Tell me which ones you like best!

Information on the left hand side.

Information in the upper left hand corner. 

 Information in the upper left hand corner. 

Information pasted onto the letterhead, top center.  

 Information in the upper right hand corner. 

Information in the upper right hand corner and along the lower right.

Information along the top and left hand side.

Information along the top and left hand side.

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Let’s start with letterhead. Normally a full 8.5" x 11" sheet, letterhead normally gives you a larger playing field to house your information. With 4 definite sides, you have the opportunity to think outside the box. No longer does your letterhead information have to appear at the top. You can run it across the bottom, down the sides, or around the other edges.

In today’s design standards, DIFFERENT is better. Think outside the box. Try watermarking only half of your logo in the background while the other half runs off the page. Or you might try using pictorial representations of your information to convey your message to your customers (icons for contact information, etc.). 

So, what informatin do we want to include on letterhead? Well, we’ll start with the same basic info that we included on the business card. NAME, TITLE, PHYSICAL ADDRESS, EMAIL, PHONE, WEB ADDRESS, and FAX NUMBER. Now, depending on your design, you have the opportunity to branch out a bit, by including a slogan, motto or tag line.

Enough talk. Here is the Identity package I created for the Web business I work for.

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As a whole, they support your logo & define your “style”. Individually, each piece plays a different role and serves a different purpose.  Putting these three elements together will tell your customers who you are, and what you hope to accomplish with their business.

How does it do this? You’re identity packages sets the standard for the branding of your business. Without you are undefined. With it you are recognized, celebrated and can maintain a loyal customer base.

I will be dedicating separate posts to each piece: Business Card, Envelopes & Letterhead.
 

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scale-ability: Will it be easy to see and clear under a variety of situations? You want a logo that can be understood as a 1” square as easily as it can be enlarged to fit on a billboard.

less is more: A good logo should be complex enough to portray a little about what you do, but simple enough to be scaled down. Because a logo must be scaleable it’s important that there are not too many elements crammed into the artwork. Avoid adding unnecessary or cliche elements to the logo.

focus: Your logo should express the focus of your business. Think about your business. If you had to sum it up in one word, what would it be? Now, is that word symbolically reflected in your logo? Does your logo say trust, stability, efficiency, pride, confidence, luxury or faith? If the symbol, graphic, or text arrangement you’ve chosen doesn’t express who you are, consider a revision.

recognizability: The most successful logos are those that can be recognized with a quick glance. If consumers have to look closely at the logo to determine what it represents, you might want to re-evaluate your logo based on these logo development principles. Check for

color: Last but not least, be sure your logo will translate well into black and white. Color logos are common, but there are still definite applications for a black and white edition. You want to make sure that when translating your logo, you don’t lose any detail or inferences.

A good logo will help your business. A GREAT logo will help MAKE your business. Just remember, that as the first step of the branding process your logo can either make or break your business. Choose wisely! Once you establish your “identity” this will be the way people recognize your business. Business Cards, Stationary, Brochures, Advertising, Web Presence. The list is infinite.

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By keeping a few simple ideas in mind as you look through possible logos you will be able to find the “perfect” fit for beginning the branding process. Remember that the logo you choose will be around for a while. Once an identity has been established it should ONLY be updated or refreshed every 5 years or so. This ensures that the public will be familiar with your business and easily recognize it. If a brand is updated too frequently, the result is confusing to your clients. In my next post I’ll talk about the things you should evaluate when creating a logo.

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