This story appears in the
December 2000 issue of
Entrepreneur.
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People are going to judge your business by its look, so your
logo, Web site and store design should be dressed to impress, says
David Slavin, director of Design for Marketing (www.design4marketing.com), an
Internet, graphic design and marketing firm in Los Angeles.
"You need to have a strategy so you know your logo, colors
and overall image will translate well across all platforms [for a
long time]," Slavin says.
Colors send messages, so use color to define your business as
conservative or cutting-edge. Slavin urges business owners to pay
attention to how they apply the look. Can it be animated for use on
a Web site and in electronic promotions? Can it be carried from
print ads to fax cover sheets?
Slavin cautions against common pitfalls:
Overdesigning: Clean
logos and graphics are likely to be more memorable.
Underutilizing: Put your
logo and colors on everything. "Continually reinforce your
brand message," says Slavin.
Being inconsistent: Be
sure that if all your collateral materials are lined up,
they'll look like they're from the same company.
Doing it yourself: Let a
professional develop your logo, brochure and Web site to ensure a
long shelf life and a broad reach.
Gwen Moran is president of Moran Marketing Associates and
founder of BoostYourBiz.com, a marketing information resource for
small businesses. E-mail her at gwen@boostyourbiz.com..
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