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Branding - what are you without it?

I was heading into town with my family to collect something, when I noticed something different in the environment. For some reason I was noticing a building facade in the distance. "Was that wall always yellow?" I asked my husband. He didn't know what I was referring to, but to be fair, he was the actual driver. "Huh?" was (the usual) response from my 17 year old son. Suddenly I understood. It had been painted in preparation for a new company that was to inhabit the building - and I KNEW E...

Branding for AllRecruits

It's all about Recruiting - both for the individual candidates searching for a job and the corporates looking to fill a position. It's new to New Zealand and the team at AllRecruits wants to show their clients they go above and beyond to make the right combinations happen. To begin the process we discussed company values, preferences, competitors, potential colour schemes and any special requirements needed for the business.The logo design process was an exciting phase to settle on a primar...

Secure websites

"The connection to www.xyz.com is not secure" Have you ever changed your mind when you saw this warning while browsing the internet? Did it make you consider whether you really wanted to continue visiting that website?  What about your own website? Does this happen to your potential clients when they're wanting to visit your website? Hopefully not. But chances are, if you've built your site yourself, it may be something you're not aware of, or perhaps it's an extra cost you're not...

Why .eps?

When your logo files get sent to you, you will find several types of files, some of which you probably can't open - don't move them to the trash! These are most likely your vector file versions. I create your logo in a vector-based program so that your logo can be represented as large as the moon if necessary - or even as small as a stamp - without losing any of its crispness, clarity, or quality. Unlike files created using pixels (little squares of colours, like in Photoshop) vector files ...

A Rebranding Journey

I attended a workshop over many weeks (Digital Boost) along with several other business owners trying to learn more about how best to represent one's business online. We learned many useful things and covered loads of topics, some easier to execute than others.It was near the end of our time together that I overheard the tail-end of a conversation Rhiannon was having with others at the table about her business logo. My ears pricked up. Logos are my thing. Rhiannon and Joel couldn't quite work ou...

Do we need to meet up?

It is helpful to meet up and gauge whether you're a good fit for each other, but it's not always completely necessary.Having worked through the Covid years of Zoom meetings, helped show me that being able to talk is enough. A phone call is fine too, but then you may miss out on my lavish hand gesticulation while I try and find the words to describe my excitement over the potential of your job. The beginning of any job is very exciting - I can get carried away thinking about all the potentia...

Web presence

It's critical to have an online presence. If you think about your own behaviour when deciding to use a business for their service - don't you check their website? Or at least their social pages? Having an online presence (a website, social media page, business listings, google maps) helps your business's credibility - it verifies that you are a trusted entity… (unless of course, your website looks like it was made in 1992, that's where I can help!). At the very least have your company's l...

Full branding

When approached by Doug with regard to designing packaging for a premium product, I had to convince him to begin by giving his product an identity, starting with a logo. We had many discussions around the bottle, its labelling, and packaging and researched, extensively, various suppliers or options for print and construction of its packaging. Attention to detail was essential for this project, keeping in mind the application of the logo on bottle labels as well as foiled on the packaging a...

Why does my company need a website?

A website is an essential tool for any small business. It allows customers to learn more about your company, its products and services, contact information, and business hours. It may also provide a platform for customers to purchase products and services online. Or perhaps your website could be used to showcase your company’s portfolio, share news and updates, and provide customer support. Even if your company is already well known, having an online presence can increase brand awareness and ...

Positive reviews

Getting a positive review is such a great reward for a graphic designer. I know many of us (maybe all of us) suffer from self-doubt at times, especially designers like me that work for themselves. We aren't immersed in the agency environment where you get to bounce ideas around with your peers or let off some steam together while you work towards launching your project.So to get a five-star google review feels wonderful.To get a compliment from another designer I asked to cast her eye over my la...

World Cup Rugby 2023

When you have rugby fanatic friends who are obsessed with their national rugby team: South Africa's "Springboks"… When they get together from all over the world every 4 years to attend their team's World Cup games... When humour is the name of the game: meet the Baldy Boks.We go back to our high school days and have kept in contact over the years, but when it came time to make their 'club' (?) more of an official thing, I was delighted to create the logo/crest/emblem for my friends."...

Printing and GSM

GSM: grams per square meter (of paper/card). In my opinion, when it comes to business cards, more is more. The higher the gsm, the heavier (denser) the paper is, the more quality it exudes.  If you've ever been handed a flimsy, easily bendable business card, you probably weren't overwhelmed with a sense of quality, longevity or gravitas about the business it was promoting. Even if the design was amazing, but the paper was thin and easily folded, that business card missed it's...

Website costs explained

It can be such an overwhelming phase of your life trying to launch your new business, getting your branding on track and getting a website built. There just seem to be so many added costs involved over and above the cost for building a site.  What am I paying for? The short answer: the domain name (also known as a "url" or web address), the web hosting and the web build. (Potentially you're also paying for an email address). I really like the analogy of thinking of this whole process like b...

Logo design questionnaire

This is a great exercise to figure out what you're looking to achieve with your new business venture and how you want to be perceived by your ideal client.  It will make you think about your values, your brand personality and your brand voice - these may not even have occurred to you before  This will help me get an insight into your logo design project and also assist me keep some branding options in mind for later... Feel free to download the questionnaire below. ...

What's a vector file?

Things that are created using software that is vector based use mathematical formulas on a grid system... perfect for things like logos. Logos always need to represent perfectly no matter where they are placed and vectors allow a crisp edge at all times. ...

Too many cooks…

It can be tempting to divvy up every part of your business to different outfits, but you have to ask yourself if by doing that, you could potentially be watering down your brand? Every new person, every new business, has their own take on your brand guidelines (if you even have any!) so their vision is guaranteed to be slightly (or completely) different to your original brand designer.  As a designer, I love creating business brands from a blank slate. Each client and their business becomes...

Considerations for a logo design

One of the very first steps many business owners take when launching their new venture, is engaging a graphic designer to create a logo for their new business.  Some clients have a clear idea of what they want whereas others may not even know what they're going to call their business!  Some things to consider …   Have you thought about your business name? Is it relevant? Have you registered your company name? Is it available? Have you checked whether a web domain ...

What logo files are supplied?

I supply all manner of logo filetypes to be used for printing, as well as clear and crisp web files to use on your desktop or within your own internal presentations. Print files  Files that professional printers/designers request are vector files - these can be enlarged to the size of the moon without losing any quality. They can be reduced to the size of a stamp and still retain detail. I design using Adobe Creative Suite and supply .eps, .ai and .pdf vector f...

Branding - huh?

Here is an example of the different treatment of three companies by the same designer (Linda from Page Design).  All three have a fish in their logo. All three mention 'fish' (fishing/fisherman).Each company clearly has a different voice, a different personality to portray. Someone wanting a tranquil afternoon with friends will possibly not look at Slaughter Fishing to find out what they're about. Slaughter Fishing Charters evokes energy and a passion for a challenging hunt, whereas Fi...

A brave client

Man Maintenance at Bay Urology I was briefed about the erectile dysfunction clinic at Bay Urology (Tauranga, NZ) and spent some time thinking about how to convey this one. The name of the clinic took a while to be decided upon, but once Liam let me know it was “Man Maintenance” I was thrilled to see a bit of humour come through in what is surely a low moment in anyone’s life when they need to attend an erectile dysfunction clinic.  So many ideas came to me but most overpowering was th...