Feel free to read more recent posts at my new blogsite http://www.bananacreative.com/blog. Thanks!

~Danielle

Logos today get no respect. Punch in logo design on Google and you are inundated with companies offering designs for the price of a latte. Why shouldn’t you download one that has your favorite color, pay online and be done with it already? Many don’t understand how valuable a well-designed logo is to their business, why it costs more than a latte, and why logo design is not something you should take lightly. This is why I feel compelled to outline some very important facts that will hopefully clear things up.

What is a logo anyway? Wikipedia defines a logo as: {a graphical element, (ideogram, symbol, emblem, icon, sign) that, together with its logotype (a uniquely set and arranged typeface) form a trademark or commercial brand. Typically, a logo’s design is for immediate recognition, inspiring trust, admiration, loyalty and an implied superiority.[1] The logo is one aspect of a company’s commercial brand, or economic entity, and its shapes, colors, fonts, and images usually are different from others in a similar market. Logos are also used to identify organizations and other non-commercial entities.} With such a huge list of responsibilities, it is surprising to me that anyone would consider purchasing cheap logo design, creating one themselves, or not having a logo at all.

A professionally designed logo should possess all of the following attributes:

1. Be descriptive.
2. Be memorable.
3. Be unique from competitors.
4. Effective without color (black and white only).
5. Be scalable (readable in various sizes and media).
6. Create recognition.
7. Communicate product or service’s message and personality.
8. Speak to the audience.
9. Create credibility.

To help visualize the difference, I will compare a cheap logo design to a professionally designed logo. Here is an example of a cheap logo design:

Does this logo possess all (or any) of the qualities described above?

Here is an example of a professionally designed logo and ask the same question.

Can you see the difference?

Why are these logo designs so different? It’s all in the logo design process itself. Professional logo designers have a well-tested, clearly-defined process that involves several steps beginning from research to the final product. Banana Creative’s logo design process consists of:

1. A consultation with the Client to get a background of the company, product and/or service.
2. An interview with the Client to review questionnaire.
3. Research the industry, company, history, competitors, etc.
4. Sketch concepts.
5. Reflection to let ideas mature and receive feedback from others.
6. Selection of ideas to develop and present to Client.
7. Development and design.
8. Presentation to Client.
9. Incorporate feedback of Client (usually 2-3 rounds) and incorporate color palette.
10. Finalize design.
11. Develop and deliver color and black digital versions for Client.

Is it now clear why a logo design should cost more than a latte? Do you agree that a logo should involve more than point and click?

© Copyright 2008. Banana Creative. All rights reserved. Would you like to reproduce portions of this article? Please contact Banana Creative for permission.

So, you have a strategically-designed email blast ready to send to your target customers. But, what should the email subject line say in order to avoid getting dumped into the recipient’s email junk bin? For starters, here are some words that you need to avoid.

1. as seen on Oprah
2. buy
3. compare
4. earn
5. eliminate debt
6. hello
7. information you requested
8. mortgage
9. offer
10. stop or stops

© Copyright 2008. Banana Creative. All rights reserved. Would you like to reproduce portions of this article? Please contact Banana Creative for permission.

Recently, I had an incident occur where someone downloaded a piece of art from my website, bananacreative.com, and used it as their own art on their website. This really opened my eyes to the issues surrounding copyright, and how artists and others need to protect ourselves better. This event also taught me about what to do to remedy the situation. I am not a lawyer by any means, so please do not take this as professional legal advice, but use it only as a guide into the sometimes murky world of copyright.

Ways to Avoid Getting into Copyright Trouble

One should always create their own content or artwork, get written permission from the author to reproduce, or purchase the rights from the creator (or stock company). At the very least, one should give the author or artist credit wherever it it used. If the author or artist cannot be contacted or found, it’s better to not use it at all. It’s better to be safe, than to get sued or worse yet, be convicted of a Federal crime.

Taking someone else’s work, changing it in subtle ways, and claiming ownership is also illegal. Even if the modifications to the work are substantial, you may have a difficult time proving your case in Federal court.

If you are contacted by someone claiming copyright, promptly remove the art or content in question in order to avoid serious consequences. You can claim ignorance, but that will not protect you if it isn’t removed in a timely fashion.

If you are the author or creator, I would recommend displaying the copyright line so that it is obvious that you take copyright seriously, and would prosecute anyone who violated these rights. To have the ability to prosecute in a Federal court of law, the author or creator, can register the copyright for an individual work. This can be done by going to http://www.copyright.gov. The cost is less than $50 per item, and the application process is pretty straightforward. Of course, you can hire an intellectual property lawyer to do this for you as well.

