| BIG BRAND TECHNIQUES
Turn and Walk Away
A powerful technique to improve your marketing. Best of all: you already know how to do it.
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Way back in 1987, I graduated from college as a Visual Communications major and got my first job as an art director at a design studio in Miami, Florida.
It was a great place to start my career. The studio was small, so I had lots of responsibility from the get go. The other designers in the studio were fun and knowledgeable.
After five years there, I was ready to start my own business. I came up with a name, designed a logo and set out to look for clients.
Work came in, and all was well, but something was missing. I was alone ... all alone! No more chatting with fellow designers over lunch. No more popping around cubicle walls, concept in hand, to show it to the other folks in the office and get their feedback and suggestions.
And you know what? My work suffered. I'd spend hours on a concept, to the point I couldn't really see it anymore. I'd get tired of staring at my screen, and would close up shop for the day feeling defeated.
 And then, something amazing started to happen.
I noticed that the next day, when I sat down to look at what I'd done the day before, I could see exactly where the flaws were. I'd quickly make revisions that strengthened the work, and before I knew it, I'd have a marketing piece that was effective and memorable.
Eighteen years later, this is still a technique I use. If you're spinning your wheels and getting nowhere, turn and walk away. Do something else. Sleep on it.
Whether you're writing a proposal, designing a sales sheet or setting up a blog, a fresh set of eyes will help you spot the flaws, correct them and improve everything you do.
Read on for an great color tool. I'm glad you're a reader: talk to you again in a couple of weeks!
 PAMELA WILSONBig Brand System
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DESIGN SCHOOL
Color: Choosing Hues that Reflect your Brand
 Color is a tough subject for people who are putting together marketing pieces. How do you know what colors look good together, and which ones will communicate your brand the best?
Here's a tool you can add to your arsenal. The next time you need to set up colors for the web, visit colorblender.com
Online color pickers have been around for a long time, but this one's different.
Use the sliders on the lower left to find a group of colors that reflect your brand. Do you like most, but not all of them? Select Direct Editing Mode, then click on the color you don't like. To the right of the sliders, check Variations to see different versions of the color.
Try Active Color mode, too. Pick one color you like, then click on Active Color mode to see what colors the ColorBlender.com engine suggests.
Once you have a group of colors that works, give it a name. You can save it as a color palette to send to a designer, or simply email it to yourself so you can use it for reference when creating your online marketing.(Warning: highly addictive if you're into color!)
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Next TimeIn the next issue, I'll talk about Finding Your People. Have you lost them? Never found them in the first place? Before you put together your marketing pieces, you have to know who you're talking to, what they need and want, and how your product or service will fulfill their needs.
Read back issues of the Big Brand System newsletter in the archive.
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What's Bugging You?What's most confusing to you about design and marketing? Send me your question, and I'll cover it in a future issue of the Big Brand System newsletter. Send your question. |
