its corporate identity.

To make your business memorable and distinct in itself, logo design makes a vital need that acts as a communicative bridge between a company and its audience. Demanding for large amount of effort and time, creating an effective logo design that captures the fancy of potential customers is no child’s play. It has always been a challenge for designers to try out something unique and different in logo designing, so that it represents a company at its best. Here we will be presenting to you some cleverly done logo designs that are sure to entice your interest:

ED Logo

In this logo, the designer has broken all conventional rules of logo designing and taken it to a new high. The letters ‘E’ and ‘D’ has been brilliantly used in this design to take up with the shape of an electric plug.

Eight Logo

Displaying creativity at its best, this logo is too good to be ignored by anyone. The designer has used a unique style of typeface, where every letter used in the design looks like the digit 8. Undoubtedly an amazing design, the Eight logo is the best example of clever use of creativity.

Toblerone Logo

While toblerone makes the favorite chocolates for many, its logo is equally interesting. Have a close look at it and you will discover the creative genius of the designer. Amazingly done, the designer has used the image of a hidden bear on the Swiss Alps to represent the originating place of the chocolate, i.e. Bern, Switzerland, as Bern is also known as the “City of Bears”.

Amazon Logo

Simple and clean to look at, the logo of amazon.com exhibits amazing blend of creativity that communicates the company’s philosophy to its clients incredibly. Mark the arrow that goes from the letter A to Z in the word ‘amazon.com’, thus conveying the message that everything from A to Z is available at amazon.com. It also stands for a smile that represents customer satisfaction.

Logo represents the brand image of an organization and thus it has to be placed in a prominent position so that it can be viewed easily. Now, since logo design is an integral part of an organization’s corporate identity, you need to be a bit cautious while coming to the crucial conclusion. Color combination, navigation, contrast etc are some of those issues that can make your life a complete misery while positioning a logo in a website. Here we are going to help you to promote the brand image of your website by placing your logo perfectly:

Header
This is probably the best and the most favorite place to position a logo. Header is the most crucial part of a website and therefore, you should incorporate your logo in the header section to maximize the chances of seizing the attention of viewers at the very first glance. Moreover, majority of users are in the habit of clicking on the logo to return to the home page and therefore, you should try to use the logo as an image rather than making it a part of the background image.

Favicon
Favicon is a tiny little icon that appears just next to the URL of a website on your browser. By adding a favicon to your website, you can add a certain level of professionalism to a website. This practice helps surfers to locate a particular website from the crowd of other websites. By using a favicon, you can easily make your website looks different from the rest of the others.

Use In different Social Media
If you want to feel the power of social media, do not forget to use your company’s logo as the profile picture. It will add value to your organization’s social presence besides helping people to locate your company easily and effortlessly.

Gravatar
Globally Recognized Avatar, which is alternatively known as “Gravatars”, is a popular service that is widely employed for providing a unique global identity. This is a unique of kind of its program in which a particular image is assigned to an email id. Try to use logo of your company while registering your email because it will help people to recognize you easily and effortlessly and thus it can help you promote your brand, whenever you comment on a blog or write something as a guest writer.

Guest Posts
This is anther great way to project your brand image and to introduce  yourself to a new breed of people in different communities. Guest posts can help you to get valuable traffic. Try to use logo as against your personal picture in the guest column since it will help you to increase brand awareness among people.

Email
Email marketing has always been a part of branding and  has proved instrumental in generating leads. You should try to exploit its unlimited benefits by featuring the logo of your company in the signature section. However, you can place it at fore of the newsletter or emails if you are comfortable with the ongoing email marketing campaign.

Picture yourself on a bright Sunday morning with a cup of hot black coffee and morning newspaper. You are perfectly at ease with yourself and then you find someone who resembles you. He is your look-alike. You will certainly feel a cold shiver down your spine. The same goes true with the leading corporate organizations when they find with utter surprise that their logos look almost the same with that of another organization. Apart from the legal intricacies, you cannot overlook its negative impact on their brand value. Can you dare to flaunt a logo that resembles Google or Yahoo? We suppose not.

Obviously there are cases of sheer co-incidents and sometimes the reasons are quite obviously (I do not want to rub on this point anymore). Here in this article, we are going to explore some interesting logos that look like twins but they are not. Let us take a look:

Scottish Arts Council and Artworkers

The uncanny similarities between these two logos can go down to the history of logo design since we have never seen any other logos flaunting almost the same form and structure. Furthermore, the fonts and the positioning of the texts are almost similar. The only difference is that artwork has positioned an extra element just above its main logo.

