A couple of weeks ago, I posted about the value of negative space in design and layout. I'd like to expand that idea and look at creative ways designers have used that space as part of a logo.  

Some of the best logos in use today are as good as they are, equally because of what is present, and what is not, in their design. The designer has used this space as an optical illusion, yet so clever and simple! I wish I could say I am the artist behind these, but sadly, they're just my inspiration. I want to share some of my favorites:

The are lots of other great logos out there that also use negative space, but not as a clever addition to the design, but just as a nice balance to the layout. They're good logos!

And then there are ones that miss the mark.  Some are logos that ARE an optical illusion, but not intentionally so, with the negative space creating a picture that really isn't what that business is selling.  Others use space in such a way that it is either overpowering the design with too much space and making it seem lifeless and weak, or not enough space and giving us the feeling of being overly bold and smothering. None of these are a good way to market a business:

So, what's the point? The point is that knowing how to use dark and light, printed and non-printed space, and balance, makes for good design!  And a GOOD logo design makes the difference in how your business is perceived!  

I've been a freelance designer for 17 years.  Early on, I did no advertising.  None.  I had a couple of regular clients that fed me somewhat steady work. I had just moved, and was starting a family. Growing my business was not my top priority.  Little by little over the years however, I started getting a bit more aggressive in marketing myself.  I created business cards at one point.  A couple of years ago I started a Facebook page.  

It wasn't until this year that I made the commitment to market myself and invest some time and money into growing Kelly Craig Design.  I joined a local women's networking group.  And I designed a website, www.KellyCraigDesign.com.  I'm not a website designer.  I do print graphics, and I can make a nice image to use ON a website, but doing a website design is not where my training is.  Maybe that will be next year's project.

I used Weebly to host this site and it's been a snap.  They have a ton of pre-made templates and there's no fee to start up.  There are a lot of web building sites out there, just like Weebly and they're all easy to use and affordable.  I went this route because I wasn't sure if I would generate enough traffic to warrant spending the money to upgrade. But in the end, I did spend a little to upgrade to add some services.

My first reason to pay a little was to get rid of the Weebly logo at the bottom and add my logo in the search bar at the top.  I also decided to add this blog and people seem to be reading it.  But has it been worth it?  Has the hours of time I spent creating this page and maintaining it been worth the investment?

Definitely.

So far, I've had my business website for about two and a half months.  In that amount of time, I've had 1.4K hits!  In only two and a half months!  And well over half of those have been "unique" visitors; people who have found me that aren't my friends on Facebook or in my network on LinkedIn.  My work flow has increased by 30%.  Not too bad for only 80 days of cheap marketing.

Some great sites to look at for do-it-yourselfers:  Site Builder, Website Builder, Sitey, Weebly, and GoDaddy.  All of these are easy to use, with lots of templates to help with quick page design, and are very affordable or even free.  Again, these are for a good, basic web presence, not something high-end with lots of bells and whistles.  If you want fancy, pay someone who really knows what they're doing to build it for you.  Trust me on this.  

So my opening question was, do YOU need a business website?  I think my answer might be can you afford NOT to have one?  Or, do you currently have a website, but it's out of date or looks awful? That is almost as bad as not having a website at all.  With the potential for so much visibility, it is absolutely worth the investment to have one and have it look good and be functional.

I LOVE color.  Color is my favorite element of design. There is no other element that can produce an emotional response the way color can. Even as very young children, we picked out colors that we liked best, and wanted to be surrounded by… our clothes, our room, our toys. My daughter, a tween, still surrounds herself in turquoise. She tells me that it's a happy color, and makes her feel calm.  She's been saying that since she was 7.  Before that, it was pink. Because it made her feel pretty.  

So, when picking a color to use in a design, whether it be for marketing and identity, or a piece of fine art, or a technical illustration, it's important to recognize that color brings out feelings in the viewer, or customer. Alexandra Engelson at the website janinejust.com posted this great graphic that helps break down the most common emotions and meanings associated with colors:

I think it's important to know how most people react to a color when working on a design project. If I have a client that is starting a new business, let's say a counselor or therapist, I would want to know what kind of clients they're treating. Is their area of expertise treating depression? Stress? Eating disorders? Working with kids on the Autism Spectrum? That will make a difference when picking colors. What if the client is starting a cleaning business? I'd want to know if they're doing commercial or residential, if they're using all-natural/organic cleaning supplies or chemicals. When picking colors for all of the Branding, we need to convey the message of what service or product they're selling. 

Let's look at a common logo…Subway. And let's look at it without that fresh, healthy green that they use on all of their marketing:

The orange version is still a lovely logo, but it certainly doesn't make me think of fresh, healthy ingredients!  Eat fresh?  Indeed!

What about other uses of color? The color your paint your walls, the color of the petunias in the front porch hanging basket, the sweater you decided to wear to work this morning, all demands an emotional response. As anyone who knows me well, knows that I surround myself in bright or bold colors. My office is a rich purple. My favorite shoes? Bright coral patent leather. I have a trench coat in the same coral. It makes me happy.  

Not sure what colors to use? Start with a basic guide like I posted above, and pick the words that seem to best fit what you're trying to convey. Then, try different shades of the colors associated with the words in designing your logo, or swatches on your wall, whichever the case may be. Is the blue more soothing? Or the green? Is the orange exciting enough? Or should you go bold and try the red? How does it make YOU feel? Then, ask people you know and trust for their opinions. How does your choice make THEM feel? 

