Color and Emotional Response

Color can cause a visitor/customer to pass by your business, or leave your website altogether. For this reason, deciding on a color scheme for your business image is a very important first step.

BOLD

Warm colors such as red and orange are typically associated with boldness and strength. In web design, black can also trigger a feeling of strength.

PEACEFUL

Cool colors in the blue family conjure feelings of peace and calm. Purples are considered playful.

PROSPEROUS

Green and shades of it, cause most people to think of money, good health, nature, and/or prosperity.

PROFESSIONAL

Muted primary colors such as red, navy, or green along with black and dark gray convey a sense of professionalism.

You should avoid overuse of colors that cause a negative reaction such as bright (neon) purples, pinks, and yellows. Use of these colors in your website background can be particularly distressing to visitors. Unless you are looking for that specific type of reaction, you should avoid using them as the main colors on your website.

COLOR IN YOUR LOGO

The color of your logo should arouse the same feelings you wish your products to instill. As a general rule, a logo should not contain more than 4 colors. Many times even a black and white image is all that is necessary to achieve the desired response to your image.

It’s a good idea to study color and emotions when you are deciding on a color scheme for your branding. The knowledge you develop through a little extra studying, can make a huge difference in your brand’s future.

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The official definition: The process of taking an existing brand and reworking the brand into something different and better than before. The process by which a product or service developed with one brand, company or product line affiliation is marketed or distributed with a different identity.

We all get an itch to redesign our website…to improve our print materials…or to change our logo. But, it’s not always a good idea to do so–especially not in dramatic fashion. Why? If you’ve had the same look for many years, and have a stable customer base, it can be alarming to those customers when they see a major change.

When is the absolute optimal time to re-brand? When you’re brand/identity was never really defined in the first place; or when your brand/identity needs updating for the current market. For many long established companies, this is the case.

One major re-branding swing that I remember was in the late 90’s when some auto companies decided that their logos were outdated. Although Oldsmobile is gone now, I remember it very clearly, because I bought one around the time the re-branding took place.

Pretty dramatically different–and much more modern (more modern being the key).

Web 2.0 and Re-branding

Now is a good time to consider re-branding, if it’s been a while since your website/logo was designed. Using a fresh new look, and moving your business into the “Web 2.0” revolution will give your customers and visitors the impression of a “fresh” “hip” company.

Don’t Forget…

There are some important things to remember when you redesign your website to fit your new brand/identity. With a good business image consultant and marketing team, these things will go very smoothly.

•RESEARCH Determine exactly what you feel requires you to re-brand. If it’s because your current brand or identity doesn’t appeal to the market you want to reach, research what’s appealing to that market and put those elements into place within your new brand.

• PLAN Take the time to plan out the workings of your site…from navigation (put yourself in the user’s shoes), to researching better keywords. Web 2.0 is not only about the “look”, it’s also about simplicity and ease of use. It’s about guiding your visitors to do exactly what you want them to do while at your site.

Understand that your traffic patterns and business in general will likely slow for a time once your new brand/identity is in place. Be ready for that change…whether it’s an income or time management issue.

Planning ahead will save you frustration in the end.

• REDIRECT Be sure to set up 301 redirects from any pages that were ranked in your old site, especially if you completely rewrite your content, or change from html to php or asp.

• MARKET Your marketing plan will need an overhaul when you re-brand, especially if your target market has changed. Make sure your advertising in the right places to reach the right market.

Don’t’ forget your current customers! Be sure to ease them into your new brand through good communication…they will be your most valuable asset during this process. In today’s online world the best forms of communication can often be Social Media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter. Part of your budget should go towards creating a Facebook page and Twitter page for your new brand.

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What are the elements of a good home page?

First and foremost an introduction that tells your visitor (quickly yet in detail) what your site is all about-and don’t forget to use your keywords. Ask yourself: What do I want my visitor to accomplish by reading this page? The answer should be a sense of understanding with a dash of excitement. Don’t forget to include an invitation…..you’re not a used car salesman, BUT you do want them to shop or read more! You should never assume that someone will just do that…..invite them to!

