We are proud to announce our first published magazine cover that we have had the opportunity to photograph. What started out as a photography project for Brach Design Architecture has turned into a great example of how decent photography can help exposure.

Brach Design Architecture recently completed the first Passive House in the western United States and is one of only a few in the world. For those that aren’t sure what that means, Passive House certification is hard to come by since it means that a structure was built to passively use things such as the elements (sun, angles, wind,…etc.) to passively warm and cool the house. It is roughly is about 75% more energy efficient than traditional contemporary architectural design. That is no easy task and that is why this Passive House is a big deal.

Chesapeake Home, a mid-Atlantic home magazine with a circulation of around 300,000, heard about this and wanted to write an article about it for their next publication. After submitting our photos to the magazine they informed me that, in spite of the fact that they have already shot their cover for that publication, they would like to use one of my photos instead.

What started out as a small article that may have been lost in the publication turned into the cover story with five additional photos and a two-page spread because of quality photography and open communication with the magazine.

Like a lot of industries, the design and website development world has trends that surface practically daily. Because of new technology and seemingly new design concepts, the trends in the industry come quickly and leave even quicker. So what should be done with “the next big thing”?

With web development it is a lot easier for us to distinguish between the newest items that are good and those that we ignore. We approach this in the same way that we approach design for a client; we approach this with marketing in mind. If the latest development item goes beyond just looking cool and actually helps the client, then it is something that we would use, when appropriate. If the new development item does not perform well across platforms (Internet Explorer as the prime example), or is not read (crawled) well by the major search engines, or just is inappropriate for the audience, then the client would not benefit by using that development.

With design, sifting through trends is a little more difficult. If something is “too trendy” then there is the risk of a design becoming obsolete very quickly. If a design is “too traditional” then there is the risk of the design not effectively speaking to the intended audience.

All design should consider the 5 elements of art, line, shape, color, texture and balance. Each of the elements should be considered and followed (or purposely broken) for the design to be good. There is one more element that i would like to add to this specifically for designing for clients and that would be the purpose of the design. The purpose of the design will help determine goals, audience and the creative direction of the piece. What would work for a contemporary, young brand would probably not work for a corporate established brand. It is all about purpose for effective design.

More could be said about this but just remember this, if design or development is done for a client, then it should be done to better the client. Happy designing.
-jeremy

This is all over the news and so i figure that it is a good thing to discuss. Twitter, like facebook or other Social Networks, is merely another way for people to communicate. Twitter allows you to put in 140 characters to say your latest thoughts and then people “follow” you so they can get a constant stream of your latest posts. This sounds a little journal-like and not-so-business-like at first glance.

Admittedly, i still have my doubts as to the marketing benefit of using twitter. Partly because it seems like this would be hard to translate into actual business and partly because this seems like a lack on continuity between thoughts that you share to the world (remember that you can only use 140 characters per post).

That being said, this may also be another tool for reaching an audience. This will allow you to have direct access to an audience, and therefore, to either a potential market or a peer group. This means that this may not effect sales directly, but over time, this could lead to your expertise in a field which would translate to sales, finding competent employees or problem-solving through twitter. I am current checking twitter out myself to see it this holds any weight. Feel free to check out my page. http://twitter.com/jeremywold

Try it out, but try this with the expectation that is a very small avenue for getting your marketing message out in a very ADHD sort of way. This is still it in its baby stages.

jeremy

For some reason, lately a lot of people have asked me about cheap websites for the smaller business that isn’t looking to spend a lot of money on a full website. Perhaps it is the shade of the looming financial situation that is causing some to want small, cheaper sites, but regardless, we just need to talk about what this really means to the balance sheet.

Cheap website options. Firstly, there are a few options to choose from. The most obvious choice is a template. Templates are pre-constructed websites that are already designed and developed where you just take the files (flash, dreamweaver, CSS, HTML) and work within them to change your site to your liking. This could be good for some that are already familiar with code and the programs mentioned before, but even then, there are a few things to consider.

A template is not branded for your business, it is, well, a template for anyone to use. This not only effects how your brand (company image, logo, identity) is perceived within the public, but it also has a adverse effect on how easily your website is found (search engine optimization). There are elements within a website from the meta tags, page titles, alt tags, header tags, html links, html text, xml site maps to submission of site maps to google that greatly effect how "visible" your site is to the greater public. This effects how people find your website through the search engines (organic search is what it is referred to). Having a template site usually means others out there will have the same site (structurally speaking) as you and google and the other search engines discount that.

