So you’ve designed a logo and come up with a brand name, and you’re ready to dive headfirst into your business. Perhaps you’ve considered the possibility of registering your logo and name as trademarks, but you don’t know where to start. Here are a few critical questions answered with the help of trademark attorney Kevin Wilson of Egbert Law Offices:

Do you even need a trademark registration?

Many small businesses are successful without ever having trademarked their name or logo. According to Kevin Wilson, “The short answer to this question is ‘No.’ Any time a person or entity uses a trademark in association with goods or services, they obtain a property interest called ‘common law’ trademark rights.”

In other words, you don’t need a trademark registration to have trademark rights to your brand name or design logo. All you have to do to secure these common law rights is to sell your product or service using your name and logo.

You may be thinking, “Why should I bother registering a trademark if I already have the rights simply by virtue of using the trademark?”

Wilson asserts that there are many benefits to registering a trademark:

“The most important statutory benefit of a registration is that it secures a nationwide right of priority for the trademark owner and constitutes prima facie evidence that: 1) the owner’s registration is valid; 2) that the person or entity is the owner of the mark; and 3) that person or entity has the exclusive right to use the mark in commerce in connection with the goods or services specified in the registration.”

Wilson goes on to explain that, after you’ve obtained trademark registrations for your brand name and design logo, these registrations would be considered evidence in your favor if a trademark dispute ever were to arise.  What’s more, trademark registrations are made public and keep others from using your name or design logo, even if they claim to have used it unwittingly.

Can you register a trademark on your own?

Many business owners may prefer to register a trademark on their own without the help of an attorney. Wilson notes that registering your own trademark is “entirely possible.” If this is the route you prefer to take, visit the United States Trademark and Patent Office website, which offers detailed, step-by-step instructions for filing trademark registrations, including how-to videos and FAQs.

What are the advantages of registering a trademark with the help of an attorney?

Although you’d incur attorney’s fees (typically ranging from a few hundred to a thousand dollars) from registering a trademark with professional help, it may be worth the extra cost. Wilson explains:

“You are not allowed to substantively change the identification of goods or services, and you are not allowed to change what is called the “drawing” of the mark after it has been filed.  A trademark attorney can help ensure you are filing the correct mark for the correct goods and services.  This can be very important, especially since you are not able to obtain a refund of the government fees if the mark is filed incorrectly. Another advantage of registering a trademark with an attorney is that they will include that mark in their docketing systems.  This will ensure that you receive reminders of when a Declaration of Use is due (between the fifth and sixth years after registration) and when a renewal is due (between the 9th and 10th years after registration).”

Should you register your name or logo first?

Especially if you are in the business of design, it’s likely that you have both a name and a design logo whose trademarks you’d be interested in registering. Considering the cost of registration fees and potential attorney’s fees, you may want to start off registering only one mark. Wilson advises:

“The best action to take is to register what is called the ‘word mark’ and the ‘design mark’ at the same time.  This will give you the broadest protection.  If you are going to choose one, however, I suggest to my clients that filing the word mark is the most important since that is how the public would most readily identify your business.  A word mark also gives you broader protection since it covers such words in any font and with any design that may be associated with those words.”

Trademark registration can often be a long and confusing process. In the end, however, it protects your business and helps you avoid costly and even more confusing legal problems down the road.

Have you had experience with trademark registrations? What challenges did you encounter? Chime in below!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Rachel Sanders (Guest Blogger)
Rachel Sanders is a freelance writer and graphic designer. She enjoys writing about design, education, and small business trends. Rachel welcomes your questions and comments!

One goal, or rather the goal of good product design is to ball up and toss the saying, “beauty is pain.” The product itself should be the manifestation of a well-fostered relationship between aesthetics and usability. This includes the important, yet sometimes overlooked, application of ergonomics to the product design process.

Think about the chair you’re siting in. How does it cradle you? Does it support your back? How does it make you feel emotionally? Calm? Relaxed? If it’s your couch, are you attached (maybe even literally) to it? Now think back to the chairs you sat in when you were in high school. Which one is more comfortable?

It almost seems like those cold, hard, straight-backed chairs of high school were designed to cause us to shift in our seats. Designed to be uncomfortable. What an evil ploy to keep us awake in class.

