Archive for January, 2010
Find Your Brand Identity, Don’t Let It Find You
Posted by admin in Brand Building, Brand Positioning, Brochure Design, Logo Design on January 27th, 2010
At the root of your corporate image and corporate identity is your logo, your single symbol to the world of what your company stands for. It is the foundation and the icon for your company. When your customers see your logo, they are reminded of all their experiences with your company; what they have seen, read, heard and felt about your company. It is critical then that your logo reflects the nature and spirit of your company in a positive way, and if you don’t clearly identify who your company is, you might get an identity that you don’t necessarily want.
Recently, The Marion Group designed a campaign for Venture Cotton Cooperative. We began with their logo design. In order to determine their corporate identity, we first looked at their business plan. We needed to find out who their target audience was – who they were speaking to – and what they wanted to portray as a company. What did they want their customers to know about them? Where did they want to go, as a company, in the future? These were things that needed to be identified before the “digital paintbrush” touched the canvas.
Finding Who Your Target Audience Is
We determined that their target audience was the independent cotton farmer. Contrary to the stereotype that the cotton farmer is simple and uneducated about concepts of “finance” and “world markets” and “cooperatives,” they are, in fact, hard workers and very intelligent, especially regarding the interests of their business and the world markets for their industry. They have to be. This business is their livelihood!
We also looked at their competitors. In this case, pretty much all of their competitors, for the most part, had the same look, used the same colors and had a generic feel almost as if no thought was put into it. It seemed that they were targeting the stereotyped farmer.
Implementing Your New Brand Identity
So, for Venture Cotton Cooperative, we introduced new colors, styles and concepts for their logo design. We supplied them with various options to choose from that were unique and different and expressed what their company was about.
Once they chose the logo, we then added to their brand identity with their brochure design and trade show display. In this way, their brand identity and message is consistently showcased throughout their marketing materials.
So, how can my brand identity be showcased? View our Graphic Design Portfolio.
For more information on how The Marion Group can help your company find and develop its brand identity, give us a call at 713.623.6444 or email us at info2@marion.com.
Marion Goes Mobile
Posted by admin in Mobile Marketing, Web Design on January 20th, 2010
Mobile web design has come to The Marion Group. We have just launched our new mobile-friendly version of www.marion.com for most mobile devices. Just enter “marion.com” into your mobile web browser to access our mobile site.
When designing a website for mobile devices, you have to consider the user experience. With a regular site, you can have lots of text, images, links and Flash. When people surf the web via a mobile device, they typically want to quickly access information that is to-the-point and contact information that is easily located. So, accessing “regular” sites on a mobile device can sometimes be frustrating for the user because of long load times and lots and lots of scrolling to find what they are looking for.
To facilitate an easier user experience, the Marion mobile site is pared down to essential text and images to emphasize what new advertising, marketing and graphic design services and technologies are at Marion that can help your business prosper. The text is easy to read so you do not have to enlarge it, and the clickable buttons are spaced so that big fingers can click on links without accidently hitting the wrong one.
At the top of each page is a recent item of news from Marion, an easy navigation tool labeled “Select a Service,” and “Marion News,” which is an RSS feed from our blog. There is a lot happening at Marion, and we want to keep you up-to-date. We have included only our most popular pages and, we plan to add more over time.
At the bottom of each page, we have placed our contact information, and iPhone users can click on our phone number to have it automatically dialed for you. Click on the email to send us an email. Want to find us? Click on “Map.” Want even more information than what is currently on our mobile site? Then, click “Regular Site” to be directed to our main site. You can also visit our FaceBook page and become a fan or visit our company page on LinkedIn.
Click on the Marion logo at the top of the page, and you are taken back to the Home page.
If you are ready for a mobile version of your website or interested in learning more, call Marion at 713.623.6444 or send us an email.
Marion appears in the Houston Chronicle
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on January 18th, 2010
The Marion Group is excited to announce that our CEO Aaron Ellisor has been interviewed by the Houston Chronicle. The article appeared in the Sunday Edition of the Chronicle in the Small Business section and highlights Marion’s creative and unique trade show displays.