Another cheap, small option is to use a web-creation online service. This is a step down from templates since you have to relinquish some elements of control. Generally, these options require you to host the website through them and then you can update some text on the site. These are not optimized sites for your business and i cannot recommend any that i have seen to-date.

Blogs are another cheap option for those do-it-yourselfers out there. In fact, instead of a template or an online website creation option, i would and have recommended a wordpress blog as a cheap/free option to those that have asked. The reason for this is that a blog can be expanded and added to over time and, thus, add to your visibility over time. That is one of the reasons that we often incorporate a blog within a website.

The final option is to have a basic site created for you. This would require some expense to have this designed and developed. As stated previously, it is a choice of whether to spend little to nothing on branding or have a site that is branded and easier to be found online.

Over time, i think that you will find that you get out of a website what you put into the website. In other words, if you are looking for the cheapest option, you will get less of a return. This is a basic marketing principal but one that is often thought about for websites, for some strange reason.

Another principle for websites is that a website that is not found doesn’t do a lot of good for you. This means that both the creation of the site as well as some marketing afterwards should be considered so that you ensure traffic to the site.

Good luck!
-jeremy

I am constantly amazed how dismal the news is these days. With most companies shrinking with the economy, any talk is business is typically negative.

At first glance, i would agree that things seem a little dire. But, if you think about it, the situation has stemmed from an inflation of perception of prosperity that really wasn’t there. In other words, our perception of how profitable we are as a nation tends to lead to how prosperous we actually are. I think that this holds true, not just as a nation but with individual organizations as well.

My advice is this; even though times may be tough, have a positive outlook for your business. Instead of just focusing on what has changed within the market, focus on what opportunities may have presented themselves within this climate. While competitors may be focusing inward by slashing jobs and costs, you too should be efficient but also look externally to how you may capitalize on what new opportunities are within the market.

jeremy

Say what you will about the economy being in the tank but i say that design will flourish during 2009. There are a few things that lead me to this conclusion.

First of all, color has come back in style. With the 80’s back in style for a little while now, we will now see a muted 80’s style that steps away from the florescence colors but leaves us with a heavy use of color. Use of a broader color palette will also happen due to the fact that more marketers will try even harder to get the ever-needed attention of a audience that may be less apt to spend any money. 

Secondly, since the economy is the way that it is, designers and marketers must be more creative in how how they develop marketing initiatives. I personally think that this is a very good litmus test for designers. If they can still create effective design within a market that is generally apprehensive, then they are thinking outside of the box of normalcy and are moving our industry in the right direction.

Lastly, with a bad economy, some design will inevitably get worse due to organizations’ budgets tightening or disappearing altogether. While some organizations choose that direction, others will realize that potential that this means within their market. If your competition is not presenting themselves well via ads, web or design, then it goes to follow that you will stand out if you do make that effort. A good example of how this works is currently within the fast food industry. Arby’s has recently gone cheap on some really poor-quality commercials without much direction while Wendy’s has stepped it up considerably with commercials and, more importantly, creative direction. There is no doubt that Wendy’s has taken some market share from Arby’s.

So, in 2009, i think that we will see design flourish with broad use of color and with creative ideas that will propel some companies to the forefront while their competition is caught sleeping. 

-jeremy

So, if you are in the market for a logo, then you have probably heard the terms “identity” and “brand” in addition to “logo” somewhere in your research. You may be wondering what the difference is. Different firms may define these terms slightly differently, but this is how i see them.

Logo. Logo is simply a non-marketing agency term that everyone is familiar with. This is a mark or symbol of an organization. 

Identity. Identity goes a little farther than just a logo, although a logo is typically involved in this process. When creating an identity for an organization, everything from the name to the final application must be considered. Therefore the target audience as well as marketing goals are factored into the identity so that it is as effective as possible.

Brand. The brand is the perceived image of an organization. This essentially means that the identity is carried out within all marketing initiatives so there is consistency of the brand. Branding packages often include the business basics, such as business cards, letterhead, envelopes,…etc, but the brand does not stop there. It should be continued to all ads, web, print and any other media so that it is consistent. Consistency of brand creates recognition and positive recognition leads to strategic (long-term) sales.

