Why a Style Guide is Important

Hello again,

Thank you so much for staying tuned in to our blog.  This week we’re going to discuss why it is important for any business to have a style guide.  Not only is it important for a business to have one to for themselves to maintain their brand identity, but when working with a third party, such as ourselves, it lets us know the information that we need in order to produce what is asked.

What is a style guide you might ask?

A style guide is your brand’s identity – it consists of the key elements below:

·      Color Schemes

·      Font

·      Logo

·      General Guidelines

To be more specific, here is more information on what you should include in your style guide:

Color Schemes

Color Schemes are the combinations that your business uses.  To ensure that the colors are true to what your vision is, you should choose these colors and provide as much detail as possible. 

First, choose the colors in standard pantone codes and HEX (CMYK) codes.  This way any third party producing marketing or packaging for you will be able to get the closest match.

Next, state in which combination you’re willing to use.  If it’s a black background (common with banners) then what color font?  What about vice versa?  If it’s a colored background, what color text then?  Being as specific as possible here, will prevent back and forth later on.  Try to think of as many instances as possible.

Pantone color books link below:

http://rgb.to/pantone/coated/page/1

Pantone to HEX (CMYK) conversion link below:

http://goffgrafix.com/pantone-rgb-100.php

Font

What font or fonts does your company use?  This can be a standard font or your own personal font.  It’s essential you provide this information and also what context to use them in.  Is everything going to be uppercase or lowercase?  Is the case of your font going to be a signature of the brand and where does it apply?  It’s very important to provide as many instances as possible because this can affect things from your business card to your website.

Logo

Your logo may seem simple, but it may not work for every circumstance.  For example, if your logo is rectangular, it may not work if the work space is a square?  It’s best to anticipate these possibilities and have rules set into place ahead of time to guarantee that your brand is reflected how you want it to be.

General Guidelines

This is where you indicate how things should appear.  Is everything on your website going to be on a template?  If so, what does the template look like?  Is there a specific place you want your logo to be placed at all times?  If you’re selling product, in what order do you want things to appear and in what scale? 

You may not know everything at first, but as your business grows, keep your style guide as a living document and input the circumstances that you experience into them.  Remember that your style guide is the basis for your brand identity and providing one is essential to look your best.

Thank you for reading.

Please feel free to provide any comments or questions.

Digital Tool Box Part 1: Conversion Links for Marketing Text Compatibility

Hello Hello,

It’s Terri again.  Today we’re going to focus on font conversion.  One of the obstacles commonly faced when working in promotional marketing is getting logos and fonts sent to third parties.  Not everybody uses the same programs and not everyone has the same fonts.  For the companies with specialty fonts, this can be especially tricky. 

The answer: Converting to outline and saving onto a file format that is more commonly used.

First, to address the font issue – all texts should be converted to outline.  Please remind your client to save this file as a COPY and not overwrite their master because once a font has been converted to outline, they will not be able to edit it as standard text.  Once the text is an outline, it will make it easier to manipulate for any third party.  Below are links on how to convert font to outline:

ILLUSTRATOR

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PQk4xhz114

PHOTOSHOP

http://www.wikihow.com/Convert-Text-to-Outline-in-Photoshop

INDESIGN

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjGpeySLq5E

PUBLISHER

http://bigredprintingspotlight.blogspot.com/2011/02/converting-text-to-outlines-must-for.html

COREL DRAW

http://www.clubcard.tv/print-tutorial/how-to-convert-fonts-text-to-curves-outlines-in-coreldraw

The easiest file formats to have a client send you a file are going to be:

A.     PDF

B.     EPS

C.     AI

PDF is actually the best format, so we will provide quick links with how to convert files below.  Please remind your clients that they will need to maintain editing capabilities when creating the PDF.  The links below will allow the files to be converted without having to purchase what can be very expensive graphic programs.  This ensures your PDF will be properly formatted.

Illustrator (AI) file to PDF

http://www.pdfconvertonline.com/ai-to-pdf-online.html

Photoshop (PSD) file to PDF

http://www.convertfiles.com/convert/document/PSD-to-PDF.html

Publisher (PUB) file to PDF

http://www.pdfconvertonline.com/pub-to-pdf-online.html

Corel Draw (CDR) file to PDF

http://www.pdfconvertonline.com/coreldraw-to-pdf-online.html

We hope you enjoy these tools because we will certainly be referring back to this blog for our own future use.  Let us know if there any additional programs you would like links for.

