| BIG BRAND TECHNIQUES
Tag (Line), You're It!
Your tag line says what your business name can't
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Are you stuck with a business name that doesn't express what you offer?
Solve this problem by crafting a tag line to add information and nuance to your company name.
Qualities of a successful tag line: - Short: it should be no more than 4-6 words long.
- Action filled: use verbs, be concise.
- Benefits oriented: your tag line should talk about the benefits of doing business with you, not about how great your company is.
When you focus on the benefits of doing business with your company, you are focusing on your audience. Here's the difference:
Allied Automotive Widgets
Manufacturing the Best Widgets Since 1875
Allied Automotive Widgets
Drive Faster & Save Money Today
The first example is what most companies do for their tag lines: they write a sentence that boasts about their businesses. It's not terrible, but it's a lost opportunity.
The second example speaks directly to the benefits of your offerings. It tells your audience what they'll gain when they use your product or service. It tells your story from the audience's point of view. It does a better job marketing your business, because it answers the question "what's in it for me?"
Read on to find out how to keep your tag line from getting lost, and learn how you can download a recording of the Four Design Tips to Grow Your Brand teleclass.
I'll be back again in two weeks. Here's to a healthy, happy 2010 for all of us. Happy New Year!
 PAMELA WILSONBig Brand System
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DESIGN SCHOOL
Tag Line Proportions
When designing your tag line, make it large enough in proportion to your logo. You want to be sure that it doesn't disappear when reduced.
A good rule of thumb is to make the tag line no smaller that 50% of the size of your logo. Here are two examples:
Tag line 50% smaller than the size of the logo type:  Tag line 65% smaller than the size of the logo type:  They're both fine, right? But look at what happens when we reduce them by half.50% smaller tag line:  65% smaller tag line: 
Once you go below 50% of your logo type size for your tag line, it becomes unreadable when reduced. After you've written that concise, action- and benefits-oriented tag line, be sure to set it up so that it can be read clearly even when used small.
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Listen to the Four Design Tips Teleclass
Karyn Greenstreet of Passion for Business invited me to be her guest for a teleclass a few weeks ago called Four Design Tips to Grow Your Brand. I covered information on logos, tag lines, color, typography and making it all consistent with a style guide. Listen and learn how to grow your business with great design! Download an audio recording of the class here.
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Next TimeIn the next issue, we'll talk about what a jar of mud taught me about marketing, and what you can learn from my embarrassing experience.
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. |
