Blue

This is an ode to blue.

It must be the newest fashionable colour, especially that bright greeny/blue teal colour I have been seeing popping up everywhere (luuuve it, it makes me happy inside). To be honest every new client I have had recently wants work done in blue; various shades of blue whether it tints towards grey, purple or green, but blue none the less. My portfolio is almost completely the same single colour - thanks a lot guys; you make me look like I am the one with the obsession!

You know why I think people like the colour blue? Apart from it being an all-round stable colour let’s say the “golden retriever of colours” - It’s safe. You can’t go wrong with having a blue logo, right? 

Business owners (in New Zealand) I think don’t like to branch out too much, especially with new company branding – I don’t blame you, it’s your baby! They are worried if they pick another colour it could symbolise something un-known to them or they might miss a chunk of the market who don’t relate to that colour. When you first start out branding, you might not even know exactly who your market could be (who would have thought blue powerade would end up being the drink of choice for hung-over youth, I would have thought athletes were their target.. or maybe it’s a steady favourite because it’s blue… sigh) so you want to target everyone and I think that is what makes blue so attractive - it doesn’t hold any particular strong connotation to it so you are keeping yourself open to everyone. Nice. And. Safe.

Pink is flamboyant, purple is too, red could be too aggressive, orange and yellow are so playful, white doesn’t show up enough, black is so in fashion it is out of fashion, green… well maybe if I make it an aqua or teal shade of green it could be ok… wait. That’s blue in disguise!

I don’t have a problem with blue, I guess this is sounding like more of a blue bashing than an ode, I just think to get noticed sometimes you do have to take that chance; that maybe you need a different colour to stand out from the crowd. Best idea I can think of is look at everyone else in your industry, what colour are they using? Blue? Well it works for them of course it would work for you… That may be true as long as you have another point of difference, but if you don’t or you can’t show people until you get their attention anyway you might want to differentiate yourself immediately. Otherwise your branding could just end up reinforcing theirs and they have already got that market. Think about it.

Happy colour picking!

That first step - Conquering the blank page

Getting started is the biggest challenge of any job I am doing. “Just do it” pops into mind when I stare at a blank page on my computer screen for too long. I wonder if that is how Nike came up with their slogan? Note to self Google later. There is nothing more depressing than a blank page; I have my brief, I know what the client wants, but that blank page is showing no inspiration.

Brainstorm! One of those amazingly dull exercises I was made to do in school has actually stuck with me so far in life. I apologise for any attitude I gave my previous teachers of this being “dumb”, turns out I was wrong – you do know what you’re doing. I jot down a few buzzwords that spring to mind from my own knowledge of the industry, but if it is something new, it can be quite limited so I move on quickly.

With my new found buzzwords, I find researching my subject to be a massive help to getting over the hump. So I flick off the blank page and jump on Google to start searching the industry of the client I’m working on. I look at examples of their competitors what they have done and start thinking about how I can do it better, (That’s the best thing about being second or freshening yourself up; your competitors have set a bar so you know what you need to beat). Researching the industry helps me to understand who this company is, what they do and the people they are looking at selling to. There is nothing more important than knowing your company and who they work with when working on their design.

After seeing who is already out there and what they are doing this gives a good indication of what I should be aiming for, so I start now researching into great ideas for the project. Whether it is a logo, business cards, a website, brochures or anything else; type it into Google and see what comes up. Often the best of the best does which gives great inspiration!

Now that I know who the company is, what they do and who they are after; I know their competitors and have seen some great examples of design work thanks to trusty Google, (I do read reference books I swear, but Google is just so readily available it would be a crime not to check it first) it seems a lot easier to overcome that blank page now. Even if I am just making colour swatches or drawing doodles at first; things start to develop and after milling over and over, a final design that sings off the page finally comes to light.

Once you start the creative juices flowing it is hard to stop… So on to the next project!

Blogs - A New Fad or is there something more in them for Business Purposes?

I have never had a blog before; I figured why would people want to read about what I think? There is so much clutter up there; I struggle to make sense of it let alone anyone else. My partner often says to me oh to spend a day in your head; I think I would end up lost and confused then unable to get out again. So forgive me if my ramblings aren’t your usual constructed readings full of intellect and meaning, I am merely writing down my thoughts in hope they might help businesses with their online and graphic presence.

I was reading recently that one of the best things a company can do for their website is start a blog and have the CEO write updates. Customers don’t buy your product they buy you - they like you, they like your product. Blogging is a way to share and introduce to your potential customers a piece of you they may not have seen from buying your product alone. It all adds to brand experience and all good businesses know brand experience is what drives sales.

Company blogs have risen in popularity and they may seem like a waste of time, but for a business to secure their online presence it is a must have you shouldn’t ignore. Use your blog to update customers of new product lines, events, staff comings and goings, tricks and tips and anything that relates to what you offer. For small businesses it keeps personal interaction with your loyal customers. For large businesses, have you ever had a delicate matter you needed to disclose? Well blog it before it gets leaked, it’s the best way to get your side of the story across before anyone else does! 

I hear you saying “oh but I don’t know what to say” – why not? You know your business better than anyone else, so you of all people should know exactly what to say! Don’t treat a blog too much like an advertisement though, your customers will see right through it, instead be humble, depending on what your product of service is keep it the point, and keep it colloquial. 

Blogs also help keep your site fresh on Google. Updating it regularly lets the Googlebots that crawl the web for relevant information relating to a search know you are a fresh site with good content. Theory being they will likely list you higher in a search than another site that sits there with old content. You also have a chance to nail some juicy keywords into your pages which can’t hurt either!

I have only mildly touched base with the benefits of a blog, as I am just starting out myself I’ll see how it goes and update you all soon!