TIP: Now that terms have been defined, what does it mean for an organization that needs a logo? Well, a logo should never be just a logo. All elements of your organization need to be factored into the design and direction of the logo so that it is a solid identity that can be carried out through a brand that has positive brand recognition. Do not just go with a logo because you like the way that it looks, choose a direction based on the larger picture of why it was designed the way it was (audience as well as organizational identity in mind) and how it can be applied to all marketing initiatives in an effective manner.

jeremy

Business cards are seemingly innocuous. Everyone has one and they all want to give them to you. They don’t have to fade into the woodwork, you just have to be creative about how they are done in order to get noticed and to be effective.

Here are a couple of tips that i think should be standard in this day and age of printing business cards:

1. All business cards should be double-sided. The back could simply be a solid color with your website listed but the point is that this is a mini billboard that could be utilized and should not be left blank.

2. Full color, full bleed. Larger businesses may not need to run at full color since their large quantities can justify printing at 2-color on the press. For most companies though, each card is going to be a shorter run since the contact information will change and thus printing these process (4 color) is definitely more affordable. Plus, having full color gives you some options for potential unique design work. Full bleed in printing is where you print off the edge of the paper. I personally like using this on cards so that design elements can be incorporated within the design that do not take away from the branding and contact info.

3. Simple is okay. An example that i like is actually within the movie Ocean’s Eleven where Daniel Ocean gave a card to Linus that was blank except for his name, “Daniel Ocean” in the center of the card. It is amazing that, with simplicity comes complexity and sophistication within design. 

4. They must fit the branding. Because business cards are an extension of your business, they must be consistent with the branding of your business. Just like every other marketing initiative, business cards have to drive the consistency of your brand which includes your logo and current design elements.

Here is an example that we have recently completed for the Fantis Group. As Realtors, they needed certain items on the card, i.e. photo, RE/MAX logo, but this doesn’t mean that their cards had to be standard or uninteresting. In fact, we are printing these cards with a silk laminate with a spot gloss coating on the logo which is quite unique within their industry.

If i had to breakdown good design in a short phrase, i would say that it is the creative manipulation of the elements of art (line, balance, color, texture, shape). This is art. This is fine art, but it is not design for a business. Like fine art, the elements of art need to be used creatively in a good design for a client but the difference is the purpose of the design.

If a design is good but not useful to meet the client’s goals, then it is not a good design within the business world. This seems like a straightforward concept but it is certainly something that greatly effects how we approach all projects for our 30 or so clients.

Given the purpose and medium of a design, there is a structure in which design must fit in order to be good. This structure is both the marketing end of the piece but also the space in which the design is done. As a “creative”, as people in the industry say, i would admit that this structure is often a challenge.

I love a good challenge.
jeremy

There is much speculation out there about how our economy is actually doing and where it will be in the coming months and years to come. As a small business owner, i myself have kept a close eye on this to ensure that Wold Creative Group will not only survive but thrive within these financially tenuous times. 

As with all economic shifts, there are two sides to the coin. When some companies are struggling, others are booming. Is this just industry specific? I think that has something to do with it but the companies that are booming right now also know that this is a time of opportunity. 

With some organizations cutting back their spending on advertising or marketing strategies because they think that will save their company some money, other organizations are able to create waves within their industry through advertising and marketing strategies. Cutting back on marketing to save money is often a fallacy due to the fact that it only saves money at present but certainly hurts the potential future revenue stream. As some say, “stepping over dollars to pick up pennies”. 

I am not advocating spending a bunch of money on advertising or marketing, rather, keep on spending something, anything, on advertising and marketing. In addition, i am also advocating to spend your money wisely and not put your advertising dollars in one area (publication, medium, campaign). Keeping up or starting to have a presence within your industry during the time where other organizations may be cutting back is a win-win situation and should allow you to get a leg-up on the competition. In other words, your dollars spent on advertising or marketing will go farther and do more within our economic climate. 

The current state of the economy can be an opportunity for your organization to stand out and get noticed. All you have to do is to make sure that your brand is still out there and wisely placed.

-jeremy