How do you invite someone to go further? When it comes to retail, place product photos, links, and descriptions right there on your home page. Have one or more “Featured” products on the page. To make it easy, place the code for a “buy now” button right there for at least one of the products! The fewer clicks to purchase, the better.

Photos…nothing is more important than your graphics….and when it comes to products, nothing is more important than showing them in a professional and clean way. If you’re just starting out, and you create your own products, my advice is to set aside a majority of your marketing budget to have professional product photos made. Why? Because looking professional and legitimate is not possible with dark or blurry product photos. As an important note, your photos will only be as nice as your products….make sure you have professional looking labels on your products! If your office printer isn’t quite up to par…..this is an important addition to your budget as well. If you DO print your own labels, make sure you have high resolution graphics on them…..using the web version of your logo won’t be the same.

What if you have an information site? The best way to draw someone in further is to provide “teasers”. Don’t put entire articles on your home page, choose 3 or 4 articles, and put just a few sentences from each (along with the headline) on the page. Use a “READ MORE” link to guide them to the full article. Be sure to neatly and succinctly divide the articles. Utilize tables with borders to draw the eye to individual “pieces” (sections) of the page. Use color and bolded text to give importance to headlines and specials.

Keep in mind that this page is the “eye candy” used to grab and hold a surfer’s attention. Try not to overload the page, or make it so confusing that they just surf right on by. If you must use banner ads, or links, place them so as not to cause a feeling of “information overload”.

Navigation-The navigation for your website should be the same throughout, whether its on the top, side, bottom, or all three, it should be in the same place on every page. Your home page provides a place for special sorts of navigation….take advantage of the opportunity to draw attention to specific items or sections of your site. And a snippet of javascript and place a “Bookmark Us” link somewhere on the home page.

And lastly….update, update, update! Very important for your search engine rankings and for those visitors who do bookmark your site and return, be sure to update your “store window” regularly to avoid boredom and keep them coming back for more!!

The post A Virtual Front Door – Your Home Page appeared first on Nola Cooper Designs.

It’s called a Favicon. The file is actually “favicon.ico”. Having a favicon file for your website is becoming a necessity as businesses develop their brand on the web. So just exactly what is it?

Formal definition: The small icon displayed next to a URL in the address bar of a browser; A small icon that is used by some browsers to identify a bookmarked Web site; or small image displayed on the browser address bar when visitors view or bookmark your web page .

The following is my favicon…

How do you get one? Not all image programs will create favicons, but your graphic designer should be able to create one for you that matches your site design. Whether you use part of your logo, or a memorable image from your site is up to you. Keep in mind that a favicon image is 64 px by 64 px with 16 colors, so really complicated graphics may not “shrink to fit” well. The resolution of the original graphic can make a big difference.

I include a favicon in every website I design…after all it’s a part of your branding strategy! However you may need to purchase the graphic separately. Prices can range from $10 to $75.

You can also generate favicons online:

favicon.ico Generator

They may not be as custom or high quality as you’d like, but they are free!

The post That tiny little image… appeared first on Nola Cooper Designs.

Before you start your retail business, you need to decide on two things…what you’re going to sell and a business name.

If you have created a unique product, then the “What Do I Sell?” question is already answered. If you dont’ have your own product(s) how do you decide what to sell? Studies show that businesses are more successful when the owner has a passion for their product. Think about what you love to do..your hobbies. Is there a product or group of products that compliments or includes those hobbies? Consider these things when making your decision. You’ll be more successful if you feel a passion for the product you sell.

