…wrote Shakespeare in Hamlet. Only most of us aren’t brief.
You have pressing information, a delicious new product or a life-altering service that benefits the world! You believe in it, which is essential for success. It propels you and keeps you going even on the worst days.
The problem is, you don’t connect to your potential fans through belief alone. A mass of information sits between you and them—the ones who will really get you and like what you offer. Read more
If there’s one thing you can do to activate your brand image, it’s to improve your writing.
Better writing connects with your customers or prospects.
People feel connected if, when reading your copy, they feel like you have considered their desires, fears or needs.
And people who feel that way want more of what you’re selling. This goes for selling a plumbing service, getting people to read your annual report or attracting new members.
One thing that prevents this connection from happening is a focus on features, often masquerading as benefits. Read more
Have you ever found yourself saying this as you start a project?
Have you ever imposed this criteria on a hired consultant or firm? Read more
Recently I walked into a favorite local plant nursery. They had compost tea on special, there was an edible gardening workshop, new plants had just arrived, and, best of all, they had free cookies and coffee. The place was a swarm of goodness and I wanted people to know about it. Read more
In the visual chaos of bookstores, my eye always settles on the logic and order of families of titles — collections, put out by a publisher, with a common visual system, a sort-of brand within a brand.
There’s a pleasing harmony to these single- or multi-author collections. And the viewer goes back and forth between the books’ unifying elements and their unique imagery. You’re able to pay more attention to the books’ art because of the common visual thread running across the individual titles.
“We need a flier (brochure, website, logo),” is how most design projects are initiated. That’s when the possibilities start to dissolve.
Maybe it’s a mandate from on high.
Maybe it’s what you’ve done every year.
Maybe you hope the flier will clarify what you want to accomplish. But that’s backwards.
Even when you really know you need a website or an annual report or an event logo, you should first ask why.
A brochure or a flier is merely a form — the what. They are just vehicles for your message.
The form could be writing in the sky.
The form could be a wine and cheese party with a presentation.
The form could be a short video. Read more
