I really wanted to entitle this post “The Importance of a Good Identity and a Solid Brand”, but decided that the title would have been WAY too long!  A good logo/ business identity (which ultimately leads to a solid brand) is invaluable.  It’s incredibly important to keep a consistent look throughout the entire branding process, whether you’re branding yourself or your business.  A memorable logo is key in today’s society.  It’s important to evaluate your competitors’ look and style to ensure that your look is unique and different.  Make your brand something to remember.  Make it stand out among the ever growing crowd.  Create a catchy tagline.  If you don’t, you’ll just be lost in the shuffle.  A good logo doesn’t have to cost a fortune, either.  Sometimes, the simpler the better!

Here’s a quick example.  We recently had our logo ‘redesigned’ by Horrible Logos ($5 for a hilarious rendition of your logo).  I’ll say one thing: it’s definitely unique.  A logo should be visually appealing to the masses to stand out and be truly effective.  We’d say that this one stands out, but not in a good way.  It’s anything but pretty (thus the name, Horrible Logos).  It’s a funny example, but the point is simple: A good logo is invaluable.

Lately, logo design seems to have been the hot topic among creative professionals.  I follow many technology and design blogs, so I’m usually aware of the latest and greatest tech toys, trends, and waves, and I often see the same story written from 25 different viewpoints.  I like the diversity because I enjoy the varying opinions on the topic at hand.  The World Wide Web has been abuzz about GAP’s new logo.  Interestingly enough, I have yet to see a single positive review.  I have to admit that I agree with the masses: it’s severely lacking in creativity and taste.

Although it’s merely my personal opinion, I still don’t know why the new design wasn’t immediately discarded in the development phase.  Granted, the old GAP logo wasn’t overly exciting, but it had strong brand presence and recognition.  The new logo looks like a cheap knockoff, plain and simple.  Don’t get me wrong, I love Helvetica.  It’s a beautiful font.  But I can’t get over the cheap gradient square that’s hiding behind the P.  Does it serve any purpose?

I want to highlight one particular creative blog that I follow: imjustcreative.  This blog focuses mainly on logo design (especially as it relates to typography), but offers creative tips and insight on graphic design and overall style.  I frequent the site daily, and have nothing but good things to say about it.  Check it out at imjustcreative.com/blog.

That’s all for now!

Recently the city of Grambling, Louisiana paid almost $8,000 for a website to promote the city.  The so-called website?  Nothing more than an installation of WordPress and a theme from Woo Themes.  This overpriced “website” consists of three pages: Home, Meet the Mayor, and a page about Juneteenth, an annual festival that the city hosts.  Josh Haber, a good friend of mine, was interviewed to give his professional opinion on the various fees that were billed to the city.  The invoice was full of bloated charges, including $300 for a .org domain name registration and $1,000 for consultation.  The sad part is that negative media coverage like this often gives the public a bad view of businesses in this industry.  There are plenty of web design/development jobs that are worth as much as $8,000 and more, depending on the application.  WordPress prides themselves on the “Famous Five Minute Installation”, and installing a third-party theme isn’t much more complicated. You do the math.

Want to know more? Head on over to Josh’s blog, Dumb Technology, or click here to view the video.