Thanks for reading and have a happy week!

The Five Essential Elements of a Good Logo

Hello!

Terri Muscat from Bizee Body Promotions again.  This week we’re going to discuss the importance of a good logo.   From my 20 years working in promotional marketing, I’ve seen many logos.  I’ve seen how they are used, what makes them effective, and what could possibly go wrong.

Everybody can think of creative logos and the most interesting logo, but what makes an effective logo?  What are the key elements of a good logo that should be applied when making a logo? 

Memorable:

There is no point in having a logo if you don’t intend for it to be memorable.  When developing your logo, you need to think of a way to make your logo stick.  This doesn’t mean it needs to have neon colors and a dancing elephant, but it should be something that will leave an impression.  For example:

This logo is memorable, yet very simplistic.  It’s a silhouette of an apple with a bite missing and a detached stem.  

Versatile:

Your logo should also be versatile – meaning that you can use it for many different purposes.  You should be able to stretch it for a billboard, slap it on a mug or even in some cases, synchronize it with some cute pattern to be printed all over a bag into a trademark symbol.

 

Well done, Louis Vuitton.  

Appropriate:

This one is obvious.  Is it appropriate for your audience?  You want your logo to speak to the client that you are appealing to.  If you are trying to appeal to children, then have a fun and whimsical logo.  If you are trying to appeal to professional adults, you want a streamlined and clean logo.  Keep your target in mind.

You can’t have a more fitting logo than a cup of coffee for a place that sells coffee.

Timeless:

You want a logo that will stand the test of time.  If your logo is constantly changing with the trends, then you will constantly be working to get your brand associated with the new logo.  Logos don’t have to last forever, but they should last a minimum of 5 years.  Pepsi has changed their logo 10x since its creation in 1898 with each logo being used for at least five years.  Coca-Cola has never changed their logo.  How’s that for timeless?

Simple:

The last key element is simplicity.  This might be the most difficult to master because there are so many ideas that you could use for your business.  It’s always better to have too many ideas and simplify than to have a shortage of ideas.  Apply all the elements and you might end up being as successful as the company below:

The most important lesson I’ve learned after 20 years selling promotional materials

Hi,

My name is Terri Muscat and I am the founder of Bizee Body Promotions.

Here are a few things about me:

1.      I am a woman.

2.      I run my own business and have for many years.

3.      I love dogs.

4.      I’m all about creative partnerships.

I am writing this blog to help others who are new to promotional marketing and to develop partnerships.

I absolutely love making new connections because you never know where they may lead.

I have been in this industry for over 20 years now.  The one thing that has really worked for me in business is my expertise in customer service.  There is always going to be someone that can provide a better price than you or even a better product, but the value I have in my business is that I treat every interaction as a partnership. 

A customer, to me, isn’t just a transaction with a dollar value.  A customer is a connection – a personal and business relationship.  My customers help me grow on a daily basis and solid relationships help grow my business.  Customer service leads to return business and word-of-mouth advertising.  This knowledge has helped me stay in business.

Statistics demonstrate that customer service is always the most important aspect of any business.   Here are a few important statistics to point out:

• 89% of consumers have stopped doing business with a company after experiencing poor customer service. (RightNow Customer Experience Impact Report)

• A customer is 4 times more likely to buy from a competitor if the problem is service related vs. price or product related. (Bain & Co.)

• 70% of buying experiences are based on how the customer feels they are being treated.  (McKinsey)

• 55% of consumers would pay more for a better customer experience. (Defaqto Research)

We could go on and on about the importance of customer service, but from my own personal experience after 20 years in this industry – it’s not about the best price or best product, it’s all about the service provided.

Now, the question becomes what can you do to provide better service? 

For me, it’s simple.  I listen well, communicate well, and anticipate a client’s needs.  When there is a meeting of the minds between you and your client, a sense of trust is forged.  I build upon that trust by making sure my customers know their products are safe, when they will arrive, and helping in additional ways to ease my partners’ burden.

 

For example, if I have knowledge that could improve what they’re doing or know about something specific that they may not know, I share that information.  I am not simply selling product, I am aiming to be an extension of their marketing team.  That’s my customer service.