The name of your business comes next…along with a logo design, the name is most important and designing your logo will be easier once you’ve gone through the steps mentioned in this article. Think about what your business will offer, and what kind of first impression you want to give. Write down ANY words that come to mind when you think about your new business….the name you choose will come from those words. Use nouns and adjectives, use words that have caught YOUR attention when you’re shopping. Use these words to help you decide. I’ve even advised people to use a thesaurus and look up the words they’ve written down…to come up with even more words that have the same meaning. When you know that you’ll have an online store, it’s even helpful to use words in your name that people will type into their searches for your product.

Next important thing…..VERY important thing…..write a business plan. It can be simple to start, that’s fine….but the important thing that this does is it puts your goals and ideas down on paper so you can refine them, and LOOK at them! I didn’t do this when I started, and I regretted it TERRIBLY. You don’t have to write a plan that’s suitable to present to banks, or anything like that (at first), just something to organize your thoughts! Your business plan should include a Marketing Plan. If you don’t sit down and think about how you’ll advertise and market your business, you won’t succeed.

Remember that it’s easier to add products than it is to take away….so start with a small inventory of favorite items (use colleagues, friends, and relatives to determine what those are…they won’t mind) and then add products as you go. After you have an established website for your products, you can create polls for new items…to see what’s most desirable.

Once your logo design is complete, start by designing business cards and then some flyers or brochures to pass out, you might even want to consider a printed catalog at some point, especially if you plan to market offline.

To recap…

First step:
Decide on a name

Second step:
Business Plan with a Marketing Plan
(download free templates for each by clicking on the links above)

Third step:
Decide on initial product offerings

Fourth step:
Design your logo

Now it’s time to find a small business advisor in your area. This can be done by calling or visiting S.C.O.R.E. (www.score.org) Your initial call to the advisor should include these questions:

1) Do I need to file a Certificate of Assumed Name for my business name?
2) This is what I will be doing, DO I NEED A BUSINESS LICENSE to do that? If so, what are the fees?
3) Who do I contact to get registered to collect sales tax, and be considered a reseller? How do I go about collecting sales tax?
4) Will you help me with the entire process of starting my business? If not, who can?

Once you’ve spoken with an advisor, what’s the next step? Sit down and write out the goals you’d like to achieve in your first year of business. Once you have this list, separate it out—one to a page. On each page, list the steps you’ll need to take to reach that specific goal. Being organized, and thinking things through is the key to a successful start—and if you ever need financing for your business, it will be very impressive to a loan officer that you have put so much thought into your business.

A WEBSITE

Now you’ve put enough into your business planning to be able to sit down with a designer and create your website. It helps to have a Design Worksheet/Questionnaire. And don’t forget to consider color space and your target market!

MARKETING

What’s a TARGET MARKET? It’s the people who would be most likely to buy your products. If you sell make-up and skin care, your target market is women. If you sell toys, your target market is Moms. Give your target market some real thought….yours may not be what you think….or you may have a wider market than you think! Did you know that marketing candles as an easy way to keep a home smelling fresh suddenly adds single men to your market?

One of the first things you’ll find helpful in the online world is becoming a member of social media groups, internet forums, and small business message boards where others in your business go to discuss business. These can be invaluable to a new business owner for learning the ropes. Don’t be afraid to jump in and ask all of your questions….most of the people on these boards are there for the same reason you are, and may have already gotten past your dilemma…so they’ll be able to help you!

Need a product or service to get your business off the ground? Never forget the old stand-by—Bartering!! Bartering has become even more popular with small businesses than ever. It’s a wonderful way to get the things your business needs (business cards, stationery, catalogs, fliers, etc.) in exchange for your own products!! If you have something to offer, put it out there. Businesses like to have “give-aways” or contests to boost their recognition, so if you have gift baskets, candy, or any items that make good gifts….offer to trade them for whatever you may need.

Consider having a “give-away” yourself. You can print up a flyer and put it in your catalogs that you hand out around town….something simple like-“Purchase $25 or more and get a free candle snuffer”. This will encourage higher purchases.