Sun Microsystems and Columbia Sportswear

It is really hard to believe that two companies of two different sectors can proudly flaunt almost the same logo. However there are some marked differences exist between them for example, Columbia Sportswear is featuring a basket like logo by positioning equal sign (=) squarely. Moreover, it is also using a different color scheme for its logo. Sun Microsystems is using a business-like blue whereas Columbia Sportswear has kept its faith in earthly brown color that goes perfectly with its sport portfolio. There is another marked different exists. Both the companies are using different fonts.

Carrier and Ford

Once upon a time, Carrier used to feature a logo that looks almost similar with that of the Ford’s logo. But thankfully, they have now opted for a different logo that truly represents what they are. Ford on the other hand is having a great time with its old and famed logo.

Diesel and Velux

Logos of these two familiar brands have one thing in common and that is the red background. But is that all that make them so similar? We suppose not. Besides using the iconic and bloody red background, which stands out of the rest of other the elements of their websites, both of these two logos are extremely simple and the messages are quite clear. They are straightforward, aggressive, bright but serious in their approach. But the question is how can one apply the same approach and the same rules while designing logos for two different companies.

Mini and Bentley

These two logos are more or less the same. However, they have reasons to be same since both of them are into the automobile industry. Both of them have used wings to connote speed and movement. Even the color scheme is the same but the structure is slightly different. Mini logo is a bit advance as far as its overall structure and appearance is concerned whereas Bentley believes in its traditional look.

Rebranding is definitely a good practice since it helps you to spruce up the image of your organization. Redesign of logo is certainly one of those widely employed rebranding techniques that have repeatedly been exploited by corporate bodies for giving a refreshing look to their existing brand image. But not every attempt succeeds, there are some glaring examples where the attempts were lambasted and came under fire for not being able to generate anything impressive. Here in this article, we are going to include some of the most controversial brand-building program that eventually turned out to be an embarrassment.

London 2012
Though it is not a rebranding effort literally, it is definitely an attempt to add twist to previously designed Olympic logos. But as is to be expected, the outcome was far from impressive. You can see by yourself how the meaning gets lost somewhere in the mess. In fact, some people even term it as a caricature that lacks energy, vitality and the distinctive appeal that are all so far closely associated with Olympics. Everything looks disjointed that has little to do with the so-called flexibility.

People reactions were sharp and they vented their frustrations clearly in those words:

OMG! The ‘London 2012′ logo makes me want to pluck out my eyes..

Animal Planet
The newly introduced logo of popular television channel Animal Planet neither has any animal nor does it have any planet for the animals. Wondering what it has then. Well, take a look then:

Find it hard to believe right? This was the reaction of majority of viewers who first saw the new Logo of Animal Planet. The new logo was supposed to bring out the visceral emotion in the animal kingdom but what turned out to be a sheer travesty of that noble attempt. This logo leads to unnecessary complications, confusions and was largely booed by the public.

The main drawbacks of this logo design are:

• It looks dreadful. (sorry for these tough words)
• It lacks the life.
• It does not convey any meaning; at least we have failed to figure it out.

Pepsi
Pepsi the beverage giant had also drawn ire from its loyal customers over a much-hyped rebranding plan that most experts termed it as utter failure. In 2008, Pepsi revealed a massive plan for branding exercise and brought out this logo:

But the logo failed to meet the expectations. It lacks the corporate appeal and appears average from the very look. There is no creative touch and its simplistic look failed utterly to cut a creative ice with its consumers.

Wacom
It is famous for its graphics tablet products but its logo does not reflect it at all. Graphics are poorly executed. In fact, it is rather ironic that a company proudly says “we believe that technology should be easy to use and simple to understand” can flaunt a logo that few could understand properly. The heavy use of colors can make a viewer colorblind (just kidding). It is really a mystery what has driven Wacom to choose such a logo.

Capital One
Rebranding is mainly carried out for giving a new look to a logo that run the risk of being outdated. But in the case of Capital One, it is quite different. They choose a logo and a symbol that has been adopted by thousands others previously. Why they have deliberately chosen of boomerang is now a million dollar question. Would ever a credit card company dare to opt for a boomerang? But as it seems Capital One had the courage to do so.

So, far we have described some of the most debating rebranding attempts that had failed to generate anything positive. We would definitely like to feature more in coming days.