A two-story trade booth Marion designed for Forum Oilfield Technologies
Champion Brochure Design Wins Award – A Case Study
Posted by admin in Brand Positioning, Brochure Design on January 12th, 2010
Marion has created thousands of custom brochure designs over the past 27 years from simple and cost effective to elaborate and high-end.
The positioning brochure Marion designed for Champion Technologies is an example of a completely custom, high-end piece.
Champion Brochure Cover Design
Goals
The goal for this brochure was to create a positioning piece that would put Champion Technologies in the same playing field as other larger upstream chemical companies such as Baker Hughes, Nalco… etc. Although Champion Technologies is the world’s largest privately owned upstream chemical company, many in the industry have been unaware of Champion’s presence or have been under the impression that the company was not competitive with large, publicly traded firms.
Champion’s challenge was to position the Champion brand as one of the “Big Players” within the industry and to have their technical capabilities and global experiences stand out from their better known competitors.
Strategy/Tactics
The strategies used to accomplish the objectives were to:
- Determine an overall structure and layout for the text and images, showcasing an overview of company capabilities
- Illustrate each page layout by hand to create unique imagery and diagrams of processes
- Select images that capture Champion’s brand and capabilities
- Lead a custom photography session with hired models and selected props for additional original imagery that would enhance Champion’s new positioning within the industry
- Showcase Champion’s high level of sophistication, technical know-how and global reach to again enhance their positioning, by utilizing high-end printing and binding techniques including:
- Spot dull varnish
- UV coating throughout
- Custom die cut pocket
Results
The end result showcased a full-color, 8-page brochure that encompassed the company image and qualities of leadership and innovation.
Once the brochure was delivered to its intended audience, the awareness of those unfamiliar with Champion Technologies rose significantly. This was determined by an increase in the unaided recognition rating measured from a pre- and post-brochure survey. This positioning brochure has proven to have played a part in the new recognition and awareness of the Champion brand and capabilities.
Additionally, through the use of the selected photography and illustrations, the piece successfully conveyed that Champion is a worldwide player, a technology pioneer, a proactive leader and a people- and service-oriented company in the upstream chemical industry.
The Champion brochure received the Communicator Awards Gold Award of Excellence.
To see other examples of recent brochure designs, check out Marion’s portfolio.
When is it time to redesign my company’s logo?
Posted by admin in Logo Design on January 7th, 2010
Logo design is one of the first building blocks in constructing your corporate identity, image and brand. But what about logo redesign? At what point should a company redesign their logo? Simply put, it might be time to take a look at a redesign when your company’s logo no longer represents the company, its mission and its identity.
But changing your company’s logo isn’t as easy as answering a simple question. It takes time to analyze where the company is and where the company wants to go and what strategies it is going to take to get there. This is where The Marion Group can help.
Example
The Marion Group redesigned the logo for McKenzie Equipment. McKenzie wanted to position themselves as a modern company that not only provided compressed air equipment and products, but compressed air solutions that meet their customer’s needs.
First off, we dropped the “Equipment” from the logo and added “Compressed Air Solutions” to get the point across that McKenzie was about more than just “equipment.” In addition to dropping “Equipment,” Marion needed to somehow illustrate “compressed air” in the logo. We gave the logo a feel of “flowing air” with the red and gray “swooshes” and used a font that reflected the more modern look that McKenzie was searching for.
Revive Your Logo
Depending upon your needs and whether or not you want a complete overhaul, you don’t necessarily have to change your logo completely. Your logo can evolve from your previous logo to retain the branding that is already in place. You could simply update your company’s logo with a new, fresh look.
If you’re not sure where to start or if you’re not sure that your company even needs a logo redesign, contact us at 713.623.6444 or email us at info2@marion.com
-
You are currently browsing the archives for January, 2010
Subscribe to the Marion RSS Feed
