109 creative ways to promote your business!

How to brainstorm solutions to business challenges for the average business person.

What Do All These Letters Mean? - Understanding File Extensions

Six ways to make your marketing/advertising budget go further.

Be Wordy in Your Creative Brief

Patch It or Scratch It - Is Your Logo Worth Keeping?

The Business Person's Guide to Choosing a Designer for Your Logo

You're a small business person starting a new company or you're a new marketing director charged with the task of finding a designer to create your new logo and identity. Where do you start? What questions do you ask? How much do they charge and what do you get for that? How do you know if the designer is good at what they do? Read on to learn the inside scoop about choosing a designer and getting a great logo without the anxiety.

1. All designers are not created equal.
Start by looking at logos the designer has created for other companies. Is their work interesting, creative and very professional looking? Do they have designs in many styles? Do you get a good feeling about them and their work? If you have two or three you are interested in move on to the next step - what is it going to cost?

2. There is no standard logo price among designers.
Prices range from very low ($500) to very high ($50,000) At the Forman Group, a logo is no less than $3000.00 but can go up depending on how you will use it. Are you using it on a fleet of delivery trucks? Are you a national retail company and most people will recognize it eventually? The more the logo will be displayed and recognized the higher the logo charge. We also don't negotiate on our art charges. Even though, it may seem to you like the charge is high, there is a great deal of work and time that goes into creating a great, memorable logo for a client.
We ask for 1/2 payment up front and the remainder on delivery of a disk with all the logos in various formats. We give our clients their logo in black and white and in color in eps, jpg, rgb, tif and gif formats.

3. There are no standard working procedures for logo design among designers.
Some designers will present up to 50 logos to a client which mostly causes confusion on the part of the client. Some firms will only show one - THE one and only they believe is best for the client.
Here's how we do it. We visit with the client and talk about what feeling they want viewers to take away from the logo. Is it serious or whimsical? For Business to Business or Business to Consumer? How many people will be in on the decision. Believe me, the fewer the better as each person you bring into the decision has his/her own ideas. Just an aside, if we know we will be working with a committee, we usually price the logo higher as the process becomes more difficult.
The Forman Group will show 3-4 unique designs the first round which takes us two to three weeks. If none are chosen, we will show another 3-4 designs. If we haven't gotten close from there, something is wrong and we sit down and talk about it with the client. If we do more it usually requires another charge. Our client knows this up front so they try to be very specific in their critiques and comments early on.
Make sure you have an understanding of how many designs your designer will show you initially, the time frame, what happens if you don't like any, if things go awry how much do you owe and MAKE SURE YOU OWN the artwork when finished (this applies to everything that a graphic designer/photographer/illustrator does for you). Many artists retain the rights to your work and if you want to get the original artwork on disk from them at a later date, they will charge you usage rights or buyout rights. The Forman Group turns over all rights to your logo to you with no additional cost.
Just some other free advice: Don't try to give your designer too many restrictions: like "just typographical" or "use only Times font" as you'll just be hindering the professional advice for which you are paying.

4. Judging your logo designs.
Make sure the logo you choose looks good in 1-color (B&W), 2-color (PMS colors), 4-color versions and on a black background. As you use your logo in different media, you might be required to supply the logo as B&W or 2-color versions for sponsorships or ads. Also, if your logo is designed as a 4-color logo, understand up-front how much letterhead, envelopes and business cards will cost.
Get all logos (1, 2, and 4-color) in ai (adobe illustrator) or eps versions and KEEP FOR FUTURE USE. Artists hate, after giving you all that you need, to email your logo to you every time they turn around. Every other format can be made from an eps and it is the most common version to use if you have any specialty advertising items made. Artists would rather use an eps version of the logo when designing collateral.
If your logo is based upon an existing font/typeface without altering it, you might ask what that is and get a version of it. Sometimes you might like to use something similar for headlines, etc. Most artists would start out with a typeface and end up altering it. (The typeface is helpful, but not necessary).

