
From 1x to 10x, with the exact same team
From 1x to 10x, with the exact same team Large global brands with decentralized marketing teams often struggle to stay aware of all messaging and promotions going to the market, especially digital and social media. Even if a central team is in place to review these,...

Ducks in a row, or squirrels running amok?
Ducks in a row, or squirrels running amok? We love this visual. Not because we enjoy a good story at our clients expense, but it really does relate to everyday brand management for many organizations. We hear stories everyday. Many of our clients are spending too much...

Everybody’s asking questions about the new brand, and I don’t know what to say.
Everybody’s asking questions about the new brand, and I don’t know what to say. A rebranding or brand refresh is an exciting time for any organization. It can also be a way to energize interest and engagement with current customers and employees, as well as new...

Are you expecting too much from a DAM?
Are you expecting too much from a DAM? In helping hundreds of companies implement tech to build their brand, including Digital Asset Management (DAM) systems, we’ve learned what makes some solutions more effective than others. Most of the time, it’s not the DAM...

The CEO saw our old logo at a golf tournament.
The CEO saw our old logo at a golf tournament. Sponsorships can be a brand manager’s best friend and worst enemy. Sports events, industry conferences, or job fairs all share great brand-building potential, and sometimes fly below brand compliance radar. Why is that?...

“Out of order”: Temporary signage tells a bigger story
“Out of order”: Temporary signage tells a bigger story Have you ever been to a client’s office or the bank or even a hospital and run into a handwritten notice on a bathroom door or adorned over a broken drinking fountain displaying some inconvenient news. Maybe it...

I have no idea how many assets we created last year.
I have no idea how many assets we created last year. In today’s world of having an abundance of data at our fingertips it’s expected that marketers use data to drive campaigns and initiatives to achieve the best ROI. Executives expect their department heads to to...

Is your imagery getting you in trouble?
Is your imagery getting you in trouble? Many people wrongly assume that because it’s so easy to browse and find a huge array of images on the internet, those images are free to use. In a few cases that may be true, but most require a license fee, and are often...

Round Up Your Cowboys
Round Up Your Cowboys Do you have cowboys taking it upon themselves to always create the latest and greatest sales materials or collateral? No matter the size of the company we talk with, marketing departments have always been challenged by working with cowboys,...

What the heck is an SVG file?
What the heck is an SVG file? The SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) file format has been around for a while. However, it’s only been in the last few years that this ultra flexible image type has really started to shine. While JPGs and PNGs are still better for photos and...

How do I make my logo bigger without squishing it?
How do I make my logo bigger without squishing it? The classic graphic designer-angst anthem “Make the Logo Bigger” proclaims “Make the logo as big as you can! Make the logo bigger!” No matter if you’re making it bigger or smaller, the cardinal rule is to always...

I think this clip art will paint the picture perfectly
I think this clip art will paint the picture perfectly Writing a piece on technology or AI that is taking over the World? When it’s done, you search for imagery or clip art to add to the piece. Your branding and marketing team is probably yelling “Nooooooooooo!” While...

The Power of Brands
The Power of Brands To many, "branding" and "marketing" are interchangeable but in reality, the differences are considerable. Marketing is the effort to put your product or service in front of the customer while Branding is what hooks and holds them once they are...

Being Creative with Fonts
Being Creative with Fonts Font Styles and Weights Can Tell an Important Story Have you ever gotten an email from a boss or significant other written in ALL CAPS? You think to yourself, are they screaming at me or was Caps Lock on? Working with specified font families...

Responsive Design. Responsible Design.
Responsive Design. Responsible Design. By now you’ve probably heard about “responsive” design and understand how it works, especially for web design. If not, here it is in a nutshell. Responsive design simply means that your website responds to the size and type of...

Brand standards: More important now than ever
Brand standards: More important now than ever Now that social media platforms have made everyone inside your organization defacto marketers and brand communicators, it’s arguably more important than ever to have clear, current brand standards. And ensure people read...

Launching and Pulsing Your Brand
Launching and Pulsing Your Brand You have just launched a new brand or gone through a rebrand. You’ve given time, dollars, sweat and maybe even a little blood for the importance of your brand. And rightly so. So now what? You have something new that must be nurtured,...

It’s only everything we stand for
It’s only everything we stand for We once heard this and it has stuck. Logos are often the first impression someone has of your brand. They are not the end all, but they are vital to getting your foot into the proverbial "front door" when it comes to branding. We...

Zoom standards, Room Raters and more
Zoom standards, Room Raters and more For some, the switch to working remotely has gone from temporary to more permanent, at least for the rest of this year and into 2021. Hence, our love/hate relationship with remote work and web video calls will continue. We’ve...

When you say “Brand,” everyone hears “Logo”
When you say “Brand,” everyone hears "Logo" To those who help manage brands, the words “brand” and “logo” can be interchangeable. In our 20-plus years of working with marketing leaders, we’ve heard from many who focus on the logo, instead of the brand. A few...