More often than not, designer portfolios are filled with only the final concepts, which makes sense in serving their purpose, but I especially love looking through the portfolios that delve a little deeper into the creative process. It’s always a little more inspiring and a little more educational for me.

One of our very first identity projects at The Bright Agency was with Chuck Konderla, an independent jeweler here in Bryan that was looking into rebranding his business, Fifth C Fine Jewelry.

Old Logo

The original identity (shown above) wasn’t quite there in terms of lining up with Chuck’s vision. He was just about to go full time with Fifth C, and so he wanted a logo that represented the professional quality of his jewelry along with the unique and personal experience that comes with being Chuck’s client.

Some words that Chuck gave me to help with the direction were:

• Honesty/Trustworthy
• Knowledgeable
• Former Aggie
• Friendly
• No “Bull”

Initial sketches

We ended up developing four concepts to present to Chuck.

Concept 1

The first concept was designed around the “Thinking outside the box” tagline. A simple mark with a diamond hovering outside an open ring box.

Concept 2

An elegant cross mark that shows both the letter F and the letter C. The issue with this concept was that it was read too often as an ‘x’.

Concept 3

This concept was requested specifically by Chuck and was based on a gift that his mother bought for him soon after starting his own jewelry business. The gift had significant value to Chuck, and he had hoped to build his brand around the personal story; however, it was too difficult for the design not to look too much like a something out of  Sign Language for Dummies.

The Chosen Concept

In the end, the final concept chosen was a refinement of the original logo. The ring was flipped to make a “C”, and the word-mark was polished in order to reflect more of a luxury feel.

The New Identity

The “Thinking outside of the box” tagline was not lost on the new brand. :)

Featured image photo credit: Abdulla Al Muhairi

(profound, I know…)

While it’s an obvious statement, it’s also a reality that business owners deal with every day. Staying afloat requires good, consistent marketing, and good, consistent marketing requires good, consistent money – money that sometimes really needs to go towards your rent or to your payroll. So if you are able to find some room in your budget to use on marketing, it’s vital that you find something that is going to be an effective resource.

For a long stretch of time, print advertising was always at the top of the list, but in today’s world, magazine and newspaper ads are no longer the answer.

Changing Tides

Let me first be clear that I am not saying that print ads are worthless. There are sure to be some industries that may still benefit from a well placed 4.875×4.875″. What I am saying is that there are often better ways to spend that money that will not only give you more effective results but results that will last longer as well.

Even if someone is reading through a magazine, it's not very likely that they are making it to the back half and paying attention to your ad

Times have changed for print advertising. It used to be that brand recognition was the golden key to gaining customers, and magazines and newspapers were the places to do it; now, not only is print media losing their audience, but consumers are also so overloaded daily with brands trying to get their attention that they have become desensitized to traditional marketing altogether.

The proof of this is in the success of social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. Businesses are finding out more and more that consumers are responding drastically better to interaction with a brand, whether that be a direct conversation through Facebook, an interactive video on their website or sharing information that is valuable to them through Twitter. People want to feel like they have a tangible connection with a brand, and the popularity of these sites now gives them ample opportunity to do that. Consumers are beginning to expect that kind of interaction from your company.

A Better Solution

The average cost of a 1/3 page color ad around Bryan-College Station is roughly around $1200 per month. With that same amount of money, you could instead hire a part time employee to spend 15-20 hours per week managing your business’ social media profiles (Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, etc.). This could be their task list for every week:

• Check each profile and generate conversations with customers and other business around town
• Respond quickly to any questions thrown your way
• Post photos and videos of content relative to your industry and that is interesting to your customers
• Run contests and polls that encourages direct interaction with your business
• Ask for constructive criticism for your business and dialogue with people on how you are making positive changes (people love to be listened to)

The underlying goal here is to take advantage of these pipelines and to build relationships with your customers. This will not only get some great buzz going around, but it will cultivate very powerful brand loyalty from the people that interact with you.

I promise you, it’s more worth the money than a slight glance at your ad as they are flipping the page.

Featured image photo credits: Leigh Jay Hicks

There is an actual reason why they are still around and worth paying for (unlike Yellow Page ads).  They remain a great way of passing along information about your business, but it’s not always easy (or cheap) to make any sort of impact through this particular media. That is beginning to change with the rise of online printers.

A Fresh Idea That Won’t Break Your Budget

Whenever the project allows for it, we have our printing done with Jakprints as often as we can. Why?

• High Quality
• Low Cost
• Wide range of services/products
• Lots of production options
• Low Cost (yep.)

The Favicard as a business card

Over the past year, they have come out with a new product called Favicards that originally were intended as a way to share your social media profiles. They now have an option for custom designs as well, which allows the cards to be used however you want.  Because of the unique look of these cards and the affordable printing costs, we have used them on a few recent client projects  in place of traditional business cards or fliers. So far they have worked just as we had hoped. Recipients always take more notice, their eyes linger a little longer on the card, and they are way more likely to hold on to it in the end. That’s what fresh marketing is all about.