5. One last bit of advice:
As you consider the logo options you are shown, consider them from your customers' point of view, not necessarily your own. Prepare your company for growth by choosing a logo that is dynamic (something that people want to be associated with) and professional (will last for years without getting stale). If appropriate, choose a logo that people might like to wear on caps or t-shirts! Keep an open mind and listen to your designers, as they have valuable experience and training for creating a memorable logo and identity.

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Questions? Contact D' Forman at 972.633.1567.

109 creative ways to promote your business!

Are you using every avenue available to market your business or service? No need to monkey around with ineffectual advertising. From banana stickers to skywriting, you and the Forman Group's imagination can take your business to the top.
Advertising
Advertorial services
Ad specialities
Announcements
Answering machine
Association publications
Audio cassettes
Author an article
Auto wraps
Banana stickers
Banners
Blogs
Books
Booths (trade show, convention, expo, etc.)
Brochures
Business cards
Business card ads
Catalogs
Card decks
CDs
Celebrities
Centers of influence
Ceremonies (Sales, Grand Openings, Customer Appreciation)
Clinics
Club memberships
Columns
Contests
Co-op mailings, ads
Consultations
Coupons
Courses
Customer incentive programs
Demonstrations
Direct mail
Distributors
Donations
Doorhangers
Electronic bulletin boards
Employee incentive programs
Exhibit fairs
Fax on demand
Feature stories
Fliers
Floor Signage
Fundraisers
Gifts
Gift certificates
Group mailers
Info-lines
Inserts
Internet banners
Invitation-only events
Joint ventures
Logo cookies
Magazine ads
Matchbooks
Menu design
Movie theater ads
Newsletters
News releases
Newspaper ads
On-hold messages
Outdoor (billboards, bus, subway, bench)
Packaging
Per inquiry ad
Personal contacts
Phone hold marketing
Placemats
Point of purchase
Postcards
Posters
Premiums
Press kits
Publicity
Public speaking
Radio spots
Recorded phone messages
Referral programs
Reports
Restroom ads
Sales reps
Sampling
Search engine marketing
Seminars
Signs
Shopping carts
Skywriting
Special events
Special hotline
Specialty Items
Sponsorships
Statement stuffers
Surveys
Table tents
Take-one boxes
Telemarketing-inbound
Telemarketing-outbound
Television ads
Television guest speaker
Testimonials
Trade shows
T-shirt ads
Vanity radio
Vehicle ads
Videotapes
Websites
Web banners
Workshops
Yellow pages

Not sure how to implement these to help your business? Give us a call - 972-633-1567. We'll be glad to brainstorm new ways to make your business a big success.

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Questions? Contact D' Forman at 972.633.1567.

How to brainstorm solutions to business challenges for the average business person.

Are you losing an income stream and looking for a new stream to fish? Are you having trouble defining your next business goal? Do you wade through a work day hoping creative inspiration will just appear?

You don't have to think of yourself as a creative person to use some of our creative brainstorming techniques. The same brainstorming techniques used in our design projects can be used to work through your business challenges. All that’s needed is an open mind. Here are a few of the Forman Group’s favorite brainstorming techniques for you to try next time you’re on a fishing expedition.

• Sometimes the easiest way to get started is to think of what is the worst possible idea to solve the problem. It gets rid of the inhibitions and begins the creative juices flowing. We all know it’s easier to find what is bad than good in an idea.
• Flip through the yellow pages and randomly put your finger on a listing. How would that person or business use their expertise to solve your problem?
• Pretend to be a superhero. Make up your super power. How could your super power change your outlook?
• Play “what if?” For instance, what if all your employees were animals? What new observations would they see?
• Move your work area temporarily to a different space. Pick an item. How can it relate to your problem at hand?
• Use the SCAMPER technique on your idea.

S = Substitute
Could we use another material or a different process?
C = Combine
Can we combine the purpose of this with something else?
A = Adapt
What idea have others used successfully?
M = Magnify/Modify
Can we add extra value?
P = Put to other uses
Can we change its meaning?
E = Eliminate
What isn’t necessary to the process?
R = Rearrange/Reverse
What happens if we think backwards from the desired result?