Getting the right color, and therefore the desired emotional response, is key in successful Branding for your business!

I had a client once who hired me to design a brochure for a public utility. The brochure was going to be available to the public to explain some changes in policy, so it needed to be clear and concise.  I made it the correct size, used colors that complimented their logo, made the maps and diagrams easy to understand and accurate.  I read through it carefully, correcting their grammar and spelling errors (yes, there were some).  I was happy with the results.  

I went to a meeting with the client and we sat down to discuss the project to make sure everything was in place before printing.  Everyone was very happy, about to sign off on the deal when the head of the department came in for a quick look.  He'd been left out of the loop for previous revisions, so he wanted to put his opinion in for the last round.  He was pleased with our product, and how easy it was to understand, how professional it looked.  

But…there was white space.  What was with all that white space?  He thought since he would be purchasing each piece of paper, it should be completely filled up with print.  We needed to make the fonts bigger and make the margins wider and fill up all that white space.  And he would not approve it until I redesigned it his way. Needless to say, the end product does not hold a spot in my portfolio.  It was crowded and ugly and hard to read.

What non-designers need to know is that there are basic design elements that all creative professionals use, and negative space is one of them. That blank spot creates balance on page and screen. If the design space is not in balance, it can look heavy and complicated. It can make you feel uncomfortable and overwhelmed.  It's hard on your eyes to read. That isn't always the look and feel a designer is aiming for.  

This sale circular comes in my Sunday paper on a regular basis.  This type of advertising, where there is text and pictures crammed into every possible space, creates a feeling of chaos, and it feels unrefined and brash.  It's funny…their store feels the same way. This crazy, unprofessional feel is part of their brand.  I have to think, though, that many businesses don't want this.

This one shows up regularly as well, from one of my favorite places! The use of white space around the food items and the spacing between the text creates a much more comfortable feel to the circular, as well as gives you expectations about the cleanliness and professionalism of the store. It's easy to read. It's well organized. It's more balanced.

Let's look at websites. shall we?  This one is for a bridal gown store. I found this by searching for "ugly websites." It was the first one that popped up. I have to say, even if this store had the best gowns in town, I would never, ever think to go there based on this website.  And it's ugly for many reasons, but in today we're blogging about space, so notice that there isn't any on this website? Every possible spot on the screen has images or text. (Note: reference my earlier blog about using too many fonts). There is no way to navigate this. My eyes are confused as to what I'm looking at. There's no flow. No balance.  

Just down the road is another bridal store. If I were searching for a dress and typed it into my search engine, this site would come up along with the last one. They're just a few miles away on the map. Their use of white space around the text on their website makes it easy on the eyes. The white top and bottom balance out the large photo in the  middle. All in all, it's easy to read and screams elegance and professionalism. I would expect the store and their products to have the same beautiful feel.

This is NOT my real business card (thankfully) but it IS an example of how not to design a business card. There is such thing as putting TOO much information on a card. In fact, I think it is one of the biggest mistakes people make when designing a business card. The lack of empty space makes it feel heavy and like I'm desperate to make sure you know everything about me.  I will never hand you this card over coffee.

Ok, this isn't my real card either. However, this is the same card with only the important stuff on it.  The rest is space. Nice, comfortable space!  The bulleted list could always be moved to the back, if I really felt it necessary.  I could keep the slogan, but the uncluttered feeling without that extra text is more valuable to me that a slogan that may or may not drum up any new business or make me memorable.

In a future post, I'll visit negative space as an element of a logo.  There are some really fantastic logos out there where the void IS part of the logo. But that is a whole blog entry in itself! 

In the meantime, take a look at your marketing materials, your cards and brochures, your website…how do they look?  Are they crowded or comfortable? Are they balanced? Are they easy to navigate? It  might be time to add a little negativity!  Cheers~K

The terms "Corporate Identity" and "Brand" are thrown around a lot in marketing. Many people consider them synonyms. They're not.

So...what's the difference?

"Corporate Identity" is what your business LOOKS like to the outside observer--your potential clients and customers and suppliers. Your logo. Your catch phrase. Your handouts. Your fonts and colors.

But your BRAND is more than that. It's the emotional feeling behind it. The trust. The confidence. The assurance that your business is what they want and need.

The two, your Identity and your Brand, need to work together to say: here's who I am, and here are the promises I make to you!

I found a couple of really good articles that explain it in depth:

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/difference-between-branding-identity-21037.html

http://betterbusinessbrand.com/the-differences-between-a-logo-an-identity-and-a-brand

One of my favorite Brands that most are familiar with is Target. These guys have it figured out! Everything about Target identifies who they are. Their commercials have that crisp, clean, edgy feel to them. Their newspaper circulars feel the same. Bright white, pops of red, and a little bit of retro (but in a good way) wraps it into a neat little package. You can tell a Target ad without even seeing the logo. Walk into the store and, yep, it feels like their ads. And to drive it home, their slogan is "Expect More. Pay Less." Which is EXACTLY what they offer us as customers. They offer nice merchandise for a reasonable price. And they do it in a way that we know and trust.

So, what does YOUR business need; an Identity or a Brand? Both. Ask yourself, is your logo representing your business? What about your marketing materials, or your website? Is it clear to your potential clients what you do, or sell? What about your promise to them that you can deliver exactly what they expect? And you can do it in a way to meet all of their needs and that they want to come back for more. Oh, and that you can do it better than the other guys.

Your Corporate Identity tells them who you are, but your Brand tells them what values you stand for. Make sure BOTH are working for you and your business!