 

Here’s a direct link to the Favicards

 

Disclaimer: We have no affiliation with Jakprints nor do we get any sort of compensation for this article. They are in Ohio. We are in Texas. They simply do great work for us and have a quality product that we felt compelled to share with you.

 

 

 

“I just don’t have the time” is no longer an acceptable excuse — to put it simply.

As people grow more and more dependent on social media as sources for information, it is becoming more than just a quirky way to connect your business with people — it is becoming a down-right necessity.

A recent study from Digital Element showed that 58% percent of consumers ages 18-24 and 44% of those ages 25-34 admit to using the Internet at least once to find a new restaurant in the last month.

– and this number is growing.

You don’t have the time?
Like I said before, that excuse is no longer acceptable if you are wanting to build a successful restaurant. All of what I will be covering takes 30 minutes to an hour per day AT MOST — for all of it. If you truly don’t have 30 minutes in your day (which is certainly not out of the question for local restaurant owners), then hire someone. Get a part-time employee or intern to be your hands and feet for the social media world. They probably will have a better understanding and better experience using the sites anyway.

You don’t have the money to hire someone?
If you don’t have time to do it and you don’t have the money to hire someone to do it, then find the money!

The best place to start is to cut off the $1000 per month you are spending on that 4×6″ ad buried in the back of a magazine. Even if it’s a full page ad or a billboard that you’re paying for, get rid of it. Nobody cares about that stuff any more, and it is doing nothing but crippling your marketing budget. The tools that we’re going to talk about are a more effective, more interactive, and way more powerful use of your time and money than that promotional mailer that goes directly from my stack of mail into my trash can will ever be.

The Necessities

Every local restaurant should have a well-managed account or profile on the following social media sites.

Google Places

This is listed first because it is the most “common sense” option that I will mention. Everyone born before February of 2011 knows that Google is the primary search engine for users online (and even more so with mobile devices). So when people want to find a list of near-by Tex-Mex restaurants, your Tex-Mex restaurant better be on there.

The set up process is fast, easy and it requires very little maintenance once you’re done. Seriously. Go do it right now.

Foursquare

This one may not be on your radar, which is why it’s next on the list. Foursquare is a rapidly-growing mobile application that uses GPS technology to allow users to “check-in” at various locations throughout their day (i.e. restaurants). For every check-in, a user is awarded points towards their profile earning them “badges” and even “mayorships” if they have the most check-ins at a specific location, and all of that info is shared with the people they are connected with. Users can even leave tips or comments about a certain place for other people to find when they visit.

Something like: “You’ve gotta try the apple pie, but be sure to get it before 11am, they run out fast.”

Foursquare Encourages People to Go Out and Do Something
The real beauty of Foursquare is that it encourages and even rewards activity for it’s users, and it does so in a communal effort (which is always a plus these days). So what does this do for your restaurant? Well, it’s a fun, interactive, and cheap way to get customers in your chairs. The application allows for businesses (like yours) to post special deals for anyone that frequents the store.

“Buy one lunch, get dessert free for anyone with more than 5 check-ins for the year.”

“The Mayor’s first drink is always on us.”

All they have to do is show you their phone or mobile device, and you can see how many times they’ve visited your restaurant. Not only does this add a very personal and powerful communal connection with your customers, but when they search for a restaurant around town and they see that you have a special while the other listings don’t, well…sweet action all around.

Get your restaurant set up on Foursquare

Yelp + Urbanspoon

Both Yelp.com and Urbanspoon.com are restaurant-specific profile sites. People can get on and search for information on your restaurant, rate their experience and even share about it with other users. More than anything on this list, these social media sites are the most important ones for your restaurant to keep up with and manage on a frequent and consistent basis.

Here’s why:

Being Able to Easily Find Information Makes People Happy
A big part of why people use these sites are to find basic information about your place. What days/times are you open? Do you have the proper arrangements for small children? What food is offered on your menu and how much does it cost? Keeping up-to-date information about your menu, restaurant features, and special offers goes a long way to show that you are on top of things and that you value your customer’s need to quickly and easily find important information about your restaurant.

Smart Brand Control
These are review-centered sites, which means you can see exactly what people think of you, making these sites one of the most powerful branding tools that you will ever have as a restaurant owner.

When you start to see a lot of positive reviews raving about your lunch specials, then 1) you know you’re doing something right and good and you can keep doing it, and 2) you know exactly what to feature on your various marketing efforts.

When you start to see a lot of negative reviews about the cleanliness of your bathrooms, guess what…it’s time to get some soap, rubber gloves and sponges. Maybe even a nice potted plant. You even have the ability to respond to customer’s complaints directly to not only apologize for the nasty bathroom experience, but to let them know that their complaints have been heard and acted upon. All of the sudden, you are a restaurant that values the customer experience. You don’t just talk the talk, and proving that is a powerful way to build loyalty from your customers.

Twitter + Facebook

It’s not a secret anymore that Twitter and Facebook are effective online tools to reach an audience, but a lot of places, especially restaurants, aren’t quite sure how to use them, and it is painfully obvious. Here are a couple quick tips to using these popular social media sites.