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Questions? Contact D' Forman at 972.633.1567.

What Do All These Letters Mean?

Everyone uses the suffix at the end of our computer file names but do we know what they mean and how best to use them?

In most cases the suffixes refer to the type of file but in other cases it tells us the software in which the file was created. Here are a few of the most common suffixes used in the graphic design industry and how the file should be used.

Types of Files
BMP - Stands for Bitmap Image. It is a graphic image stored as a specific arrangement of screen dots, or pixels. Web graphics are bitmap images. Also known as raster graphics. Common types of bitmap images are GIF, JPEG, Photoshop, PCX, TIFF, Macintosh Paint, Microsoft Paint, PNG, FAX Formats and TGA.
EPS - Stands for Encapsulated Postscript file. This file format is used to transfer graphic images. Works well with illustrations and logos because it can be manipulated easier than other formats while it stays crisp and clear.
GIF - Stands for Graphics Interchange Format. GIF images are the most widely used format on the web. GIF images display up to 256 colors. This type of file does not work for print usage.
JPEG - Also seen as jpg, Stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group. This is the file format most commonly used for full-color and black & white graphic images. JPEG images allow for more colors the GIF images and are usually smaller in size therefore they are the best for printed images.
PDF - Stands for Portable Document Format. Created by Adobe Software as a universal browser. Files can be downloaded and viewed provided the user's computer has installed the necessary browser downloaded from Adobe's website. Although, simple edits can be made to a PDF document, it is not recommended. Some print shops and newspapers prefer PDF files as they cannot be altered.
TIFF - Stands for Tagged Image File Format. A common graphic file format used for saving bitmap images such as scans, photographs, illustrations and logos. When enlarging line drawn logos and illustrations, TIFF files will show a bitmapped edge. A better format for this type of work is EPS.
Types of Software - These types of files can only be opened in the software which created them.
AI - Stands for Adobe Illustrator files. These are usually compatible with EPS file formats.
DOC - Is the suffix for a Microsoft Word document.
INDD - is the suffix for Adobe InDesign documents. This is a page layout program.
PSD - is the suffix for a Adobe Photoshop Document.
QXD - is the suffix for a QuarkXPress Document. This is a page layout program.

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Questions? Contact D' Forman at 972.633.1567.

Six ways to make your marketing/advertising budget go further.
Be the marketing hero who comes in on time and under budget. Follow these six simple steps and your marketing budget will stretch further with fewer hassles.

1. Be ready to start a job before you start a job.
Have logos available in electronic format (usually a vectorized eps is the best).
Have existing photographs or illustrations ready to use.
Have items such as bulk mail permits, bar codes or toll-free phone numbers ready if required.
Have media contracts with newspapers, magazines, etc. available to view.
Have a calendar of events your company attends or celebrates, ie: trade shows or anniversaries.
Have your previous marketing materials ready to show your designer.
If you've seen something you like, show your designer.

2. Plan at least a half year ahead.
This will help you avoid rush charges with your designer, printers, promotional items, etc.
Take advantage of early-bird advertising prices for trade show programs, etc.
Planning promotions ahead can save you money on photography or printing by either printing many of your marketing items at the same time or utilizing a photographer/printer during their slow time.

3. Consider buying advertising in bulk inches/ads for the whole year instead of purchasing individually. The rates drop drastically.

4. Keep response records for your marketing initiatives.
Helps determine which advertising or marketing campaigns are performing.
By testing headlines, copy or graphics we can analyze which technique brings the best response.

5. Giving specific feedback will help the design process proceed more efficiently.
Comments such as "I feel the typeface is too formal but I like the color" will point your designer in the right direction – as opposed to "it's not fun enough."
Take time to review your proofs thoroughly before requesting changes. Supplying your designer with all your edits at once will save you time and money.