What to Do if Your Work is Taken

Promptly notify the owner via email or phone (or both) and politely ask for the item to be removed. Give them 24-72 hours to remove or respond to your communication.

If the art/content is not removed, and you have not received a response from the owner within 24-72 hours, contact the company who designed/developed the piece where the art/content appears. For websites, often there is an area at the bottom of the site where you can find this info. If not, contact the web hosting company, which can be found by going to this site which lists all of the contact info by domain name http://www.networksolutions.com/cgi-bin/whois/whois/. You can send an email to abuse@webhostingcompany.com citing your specific example of the copyright violation and demanding a prompt response to the situation.

If you don’t have any luck with the above, it’s time to contact a lawyer who specializes in intellectual property. Most lawyers at this point, would create a firm cease and desist letter and send to the above parties. This letter would explain the situation, cite the violation and copyright law, request the removal within a specific timeframe, and detail the consequences if it is not removed.

Most owners will remove the art/content in question after receiving a cease and desist letter from a lawyer, but if not, your only other option is to litigate and bring the case to court. This is only an option if the author or creator of the piece in question had registered the copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office. If one only displayed the copyright line: © Copyright. Date the piece originated. Your company name, then you would not be able to take this case to court.

As you can see, copyright infringement should be taken seriously. Whether you are trying to avoid copyright issues with others or trying to protect your own work, it’s important to remember these guidelines.

© Copyright 2008. Banana Creative. All rights reserved. Would you like to reproduce portions of this article, or portions thereof? Please contact Banana Creative for permission.

I’ve seen a lot of web sites. Some bad. Some good when it comes to design. There are certain elements that draw the user inside your site to explore further, and others that cause users to run the other way. Here are a few elements that will make your web site more attractive.

1. Your home page (including HTML, graphics, etc.) should be less than 80KB in file size and should take less than 20 seconds to download at 56K. Remember less is more.
2. Your site needs to be unique, not like everyone else on the net. It needs to be well-designed and provide interesting content that you cannot find anywhere else.
3. Update. Update. Update. The more often you update your site—even a blog on your site—the more visitors you will get, and the more likely the search engines will list your site.
4. Always put contact information on every page, so that it is one click away from the user. Seems basic, but many site ignore this rule.
5. Test your site with all of the different browsers.

<>Author, Danielle Mai, Banana Creative, www.bananacreative.com.
Copyright © 2008. All Rights Reserved.<>

Okay…I’d like to attempt to rectify a problem that’s been occurring for years. Right here. Right now. I receive content and messaging (mostly in Word) from my Clients for all types of campaigns and projects everyday. All of them have one thing in common. All of the authors insert two spaces after every period. So, when I copy and paste the content into my design software, I have to manually remove one space after every period. Back when we used typewriters to type documents, yes two spaces after each period was necessary. But, with the new and improved desktop computer, only one hit of the space bar is now required. Really! So, take that final step toward typewriter freedom and save your fingers some work. )

~ danielle

Whether you are looking to create a new direct mail campaign or update an old one, you have many opportunities for improving the response. Based on decades of testing, here are 10 of of the easiest and most effective.

1. Make an offer that’s irresistible.

2. Create an envelope to get noticed and opened.

3. Use teaser copy to tease, not tell.

4. Add drama to your offer with stamps or stickers.

5. Write the letter in a friendly, personal tone.

6. Design a brochure that is simple and targeted to your audience.

7. Highlight the deadline.

8. Incorporate photos of people using your product or service.

9. Include an unconditional guarantee that is prominent.

10. Test and use results to refine your creative strategy.

<>Author, Danielle Mai, Banana Creative, www.bananacreative.com.
Copyright © 2008. All Rights Reserved.<>

Email marketing is all the rage lately. So, when you decide you are going to jump into the email marketing pool, don’t forget to use a subject line that will allow your email to be delivered. Here are 10 words that are sure to get your email blocked:

1-100% Free

2-50% off

3-act now

4-amazing

5-apply now

6-as seen

7-discount

8-free

9-loans

10-refinance

<>Author, Danielle Mai, Banana Creative, www.bananacreative.com.
Copyright © 2008. All Rights Reserved.<>

I’m going to make it a point to see this film, so I thought I’d pass along the info for any of you who may be interested. Helvetica is an independent, documentary film by Gary Hustwit about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. It looks at the proliferation of one typeface (which is celebrating its 50th birthday this year) as part of a larger conversation about the way type affects our lives. Check out this link for reviews, screenings, etc. If you’ve seen it, please post your review here! ~ Danielle
http://www.helveticafilm.com