Don’t forget that there are many people that procrastinate when it comes to gifts!! A couple of days before ANY holiday, you can make up some simple gift bags or baskets (have several on hand), and go out to car dealerships, auto shops, sporting goods stores, doctors offices, etc. and show your gifts…..people can buy them on the spot, and many times…will!! Make sure you have gifts in all price ranges with you!

Start a “gift reminder service”. Have a place on your web site where people can sign up for a reminder service-this can easily be done with special scripts for your website code. When you send out their reminder, put your web site URL at the bottom! The easiest place to go, once they’re reminded, will be the link to your site!

There are some very inexpensive ways to advertise your business on the internet. If you have a website, set up a matching Facebook and Twitter account…and USE them to talk about your business and your industry. Add a blog to your website, and blog about your products and their benefits. Many online newsletters have inexpensive ads available, and if the newsletter subscribers are your “Target Market” it will be worth your while. Purchase “one-way” links to your website from reputable sites that cater to your clientele, be sure to research online with the search engines such as Google and Yahoo to make sure you aren’t breaking any of their rules.

Finally, never stop thinking of new ways to market. Trade shows, home parties, flyers, and blogging are just a few. Using social media sites, blogs, and forums (on the internet)-tailored to your specific market-is a great way to keep your spirits up, and your ideas fresh!

The post Establishing A Retail Business appeared first on Nola Cooper Designs.

So, what information should one include on their business card?

~Logo: be sure that you have a printable version of your logo to use, as many web versions are not in a high enough resolution to print clearly (and they will look “fuzzy”).

~Company Tag Line or Slogan: after all, you came up with one to help market your business–your business card is the best place to use it!

~Your Name: this should be prominent, as it’s the reason you have a business card…to introduce yourself.

~Your Title: whether you put CEO, President, Owner, or the title of your trade (such as “graphic designer”), this lends credibility to your card. Your title should be approximately 2 font sizes smaller than your name.

~Contact Information: This can include your mailing address, your website address, your email address; but it should definitely include at least one phone number.

Don’t forget about using the back of your business card! It can be a great place to put a coupon, a map to your place of business, a calendar, an appointment area, or a list of your specialties. The sky is (almost) the limit on the back of your card–be creative! Using full color graphics on both sides of your card makes it stand out. Add panache by rounding a couple of corners, or doing your logo in a raised finish.

The most important thing to remember is balance, color, and clarity. Your business card is your own little diamond to show the world how important you are!

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How can you be sure your logo design will be memorable?

Start with simplicity. Many people think they need to get very detailed in their logo design; however it’s important to remember the short attention span of the typical client. You don’t want your customers to have to spend more than a few seconds “thinking” about your logo. You want quick recognition of purpose, and then you want them to move on to read more about your business with a sense of comprehension. Believe it or not, that can be achieved with a clean and classic design.

Using geometric shapes in your logo can be one of the easiest ways to start. Often starting with a simple shape, and “warping” it to be more abstract, can give you the notable design you’re looking for. By adding just one other color to that abstract, your result is a clean image that doesn’t require close study.

The more detail and color you have present, the more consideration it requires to decipher. Your goal in having a logo is to begin to “brand” your company. Branding is done through providing an image that is as easily recognizable as a name. A simple logo inspires a feeling of understanding and trust. Complex and overly colorful logos can inadvertently confuse your customers before they even get started. Confusion does not encourage confidence. While it may seem that having an elaborate hand drawn illustration better suits your business image, it is much more difficult to brand your products with such an illustration as your logo. An illustration works much better on a sales page or brochure that discusses a specific product or service you provide.

Color – Experts say that the best logos contain no more than 4 colors, and let’s face it…when you’re ready to visit the print shop for business cards, brochures, and color sales sheets, you’ll be very happy that you stuck to that rule. Printers charge you for each color they print (even different shades of a color are considered different colors). They will also charge you when colors “touch”. The fewer colors you have in your design, the more money you’ll have in your budget for nicer paper and raised ink! Unless you’re absolutely set in your color choices, it always helps to know how colors affect emotions. Using a color scheme that appeals to your target market, will increase the effectiveness of your logo.