Creativity plays a prominent role in logo design since it is about creating a brand icon, a public face of an organization so that people can relate easily to it. But as a logo designer, you know how tough it is to generate new and fresh ideas each day so that each logo appears unique. Staying creative throughout the day is a nerve-wracking task but as you are into this field, you need to know how to do it otherwise, you are sure to find yourself in a tough corner. Your clients will definitely not like to see a logo that looks more or less similar to that of his company’s logo and therefore, you need to be very particular about design if you wish to avoid this kind of embarrassing situation. Here we are going to discuss some common issues that are related to gathering inspiration for designing a logo.

Do Not Make a Google Search: A good designer should hate Google. Well, you have reasons enough to disagree with me but the fact is that majority of logo designer or at least, a significant section of them prone to make a Google search whenever they run short of ideas and the most favorite destination is obvious: Google Image Search (http://www.google.com/imghp?hl=en&tab=wi). Obviously you are not going to copy and paste the design but you are certainly taking a cue from these logos that pop up whenever you make a search with the term “Logo”.

Inspiration: – So, you are asked to design a logo for a car. As is to be expected, you start scouting for existing logos of other car companies and therefore, the outcome is highly likely to be something similar. Images are not likely to be the same but the structure and the style might correspond to those existing logos. So, how on earth can you get inspiration for your next designing project? You can get inspiration for your next project by taking a short break from your desk and by taking a short nap. Sound outrageous! But the bottom-line is that if you want to do something different this time around, you need to opt for a less trodden path.

Do not Waste Your Time: Since time is short, you should not waste your time by going through the details of the project and the company thoroughly before you start designing a logo. Try to kick-start the project by formulating a plan in advance. Deadline has to be met at any cost and that means, you are not likely to have enough time in your hand to give a logo a unique and finessing touch.

A logo design helps in communicating the marketing message to the intended audience. A logo graphically represents the identity of a company. An effective logo design is required to make it easily recognizable to the present and potential customers.

Before designing a logo for your company you need to decide the requirements and aim of designing it. The nature and work of the company should also be compared before designing it. A graphic designer can draw inspiration from the ongoing logo designing styles and also thoroughly study the logo designs of the competitor companies.

An effective logo design means that it will be easy to remember and recognize it among many company logos. The logo design should also be simple yet eye catching. A logo design should be versatile so that it can be used in any media. The design of a logo should also be relevant to the products and services offered by the company.

For designing an effective logo you can follow the given tips:

While logo designing, it is better to avoid raster graphics. The raster graphics are difficult to edit and thus it becomes difficult to modify the design according to requirements. Instead of raster one should use vector graphics that are easier to edit. To avoid duplication it is not even advisable to use stock vector graphics.

It is better to avoid complicating a logo design. A simple logo is easier to remember than a complex logo. Use of color should also be restricted while designing a logo. Use of many colors can increase the cost of printing. For printing purpose, a black and white version should also be created. Use of too many fonts also complicates the logo design. It is advisable to use not more than two fonts at a time.

While designing a logo, one should be careful not to copy others’ ideas. A logo is used to set up the corporate identity of a company or a business house. Thus every logo should be unique in its own way.

For professional logo design services you can contact the graphic designers at Webguru India. We design logos for our clients at competitive rates.

Logo is basically an identification of an entity or an institution. This is why, the designers need to remain quite careful while developing a logo design. Nowadays, along with the business corporations, music bands are also launching their own websites just for the sake of promoting them.

Like all other logos, band logo acts as a marketing tool that helps in the popularity enhancement of a particular music group. There is no doubt in the fact that if your singers and musicians are not talented you will never get response from your audience, but at the same time you should also give labor in order to make your website look attractive. In this age, it’s quite difficult to expect popularity without having a proper website.

Some of the most important strategies that you can follow for developing a logo design for your band are mentioned below:

• Right Color Selection for your Band Logo
  Select the right color along with the right brightness of your color scheme. If you are novice in this field, you can also carefully check out what type of colors your competitors are using in their logos. This will surely help you to select the most suitable color for your band. However, always make sure that the color you are using for your logo will look good on printed materials. In most of the time, it has been observed that if you use more color in your logo; it becomes more costly to be printed. So, it’s better not to use more than two colors.
• Right Images Selection for Your Logo
  You should always select proper image for your band logo and make sure that the image you have selected is going well with the feel, which you want to convey to your listeners and fans.
• Your Band Logo should Look Unique
  You should remember that your logo is very much responsible for your branding. So, choose such a company that has already proved its expertise in the field of logo design services.
• Right Font Selection for Your Logo
  While designing a logo, you can use the conventional fonts; otherwise you can create a new font for your logo. However, never use such a logo that will make your logo look complicated and illegible.

These are indeed some of the basic points for making an effective band logo design.