1. Don’t post lame crap. Nobody cares about the weather, especially what YOU think about the weather. Talk about stuff that is interesting and relevant to people. If you run a sports bar/grille, tweet about drink specials or upcoming game watching parties. March Madness is right around the corner, so post your elite eight picks and ask people to share theirs as well. Talk about stuff going on in the community that you’re in. These are all things that people WANT to talk about and are relevant to your type of business.
2. Post often. Once a week is not going to work. Most users check these sites at least once per day, so keep yourself on their radar just as often. It shouldn’t take you longer than 5 minutes to find something to talk about. Just make sure you remember rule #1.
3. Check In and Respond. The greatest part about these sites can also be the biggest hurdle in your time-management with them – customer interaction. Once you start gaining more and more attention, you will also get more and more questions, comments, feedback and just random thoughts from your followers and fans. Responding to them directly can instantly build an emotional connection with your restaurant; however, on the other side of the fence, being ignored is a fast way to lose business. This is another reason why hiring a part-time employee or intern is a wonderful way to spend your money.

In Conclusion | Find Balance and Harmony.

When used appropriately, all of these social media sites are an extremely powerful way to reach out and connect to your customers. Just don’t obsess over them. Designate a time during your day that you will spend time on these sites (30 minutes to an hour at most). Try working on it during the morning shift when business is usually slower. If you’ve got someone else taking care of it for you, then just check in with them once a week for 15 minutes to see how everything is going. That is plenty!

In the end it’s all about your food and the customer experience. If you lose control over that stuff, then there is nothing that these sites can do to save your business. Quality is still #1, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still take advantage of the tools you have available to you.

While in the Christmas spirit, I thought I’d share a fun project that I put together over the fall.

Ross King, a songwriter from Bryan and a close friend of mine, decided to record a Christmas album this year and was thoughtful enough to hire me to design the artwork.

The writing  on this CD is certainly different than a lot of the traditional styles that we’ve all come to expect when we hear the words “Christmas album” — (both lyrically and musically). Knowing this, I really wanted to use the cover design to help clue people in on that before they even listened to the music.

Photography Credits : Fidelis Studio

Check out Ross’ Facebook Page if you’d like to hear some of the tunes. Enjoy!

As a business owner, branding efforts should always be in the back of your mind — the holiday season is certainly no exception to that. There’s a reason why this is peoples’ favorite time of year. Traditionally, this particular season is marked by thankful gifts and gestures of appreciation and love. We love to be appreciated. We love to know people care about us. It’s human nature. Your brand should treat your customers no differently.

I have scoured the nets for several examples of talented holiday design in hope to inspire you on what ways you can offer your appreciation to clients this holiday season. Enjoy!

The Classic Holiday Card

This is in no way a novel concept. People and businesses have been sending these out for decades  – but with good reason.

I’m a big believer in the notion that the art of print design– while not the newest of medias (in fact, probably one of the oldest) — can make a powerful impression on the recipient, and the personalized card is a strong front-runner for that. There’s just something about the experience of being able to hold it in  your hands and touch it with your fingers.

If you don’t have a big list of people to send these too, don’t be afraid to get a little ink on your hands and write in a quick personal note. Go big or go home.

Christmas Card Designed by Ryan Bell.

Letterpress Christmas Card from Maddison Graphic.

The Extra Mile

When it comes to promotional design, it’s usually the little things that leave the biggest impact. Yes, special printing methods like letterpress and laser cutting are going to add some weight to the bill, but when done well, you are going to be boosting the impression your brand makes through these promotional items ten-fold.

(Of course it also helps when you have your very own laser cutting machine, much like the folks over at Zoyes Creative, who made these two wonderful holiday cards)

Card #2 from Zoyes Creative.

Holiday Advertisements

While this is not something that is really ever off of a business’s radar when thinking of putting something together for the holidays, I wanted to include it to simply stress the importance of using a professional designer to help create it. That way you don’t end up with something like this:

…but instead something like this ad designed by Art Pilot Studio.

…or this from Alex Tenyotkin of Designovich.

Gift Packages

For those of you with larger budgets or a smaller amount of clients, a gift package, like the ones below, will not be forgotten for a very long time.

Holiday home brew package by Andrew Pautler.

Custom ornament gift from Popcorn Initiative.

Wrap Up

Any of these gestures, while they may seem like unnecessary costs, can go a long way in strengthening the way your brand is received. Again it’s the little things that make all the difference.

Readers, what do you think about these examples? Do you have any projects of your own or any that you’ve seen done well in the past? Please share!

A big thanks to the following people for contributing:

• Alex Tenyotkin
• Andrew Pautler
• Art Pilot Studio
• Maddison Graphic
• Popcorn Initiative
• Ryan Bell
• Zoyes Creative

Here is a set of icons that I created for The Bright Company site. I thought I’d make them available to anyone else who could find a use for them.

The icons currently included in the set are:

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Bëhance
• Linked In
• Forrst
• Dribbble

Any and all feedback is welcomed!