Make sure that your logo is re-sizable! Business cards and product labels don’t present you with a very large amount of real estate, when it comes to your logo. The last thing you’ll want is for the person, looking at your business and your products, to squint and wonder what all that “stuff” is in your logo!

Slogans and Catch-Phrases – What if you have a detailed message to imply? The answer – save the details for your marketing and advertising materials. Imagine your business 5 years from now. Will your message still be the same? What about your slogan, or catch phrase? Chances are you’ll change these things as the market changes. The way you present your product and company is dependent upon the current fads and fashions of the marketplace. You should never limit yourself by including a slogan or catch-phrase in your logo design. The only words you should ever include are the words in the title of your business. Slogans can be changed easily in the text of your marketing materials. Including a slogan in your logo could cause you to have to redraw it often!

Your logo should also be unique, most importantly to avoid any trademark or copyright infringements, but also to help in the process of branding your company. The easier to recognize your logo, the easier to remember what it stands for (symbolism). Eventually, upon success, the symbolism matters less than the recognition. For example: McDonald’s “golden arches” began as a symbol of the arch shaped sides of the restaurants. Today, many of the restaurants no longer have the arch shapes…and yet everyone recognizes what company those golden arches symbolize.

Always remember that the purpose of your logo is to visually communicate with potential clients, before they read any messages, see any products, or meet any people. It’s the old adage of the “first impression” being the most important. When your logo design is simple, yet powerful – you’ve got a memorable base to work from!

The post The Memorability of Your Logo appeared first on Nola Cooper Designs.

It’s actually a very easy question to answer. Does your tagline include any of your keywords? If that answer is yes, then your tagline should be text and should be placed in your website header.

This was a lesson I learned early in my internet career. When I went online in 2002 with my Stationery shop, I decided that my creativity meant that I could design and implement my own website. I had a logo for “Classic Creations Stationery & Gifts” and so I used it. Within 6 months of starting my website, I had learned a lot about keywords and SEO. I realized that “Classic Creations” could be anything and while it was important to my current catalog customers (for finding my site), my crucial keywords were “Stationery and Gifts”. Thus, I made the decision to use them as a text tagline in my page header. Of all the things I did back then, that was the smartest! My traffic tripled within the days and weeks following that change!

If your tagline is something akin to “Your One Stop Shop”-there are two issues at play here…

ONE: it obviously is not important to your SEO, so use an image with a cool font.

TWO: WHY aren’t you using keywords in your tagline and taking advantage of the benefits it will provide to your Search Engine Optimization??? Just adding one word would make all the difference: “Your One Stop Stationery Shop”. And suddenly the text “stationery” is on the top of every page of your site.

Something very important to consider…

Sam asked:

Interesting article. I actually use two taglines on my employer’s website. One is a generic “slogan” that I have never really understood. The second I aimed to give visitors a 2 second introduction to what we do; it’s pithy, but not very exciting.

For the first tagline I place it as part of the logo. Yes, for shame, but it does load faster with one image instead of two. However, even though it is generic, it does have some keywords in it. Since it’s part of the logo, I make sure to put the full company title and tagline in alt text. What are the SEO benefits and hindrances of this approach?

Nola answered:

Good Question…the answer is that the Search Engines no longer use image Alt Text to determine relevancy. When you have a text (keyword rich) slogan it will be considered…because it’s text.

Expert SEO Researcher, Jerry West explains:

“According to a Google engineer, what you should do is create an ALT tag that is relevant to the picture, so it gives the user a good experience, including the visually impaired. The ALT text is indexed, but it is down graded in the algorithm. The reason?”

‘We see ALT text as relevant as the Keyword Meta tag,’ said the engineer. That should say it all as Google has never used the Keyword Meta tag due to the high spam rate.”

The post Your Tagline – Text or Part of Your Logo? appeared first on Nola Cooper Designs.

