Why should a logo cost more than your dinner?

1. A logo is the very first impression people get of your company. It can make a company appear large, small (whether it really is or not) fun, serious, professional…
2. A logo needs a long life span. Once a logo is designed it will represent your company for many years. A great example is the long standing solid GE (General Electric Company) company logo. General Electric has the fourth most recognized brand in the world, worth almost $49 billion. The GE logo was designed over 100 years ago.
3. A logo needs to be original and genuine. A logo should be designed specifically for your company. A cheap “generic logo” may not reflect your company’s values, beliefs and services. A cheap logo may also use clip art which could end up being used by another company and you losing the uniqueness that visually sets you apart.
4. A logo should be professional regardless of your industry. You would not take a potential new client to Burger King for dinner, in effect this is what is being done with a cheap logo. A logo should give your company a high-end professional image - the WOW factor.
5. A logo should reflect the time and thought gone in to designing it. One of the problems here is that people don’t always realize the amount of effort that goes into a properly professionally designed logo:

• The research - even if the budget is quite small, I would expect at the very least to find out who the company’s main competitors are and how they present themselves. (BD discovery step)

• The brainstorming of ideas. (BD discovery step)

• The rough sketches. (BD discovery step)

• The 4 or 5 logo options worked up on the computer. (BD refinement step)

• The amends, tweaking and further amends. (BD final step)

A logo is the starting point of your whole brand image. The colors, typography and style of a logo will often dictate the corporate look of the rest of a company’s literature from business cards to the website.

A new client of ours unfortunately had already had their logo design done by a cheap logo designer. She had now approached us to help with some design work after the problems they had had with the cheap logo. They had basically commissioned someone to do a really cheap logo, they were pleased with the design and so had it printed on their business cards, service brochures and embroidered on polo shirts. The problem began when they found another local company in the same line of work had a very similar logo. I don’t know whether both logos were done by the same designer, or perhaps two different designers used some logo clip art, or the designer copied the other logo, but either way it was a huge expensive mistake plus placed their company in a poor light. The cost of new cards, brochures and shirts easily outweighed the cost of using a reputable graphic designer who charges realistic prices. You owe it to your company to get started on the right foot and in the end you’ll see the value. Design and Color trends are not produced in a crystal ball. Trends are the result of much observation of the surrounding natural world.

Okay, so now many followers are asking the question : Why a rubber duckie and Why the name Blabber Duckie? My (right brain) answer is simple. As a designer I wanted to have a fun, playful, colorful item that simply makes people smile - hence a rubber duckie plus it is even small enough to tuck away in your pocket, a huge plus. So for the name… “Blabber Duckie” it is a spin off and close tie to our Boundless Design brand hence BD (Blabber Duckie) & BD (Boundless Design). Thus far, you our visitors/viewers have done nothing but smile (see below pictures as proof) and responded with positive comments.

A brand is the essence of who you are. It also describes you and what you do in life/business. By creating a successful brand you make it easy for people to find you and remember you. You position yourself in their minds and in return you receive their focused attention and clarity. In a way you are able to attract the customers that you want to attract. So my question to you is this - Does Your Image Match the Brand You Wish to Portray? Perception is reality. The first rule of perception is “try to control what other people think about you and what you can do for them” - otherwise you may harm your own brand. It is important that people are able to describe you and your small business accurately. They need to know exactly what you are able to offer them. Your brand becomes your trademark. It builds trust and ties emotional connections. Some successful big and small companies that have done an excellent job in creating recognizable brands are; McDonalds, Colgate and Disney just to name a few. As soon as you say their names you also identify what they offer. Usually, as you mention these companies’ special characteristics, values and emotions come into your mind. Take the Disney example, what emotions and pictures come to your mind as you say Disney? Fun, excellent customer service, family, clean, innovative… all these attributes symbolize Disney, who they are and what they offer. Most importantly, by doing this branding they are able to attract the customers that need this kind of service and believe in these particular values.

By clearly defining your brand, you are describing your uniqueness and you are projecting your offerings to others. You also lose the risk of rejection because customers who know what you stand for make quicker purchasing decisions - emotional connections are very powerful. Perception is reality, so if your image does not match the brand you wish to portray then do something about it.

BD Simply Makes People Smile

BD Brings Out Another Smile

BD Also Made Jim Smile

We are still semi-fresh from an amazing ski trip to Taos and Angel Fire, New Mexico. We once dreaded the winter months but not anymore as we love to snow ski. I am often very sad when winter leaves as our seasonal hobby rests for a bit. To help keep inspired as a graphic designer, when we snow ski I clear my mind and take notice of my surroundings. I am always in awe of what beauty nature provides.

Technically, the entire world is only made up of 7 root colors. ROY G. BIV (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet). Some might even consider white (due to the reflection of most wavelengths of visible light) and black (due to the absence of or complete absorption of light) part of the color palette but these two values actually are not colors. So when snow skiing I am ever so amazed by the rich color palette that always catches my eyes. The ever changing blue hues of the sky often captivate my attention as I have even simply taken a photo looking straight up into the sky then returned to my design studio and borrowed that exact blue from nature. Riding up the chair lift when skiing allows me to look and ponder while soaking up all of the rich colors that surround me. The rich greens of the pine trees, the varying shades of browns on the trees’ bark, the pureness of the vivid white snow, and the ever changing blue hues that flood the sky are like eye-candy to a graphic designer. I have been guilty of using this exact color palette in my designs. And why wouldn’t I - as blue is still very highly favored by many. Take a look around.

When we snow ski - I also love to check out the folks around me. A ski crowd is flooded with brand identities, from our group’s Columbia Sportswear Gear, Spyder Active Sportswear, Volkl skis, Head skis, Scott… the varying company logos surround us. I truly enjoy seeing brand identities out in the environment for which they were intended. Plus adding skiers adds to the color palette in which nature created. So I invite you the next time you are surrounded by nature clear your mind and take notice of the awesome color palette which is derived from only 7 colors - it will amaze you too. Cheers!

To help keep inspired as a graphic designer, I travel often and not alone. Now I have in addition to family and friends - Blabber Duckie. When traveling I get the chance to see things that one just does not get to see behind a desk. Plus I get to experience life first hand. Recently, I was traveling along in New Mexico and you bet Blabber Duckie was along for the trip (plus my husband and a few close friends). On a long stretch of highway, leading to where it appeared to no where we approached an absolute breathe taking all inspiring gorge. This gorge is The Rio Grande Gorge and wow the beauty it holds is so very amazing. The rich rocky earth tones of deep greens and browns with a slight dusting of brilliant white (snow) stand tall flanking a crystal vivid aqua (river) - was so breathe taking. Looking down from the bridge (~ 650 feet) into this inspiring earthly beauty was definitely an experience that I will remember and soon incorporate into my designs. When I stop to admire my surroundings it is very easy to see earth provides a lot of inspiration if we will just stop a second to recognize it. Earth gets it and as a designer I am taking notes.

BD in NM