by Devorah Abrams Farmer | May 1, 2013 | Advertising, Branding, Creative, Design, Latest, Social Media
Will your logos die a slow painful death, or will it stay vibrant and alive for a long time?
The old adage if your product is in demand, your logos could be timeless, proves to be true with such brands like Windsor Salt or Maple Leaf Foods. Products that are fortunate enough to get near what those products have achieved is the goal of every advertisers and no doubt their dream.
If your product has a simple recognizable logo such as Apple with a bite taken out of it, is recognizable anywhere in the world. It is not a complex, unobtainable symbol. It even provokes thought as to what the bite out of the Apple means. One meaning could be the bite Eve took out of the apple in the Garden of Eden, and gave it to Adam.
One of the most widely held interpretations says that the logo memorializes Alan Turing, the mathematician and scientist who laid the foundations for computer science with his pioneering research into artificial intelligence and unlocking German codes during the World War II. Turing committed suicide in 1954 by biting an apple laced with cyanide.1
Internet-Geeks and other Apple users like this interpretation. And yes, this simple logo is so thought provoking that the rumors to its meaning is debated to this day. There is no doubt this is part of the appeal of Apple’s logo.
Apple didn’t always have this logo Apple has changed the logo in color, theme and texture over the years. It has used the logo with a rainbow theme, an aqua theme and, since 2003, with a glass theme.2 It has adapted and has changed with the times.
When it comes to political candidates logos go a long way. A candidate cannot be in many places at once, but his logo can be everywhere. The logo even has to be simple enough to fit on a button. Having simple and bold ideas, and the adage that “less is more”, advertisers can make strong and empowering messages.
In order to proceed with determining what your logo will be you must research to see if a logo already exists; does it mean something strange or offensive in any other language; will consumers and companies be able to find you on the Internet.
Lindsay Sleightholm of 3H Communications Inc., of Oakville, Ontario says “when developing a logo, type-faces, graphics, colour, size, balance, print or digital applications, and mobile items are all important considerations. Another issue to consider is whether or not your logo will survive going from colour, to black and white. With a logo, you have to have a succinct visual, in order to communicate the brand essence. Your logo has to be easily recognizable, and stand apart within its market segment.” Logos, branding, and advertising methods have to change with the times as well; even from day to day in order to stay competitive.
by Daniel | Apr 29, 2013 | Advertising, Creative, Design, Latest
Flyers, brochures and catalogs are used globally and on a massive scale. They are a very cost-effective way to market your product, service, brand or event, and they produce some amazing results if they’re done well. The only problem is that with so many flyers out there already (literally millions), and so many more being produced and distributed each week, it can be very hard to produce something which stands out from the crowd, grabs the attention of the reader and makes an imprint on their memory.
In order to make something like this, which produces the results you’re looking for, you need to make sure your design is different. It needs to be fresh, original and unique – the more different from everything else it is, the better it will perform. In this post I have rounded up some awesome flyer designs to help you in your design project. Try to pinpoint which elements of the designs are consistent throughout and then incorporate that into your design. What is it about each design that draws your attention, are any more memorable than others for you? If so, why. It’s thinking and designing like this which will make the difference between a successful flyer and a complete disappointment.
On to the inspiration:
These flyers should have given you plenty of inspiration, ideas and pointers to take away and incorporate into your own flyer design. If you have any amazing examples of flyers, catalogs or brochures, then please feel free to share them in the comments section!
Once you’re finished with your design and you’re looking for a company to print a catalog, flyer or brochure for you, make sure you select one who provide a manual quality check process every order. Companies that offer this will check your order by hand to make sure it looks exactly as it should, and just as good as it looks on the computer screen. After putting so much work into your design, you don’t want it to fail at the last hurdle, so go with a reputable company.
Stay creative, and good luck with your flyer design!
Author Bio:Daniel has worked in design and marketing for the past 10 years. He enjoys keeping up to date on everything to do with design, print, technology and creativity, and you can find him blogging about these things regularly here and at other top blogs around the web
by Lisa Wedmann | Apr 1, 2013 | Advertising, Branding, Creative, Interactive, Latest, Social Media
CASE STUDY: A Quebec Brand: Adrien Gagnon Part II
A new Adrien Gagnon for today’s Quebecer!
Adrien Gagnon, the Quebec Natural Health Products provider for over 60 years, found themselves losing their relationship with Quebecers. As such, they needed to reposition their brand to the Quebecer of today, providing a contemporary and youthful image.
The first step was to re-brand their logo and their positioning (click here to find our more).
The Second step was to take that new look and feel and establish its presence throughout the social media channel and enhancing a stronger online presence.
1. Website
Adrien Gagnon is all about health and wellness so we re-designed the website to embody their brand values and represent the companies main selling point of Natural Products. To accompany the logo’s new look and feel we created a fresh looking website with new colours. The goal was to create a new vibrant look that speaks to health and vitality.
2. Social Media
We revamped Adrien Gagnon’s social media presence by changing their Twitter, Facebook and Youtube look. Creating banners and profile pictures to mirror the look and feel of the website and new logo gave a boost to the social media efforts already visible for Adrien Gagnon. In February, we participated in Hearth Month and created a month of themed posts that represent Adrien Gagnon’s health and wellness values.