When we search for chairs for our home or office, we look for something more comfortable. Something that puts less stress on our bodies and – BONUS – is safer for us to use in the long run.

What is ergonomic design? It’s designing to last.

A product designed ergonomically lessens emotional and physical stress on the consumer and increases comfort and usability. The more comfortable and efficient it is to use a product, the longer we want it in our lives.

If you want to replace your couch or office chair with your chair from high school, let me hear an, “OH YEAH!” I can’t hear you! Oh… that’s because you didn’t say anything.

Would you be loyal to a brand that designed office chairs with spikes on the seat? Running shoes that refused to bend at the toe? Pillows made of quartz?!

I’m aware that these examples seem a little extreme, but hear me out. Ergonomic design with demographic extremes in mind works. Everyone can dig it: Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and even picky little Goldilocks.

Need more proof that ergonomic design for the extremes is the way to go? Get comfortable in your Sleep Number Bed and I’ll tell you a little story:

Once upon a time, there was a man named Sam.

Sam was an ‘extremes’ man.

Some might say he thought too much in black and white.

Some may have thought he’d never get it just right.

It was always male or female, righty or lefty,

Old or young, or tiny or hefty.

Thinking of his wife, he heard the call:

Design kitchen products for one, and then all!

To cure his wife’s arthritic blues,

He designed things we could all easily use.

Along came Good Grips – one hell of an ergonomic design.

And everyone likes it way more than just fine.

Sam Farber created the Good Grips line of products with his wife’s arthritis in mind. That’s one end of the demographic spectrum in several ways: age, fragility and physical ability.

What’s between black and white? Gray…Us. Every personality, body type and physical ability possible. We know that Farber thinks in black and white to design for everyone. I mean, just look at the Good Grips logo!

Ergonomic design is important to the user. Conscious or not, it creates a bond with the consumer, both emotionally and physically. This is great for Sam because Good Grips has a huge following. Ergonomic products maximize the lifespan of a design and create a level of brand loyalty that will blow your mind.

Design ergonomically, and start off in black and white. There’s no better way to get to gray.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Stephanie Minor (Guest Blogger)
Stephanie Minor is an educator in the Greater New York Area.  She is a curious world participant and as such, wears many different hats: student, teacher, forensic scientist, anthropologist, observer extraordinaire… whatever’s next, bring it on!

Phaeleh – pronounced “Fella”

Since his debut release in 2008, Phaeleh, aka Matt Preston, has developed an inimitable style of cinematic electronic music, which meanders between the shifting tempos and timbres of dubstep, garage, electronica and house music.

Phaeleh’s last two long play releases on Afterglo records; ‘Fallen Light’ and ‘The Cold In You’ have cemented his position as one of the most exciting new producers to emerge from his home town; Bristol. Phaeleh’s downbeat and heartfelt sound honours the tradition of Bristolian fore fathers Massive Attack, Smith & Mighty and Portishead, with a fresh outlook and penchant for sub sonics. Bio

Creativity and music go hand-in-hand. When we’re getting creative and looking for inspiring, yet calming background music, Phaeleh is our go-to artist.  A few of our favorite jams are Afterglow, In the Twilight, Should Be True, and Natural Feeling below.

Facebook acquired Instagram for $1 billion and everybody gasped. Between Mark Zuckerberg’s new account balance and 80 million Instagram users, you’d think this would be a reasonably trustworthy indicator that photo sharing is a somewhat powerful communications tool. Because what do people snap photos of? Everything. Puppies, food, concerts, landscapes, food again, strangers, look-how-much-fun-I’m-having, and – point about to be made – ads.

News flash: that subway station, bus stop, newspaper or building wall is not the end destination for your print ad. Now, I may not know the objective of your ad but I’m going to go ahead and guess that instead of one person seeing it, you wouldn’t be completely opposed to that person’s network of, say, 500+ people being exposed to it, right? Thought as much.

Unfortunately, print designers’ creativity as well as common sense practicality when it comes to designing for the purpose of an ad’s end destination have severely fallen behind. Allow me to walk you through my favorite example: the subway. In my opinion, this is an ideal location for mind-blowing creativity. Sadly, subway stations as well as trains are overtaken by bland rather than… blow.