A Business Identity is the tool used to carry your brand through all aspects of your business. The complete professional image that a business wishes to project to make it recognizable and distinct. A successful business identity is consistently carried through all aspects of a company’s access to the public, customers, and potential customers: print media, advertisements, website, signage, etc.

Choosing Your Business Name

You’ve taken a very important first step…you’ve decided to become a small business owner and start your very own business. The very first thing on your “to do” list is to name your new business. By taking your time in this step, you will increase your chances of having a successful business.

Choosing a name for your business is a very big deal. It takes some thought, and a bit of creativity. When selecting your name, here are some guidelines to set the process in motion (make sure you have some time on your hands, this step-as it is an important one-is time consuming):

On a separate piece of paper, make a list of any words that describe or pertain to your new business, keep the list to the left of the page.

One of the greatest tools a writer can own is a Thesaurus. In it, you can look up almost any word and find MORE words that have the same meaning! If you have a Thesaurus, then you can use it, if not you can very easily use the online version: http://thesaurus.reference.com

Next, type in (or look up) each word on the list that you made. As you read through the words in the Thesaurus, that have the same meaning, if any of them are appealing to you, write them down next to your original word on the right of the page.

Once you have finished, read through the words on the page. Circle each word that really stands out and seems “inviting”. Move these words to a new piece of paper.

For this exercise, it’s important to think like your potential customer…..pretending not to know exactly what your new business provides. Using these words, create combinations that describe your business. If new words come to mind, use them, too. Sometimes, it takes a process such as this to really get your creative juices flowing!

Location

Will you be doing most of your business locally? Online?

Sometimes it’s not a bad idea to use your “location” in your business name. For instance, if you start an errand service in the town of Task, NY – calling your business “Task Force” would probably be appealing to the people of your town. (Keep in mind that if you ever move, you will have to either rename your business, or sell it.) If you’re starting an online resume service “Online Career Services” would be appealing.

Generality

Unless you are absolutely certain that the only product you’ll ever offer at your company is a “Slippery Widget”, you shouldn’t limit yourself with a business name like “Johnson’s Slippery Widgets”. Something along the line of “Johnson’s Gadgets” would be more appropriate, and would allow for future expansion. It’s okay to use a product in your name, as long as you aren’t limiting yourself. Such as: “Lisa’s Candle Shop” vs. “Lisa’s Vanilla Candles”.

Legality

You think you’ve finally got it…now it’s time to check for trade marks and copyrights. You don’t want to tread on some big international conglomerate, and possibly cause yourself headaches down the road. A great place to start is the US Trademark and Patent office, which has a wonderful online guide: http://www.uspto.gov/web/trademarks/workflow/start.htm

Once you’ve checked for trademarks on your new name, the next step should be checking to see if there’s a domain name available for that business name. Start with the exact name, and if the “.com” version is not available, start branching out with different extensions. Some extensions and their meanings are:

.com – Unrestricted (but intended for commercial registrants)
.net – Unrestricted (but intended for network providers, etc.)
.biz – Businesses
.org – Unrestricted (but intended for organizations that do not fit elsewhere)
.info – Unrestricted (intended for informational sites)
.pro – Accountants, lawyers, physicians, and other professionals

If you exhaust all extensions (all are taken), then you might consider adding a word to your URL. Some Domain Name registries will help you with this by offering suggestions online. Some words to consider adding are: online, direct, store, or shop.

Testing your New Business Name

A great way to “see if the name sticks” is to contact close friends, family members, and other trusted business owners in your “circle” and see what they think. Make up a test sheet with your business name and some general questions:

(Business Name)

What does this business sell/offer/provide?
Would you buy from/deal with this business, based on the name?

And lastly…

Once your business name is finalized, don’t forget to register your business with any local municipalities, and register for any taxes that you may have to collect or pay. Contact your local Secretary of State to find out what forms and licenses are necessary for your particular area.

© 2005 article written by Nola Cooper. All Rights Reserved.

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