6. Give your marketing time to mature.
Changing direction frequently does not allow a promotion to reach its potential.
Frequently changing messages/themes confuses consumers.

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Be Wordy in Your Creative Brief

What is a creative brief and what is it used for? A creative brief is a form that will help you and the Forman Group know if we've met your marketing objectives. Using a creative brief, written either by you or by us, establishes the guidelines, budgets and expectations of each project up front. Below are some of the items typically contained in a creative brief.

Assignment: The general description of the job.

Overview: What do you want to accomplish with the project? Who is the market? What outcome is desired?

Advertising Objective: What specific returns are expected from the project - such as number of widgets sold, leads generated, etc?

Business Objective: What will the returns accomplish for your business - such as a 30% revenue increase during the campaign, image enhancement, etc.?

Communication Strategy: What types of advertising and collateral we will use to accomplish the objectives? What quantities? When does the campaign run? Which markets are involved?

Target Audience: New or existing customers, demographics, and customer research are discussed under this point.

Message Strategy: What will the copy actually say? What are the Key and Secondary messages?

Product Description: What are the features and benefits of the product? What is the offer? Are there mandatory items or disclaimers that need to be included?

Budget: Self-explanatory.

There are probably many other items that could be added to this list and the more details supplied the easier it is to meet your objectives the first time around. But be cautioned, when working with designers and looking for a creative communication solution, try not to give too many specific design directives, or you'll have smothered what you hired us to do – design collateral that is creative and engaging, tells your story and motivates your customers.

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Patch It or Scratch It - Is Your Logo Worth Keeping?

A company's logo is a very touchy topic and I approach it with my customers very delicately. I never know how much personal attachment there is to their logo. But changing your logo it is not all about aesthetics and I approach it from the business perspective – is your logo helping to further your business or is it a hinderance. When contemplating altering (patch it) or completely changing your logo (scratch it for new) consider the following points to determine whether a logo change is worth the expense.

• Will you be losing your recognition by updating or changing your logo? If you are a smaller company and have not done much advertising or public relations and only your client base will notice a change, then there is an opportunity to go forward with a refreshed, professional, targeted approach. If, on the other hand, your company spends a great deal on marketing and the logo is on everything and has strong recognition outside of your current client base, an alteration might be more appropriate.

• Was your logo properly designed when you went into business? A professional designer considers your industry, your customers, the image you want to portray, uses of the logo, the media in which it will appear and more when designing your logo. Did someone in your office design a 4-color logo to be printed out on your office printer without considering how it would be printed in a one-color newspaper application? Does your logo communicate what you want it to? Look at your logo with the fresh eyes of someone seeing it for the first time. What does it say about your company? Is that consistent with your image of the company? If not, it might be time for a change.

• Was your logo designed in the 1970s, 1980s or before? Just like fashion, graphic design trends change. Most of you wouldn't wear clothes you purchased three decades ago. Is your business wearing an outdated logo? This is especially important to consider if you are in a business in which technology changes rapidly and you need to be perceived as keeping up with it. Does your logo say you are on the cutting edge or the cutting room floor? This is a situation when an update of your logo might be just the ticket. And when you do update your logo, it provides an opportunity for press releases and a reason to communicate with your clients.

• Is your logo plain Jane? It is cleanly done and legible but with no personality whatsoever. This is not a hinderance but it is not helping either. A logo should give the viewer a preview of what to expect. You are leaving the viewer with no impression and open to a competitor whose logo is appealing. A completely new logo will garner much positive feedback.

• Not necessarily a reason to change the logo but one where some research is required is the occasion of expansion into foreign markets. Words and symbols that are tame here might mean something completely, terribly different in another culture. Make sure you do not commit a faux pas in your cultural debut. (Example: the color white in Japan is the color of death).

If you are considering a logo change, ask your employees, customers and vendors for their honest opinion of your logo and what it means. If you don't like what you hear it might be time to call the Forman Group for a logo upgrade.

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Questions? Contact D' Forman at 972.633.1567.