After having observed New Yorkers’ subway behavior for approximately 45 weeks, I can with great confidence state the following:

A. On platform.

1. People are waiting for trains.
2. People are usually facing the tracks while waiting for trains.
3. People are on their phones.
4. People can’t always read the ads gracing the wall on the opposite platform.
(5. The zoom function on the iPhone sucks.)

Result: New York City’s daily ridership of 10 million people kind of just completely missed your ad. And you lost a bunch of money. Ouchie.

B. On train.

1. People are on the train.
2. People are not leaving the train for a while.
3. People are on their phones.
4. Train is “being held at this station momentarily because of train traffic ahead of us.”

At this point, the commuter is stuck. Stuck and completely surrounded by ads. Ads that for the most part are completely irrelevant to their audience. Not because of the brand. Not because of the product or service. But because of the situation and the surrounding environment. I repeat: relevancy. How come so many marketers still don’t get this? Scary. The subway car may be packed with people of different demographics and psychographics, but they all have something very much in common: right now, they are on the subway.

So what kind of improvements can we make in order to more effectively grab the subway riders’ attention? Not to mention start, continue and maintain a relationship?

Find out next week – I have a train to catch!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Johanna Johansson (Guest Blogger)
Johanna Johansson is a copywriter based in New York City. She is known for her conversational writing style, personality, wit and thought-provoking sarcasm. She’s also known to eat a lot. She is the founder of paperswag, a service that helps you write highly targeted and customized cover letters.

Image: The Weblicist

Avoid the Tendency to Depend on Google

There are tons of great findings on Google. Remember that people are just posting their own opinion on how to create that perfect brand name and normally have an ulterior motive.

Utilize Academic Research

This can be done through journals and publications found in a library, online, etc.

I utilized the University of Phoenix Library. I strongly suggest this as a more viable option with solid research done to back up any suggestions that may be offered to you.

Don’t Rush

You are so excited that you can barely contain yourself to get your business started. Remember to still stay present, pay close attention to detail, and creativity fires from there.

Meditate

While I was searching for my brand name, I found many extremely simple meditation videos that created a whole new world of creative possibility. You can “YouTube” mediation for creativity and pick your favorite. Don’t just stick to one either. You will find many that may fit your own interests.

Benefits of Meditation

1. Self Compassion: A few minutes per day will teach you to remember to take it easy on yourself, while still maintaining focus.
2. Drop the Ego: When we start a creative project, many people fear the possibility of failure. If you can learn to drop the ego, you will no longer carry this dead weight burden of fear.
3. Stop Thinking So Much: Sounds crazy, right? I know. Let’s face it. If you are still thinking about the mountains of distractions in the outside world, no creative genius idea will ever take place. Stillness of the mind becomes vitally important.

Use Daily Affirmations

Affirmations are positive statements about your project and your way of being with a call to action. You can write them out, and then say them in the mirror. Never underestimate the power and conviction you have to create just by looking at yourself in the mirror as you spout off these affirmations. Remember all great projects only come from breaking out of your own comfort zone.

 Examples

“ My intuition clearly guides me to the right brand name.”

“ The search for a brand name adds value to my company.”

“ I easily find a great brand name.”.

Tailor them to meet your own needs and personality. The trick to creating affirmations with power is three parts: See it! Think It!, Believe It!

Choose the Brand Name

After you use this information to start the initial selection process, you are the only one that will know when you are ready to make the final selection.

“Key Words” – These are the most often used words within your industry.

I suggest in the final stages once you have found enough mind stillness regarding your selection to spend a few days carrying around many of your industry key words on index-sized note cards. Spend a few minutes randomly throughout the day gazing at the words. You will be surprised what a powerful visual activity this can be. The final solution needs to be memorable, and concise. This really is the only rule.

Conclusion

The beauty of choosing a brand name is there is no “correct way” to do it. Use this information only as a guide. Mix and match with your own personality. Most importantly, in the events leading up to your brand name selection, just be yourself and you will be surprised how well your results will shine.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Josh Dent (Guest Blogger)
Josh Dent is a 35 year old bilingual M.B.A graduate currently in the process of starting a blog about the wonderful powers of Bikram Yoga. He is fascinated by the impact positive thinking lays on all creative endeavors. He also enjoys performing in amateur stand-up comedy nights in the Phoenix area.