From concept development, graphic design to positioning statements, we deliver solid re-branding strategies that are sure to embody your brand values and get your brand noticed!
by Lisa Wedmann | Mar 8, 2013 | Advertising, Branding, Creative, Design, Latest
Adrien Gagnon, the Quebec Natural Health Products provider for over 60 years, found themselves losing their market, their leadership and their relationship with Quebecers. As such, they needed to reposition their brand to the Quebecer of today, providing a contemporary and youthful image. With our understanding of the regional market differences in Quebec, we were able to create a strategy that will speak to the Quebecer to re-establish Adrien Gagnon as a leader in health and wellness.
The first step in this process was to re-brand their logo and their positioning
Here’s how:
Positioning Statement
Adrien Gagnon is all about health and wellness. The goal for the new tagline was to create a simple message that would ultimately speak volumes for the brand. As a health and wellness company, «santé vous-bien» (“Be Well”) or Take Care of You, was the positioning statement that speaks best to what Adrien Gagnon is about. PLUS, the french tagline includes a fun play on words. The French word for health << santé>> and feel << sentez >> sound the same phonetically…so it was a natural.
Logo
The redesign of the logo was kept simple, peaceful and tranquil. We used 2 leaves in the corner of their name to represent wellness while keeping Adrien Gagnon’s name bold with a healthy green colour.
The 2 colours are representative of heritage (dark green) and growth (light green) illustrating the credibility and new stance that is now Adrien Gagnon. This new vibrant logo speaks to Adrien Gagnon’s health and wellness values and positions the company and young and vibrant.
From concept development, graphic design to positioning statements, we deliver solid re-branding strategies that are sure to embody your brand values and get your brand noticed!
by Miriam Hara | Feb 25, 2013 | Advertising, Branding, Business Success, Latest
There’s been a lot of changes in the last 25 years, not only in the agency business but in business in general. I will be predictable and say it has all come about because of the computer. That would be right to a certain extent. However, I believe it’s the way in which business and people have embraced the computer and its technology that is responsible for the majority of the business shifts.
Here’s my list of what has changed at 3H over the last 25 years:
The space a designer needs: It really seems like yesterday I was trying to fit one more large drafting table in the studio… let alone purchasing one more Art Director Marker set and art pads and sketch pads to bring in a new designer. Gone are those days!
Our inspiration tools: Gone are the days of flipping through Creative Source or Illustration Guild books to get inspired for the next big idea. At 3H, we use to have a library of creative and resource books… now we have half a shelf…and that’s going too! Image banks are the tools of inspirations nowadays and there’s nothing wrong with that… until those images become the concept!
How concepts are presented: With the advent of the computer and printers, now mock ups seem complete and already done. Clients have a difficult time in processing that what is in front of them is “conceptual”… not complete. That even if we could purchase the image on our mock ups, artwork has to be created, images have to be prepped, copy has to be finalized… etc… At times, I lament over marker renderings where it was obvious the person in an ad was a place holder for an image of a person that was yet to be casted, chosen and photographed!
Time to develop: If the speed of business is fast and faster… the agency business is at warp speed! There’s a belief by business in general that since everything is computer driven, it should take less time. That is very rarely the case, if ever. Computers in the creative world have provided creative types and agencies with the ability to expand on the possibilities and to show them in more concise ways. It still takes the time it takes to come up with an idea and to develop it!
The definition of a designer: What really is a designer? In my way of thinking, designers need to be conceptual thinkers in the visual medium. This is just my opinion… but find, many designers today know technology and yet have no conceptual vibe. They rely on image to create a concept rather than using the image as a resource too. More and more the designers out of school today think inside the screen and not inside their minds! Again… my opinion.
Relationship building: Time is at a premium. With the speed of business coupled with, restructuring, right-sizing, down-sizing or whatever hip term is currently out there… clients don’t have the time nor the inclination to go for lunch. But for those of us who do have a relationship with our business partners (yes, I mean clients!), the relationship is stronger… texting, emailing and yes even face timing. It has allowed us to reach out in snippets…by the sentence, being integrated in the day to day fabric.
Cold calling: Cold zinging you mean! Getting someone on the phone to talk to you when they don’t even know you is more difficult. How we get leads… and follow up on them is totally different. On line lead generation, web site lead generation and e-zines are now the “in” thing to do in cold calling. That means efforts can be more streamlined both in time and money. A warm lead is much better than a cold one…so rather than spend your efforts and money on cold and warm alike, you can double your efforts on the ones that have expressed an interest…or following.
Brand reaching capabilities: The ways in reach we reach our target markets… and how niche we can go is astounding and becoming more so each and everyday. Through social media (Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, tumblr, Youtube, Linkedin), online properties, blogs, blogging, traditional media the options available to local, small, big and global advertisers are numerous and very exciting! Some of these channels don’t require design, but all require time and know how…that hasn’t changed a bit!
3H launched in 1988 with its corporate logo in Purple and Mustard. We had become synonymous with Purple because of our Mustard accents… and then we changed our accent to Titanium to speak to the digital and technology…to change our clients’ perception of what it is we do… but still remaining in the Purple so to speak. I am not sure what the next 5 to 10 years will hold, but I have often been heard saying “Complacency in business means death”… and I believe it.
Over the last 25 years, the ability to change has changed. Businesses are constantly looking for the new opportunity and are more than ever, open to the next best thing… even though embracing it still takes a little time.
