How to use the four principles of graphic design to create images that engage audiences and make your organization look good As a 20+-year professional veteran of the graphic design field – most often working with nonprofits – I believe an organization’s marketing materials need no, require good design. In my experience good graphic design has…
Can you answer ‘yes’ to any of the following problem statements about your logo? My logo has too many colors and it’s difficult to see or make it look good on different backgrounds My logo has a complicated colorful gradient which is too expensive to reproduce My logo looks blurry when I try to print…
A few days ago I was scheduled to deliver a marketing workshop to a bunch of educators at a state conference, and I just didn’t know how. I mean, I give workshops all the time. But this was one was more difficult than usual. The day before the workshop, Trump was elected U.S. President, and…
A few years ago, a small performing arts organization in California was having an identity crisis. They were asking themselves the question: Who are we – really?! Background Pacific Crest Youth Arts Organization was founded in 1993. Back then they didn’t want to be known only as a drum and bugle corps, an organization that…
Knowing who you are as an organization and how you are perceived is a critical part of the branding process. Once you’ve got a handle on your mission, vision, values, and messages (congrats!), you’ll want to start disseminating your brand identity to the world. But do you really know who you’re trying to reach? A…
A Mood board is a tool that can be used during branding to help organizations get a sense of how their brand is evolving. Mood boards are a collage of: Colors Textures Patterns Images I’m a creative person and graphic designer. Even if I’m not working on a project that involves designing visual identity, I’ll start to…
I feel like I’m always using the word authentic to qualify the word brand. I do this because authenticity in a brand is of paramount importance. You can’t just make up your brand. No matter how much you want to pay me, I can’t develop the character of your brand either. Your brand is who…
Lately I’ve found myself in the odd position of recommending an organization not pursue developing a new (or re-designing their existing) logo and tagline. Why do people so commonly think it should be their first marketing step, and why am I – a branding consultant – pulling back the reins? Your logo is good enough…
I spent the first week of August on a road trip with my husband visiting Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area in western Kentucky, to go mountain biking. We planned one night en route near Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois, where we booked a place to stay on Airbnb. I was immediately attracted to Jamie’s…