Hi Everyone!

We have been hard at work on our new online store and we wanted to say sorry for the lack of posts. The good news is…. we will be giving away a grand opening coupon to get discounts on our design and print services. All you have to do is sign up below, and we will send you the coupon before the shop opens. *Keep in mind that there will be a limited quantity of coupons, so it’s first come, first serve. Act now, before they’re all gone.

Wondering what we will be providing? We will be offering unique and premium printing finishes and options like, Silk Laminate, Spot UV, Foil Stamping, and Embossing and adding Wood, Cotton, Plastic and more in the coming months.  We will also be offering custom business card design,  flyer design, poster design, banner design, and almost any graphic design service you can think up.

Think of us as your very own Creative Design Team, without the expense of the full-time salaries.

*To receive your grand opening coupon you will need to sign up for our member only newsletter below. You will only receive notifications with sales, discounts, coupons, giveaways, freebies, and contests… never junkmail or spam!

It doesn’t matter what you sell or how big your company is – every business needs to have an effective presence on the web. Your blog or website will often be the first place potential customers go when researching your product, so it’s vital that you present them with a clean and professional image. Craft an attractive, easy-to-use website and it will help develop your brand while luring more sales; botch the design and watch your hits (and revenue) dwindle.

Consider these points before designing a website for your business.

1. Always Keep It Simple
A cluttered, disorganized website will immediately drive your potential customers away, so keep the design simple while still reflecting what your business is all about. Don’t fill your pages with huge amounts of text – about 500 words or less is best. This should be an ample amount of copy to describe your product while enticing people to buy. Also, avoid using features that wouldn’t work with smartphones and other mobile devices; flash animation, for example, doesn’t function well with iPhones.

2. Focus on Typography
People should be able to quickly absorb and digest the information they read on your website. That means ensuring your text is pleasant for the eyes. Use font and background colors that are easy to scan – it’s tough to go wrong with black on white – and use only a few styles of fonts to create a sense of consistency throughout the site. Use headers to help organize content: if they’re too small, they will ruin the flow of the content and won’t attract the reader’s attention while headers that are too large will be a distraction.

3. Content is King
Highlight your products using active language that communicates with your customers clearly and concisely. Always keep the content as fresh as possible. Posting new blogs or articles that are well-written and informative will keep people coming back for more. Also, the more content on the site, the more attractive it becomes for search engines. Be sure to feature informative and entertaining articles; not just advertising copy designed to sell your product.

4. Embrace SEO Techniques
Your website will do you little good if no one can find it. Blend keywords and phrases into your content that your potential customers are likely to use when searching for similar products online. Shoot for about a 3% keyword density – don’t go overboard. Try including the keyword with the name of the location that you are targeting. For example: “Los Angeles web design.” Inserting internal links into your copy will also give your site more prominence on search engines.

5. Use Analytics
Analytics allow you to discover how many people are visiting your site, how long they’re staying and what they’re doing once they’re there. This is valuable information for tweaking your website and content. Analytics programs like Google Analytics will provide you with details on the kind of traffic your website is attracting. All this information may also help you market your business.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jake Downs (Guest Blogger)
Jake Downs reviews Chicago digital printing companies. In his free time, he consults entrepreneurs in how to communicate their ideas effectively.

If you are anything like us, the first thing you do to set the creative mood is turn on some music. We thought we would start sharing the artists that we are listening to and inspire you to open your ears and take this musical journey with us. First up, the lovely Santigold.

Santi White, better known by her stage name Santigold (formerly Santogold), is an American songwriter, producer, and singer. She’s collaborated with N.E.R.D’s Pharrell Williams, Lily Allen, M.I.A, Kanye West, and the Beastie Boys, just to name a few.

At the top of our list… Disparate Youth, followed by (in no particular order) LES Artistes, Shove It, and Lights Out. So, what do you think?

Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.

Restaurant: First Avenue
Architects: Betillon / Dorval-Bory
Location: Paris, 17e Arrondissement