• Work
  • Blog

Category: Branding

Home Category: Branding

Smart Brands Use These—and Why you Should Too

January 28, 2016SheilaBranding, Marketing1 Commentarchetypes, branding, brands, hero, outlaw, Star Wars

Instantly improve your brand using one of these 12 timeless archetypes. Archetype. Did I lose you already? It’s one of those words that sound not-so-fun. A little stiff, maybe a little scholarly. What is it? And how does it relate to branding? I’ll tell you a big secret. Archetypes are something that hundreds of national and multi-national brands have harnessed to their success. It might even be argued that some of the most successful brands…

Read More

What Star Wars: The Force Awakens Got Wrong

December 20, 2015SheilaBranding, Marketing2 Commentsarchetypes, brand, branding, myth, Star Wars, stories, the Force

In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a huge Star Wars fan. If my parents did anything right, it was introducing me to this classic space opera at a young age. I was about 10 when I first saw Star Wars: A New Hope, and I fell in love with it. The characters and the story stuck with me, as it has for millions of others. *spoilers ahead. Duh.*   Star Wars’ secret sauce So this leads…

Read More

7 Signs That You Need to Redesign Your Website

September 8, 2015SheilaBranding, Business Tips, Web Design4 Commentsbranding, competition, trends, website, website design

I just recently updated this website (do you like it? Leave me a comment!), and it got me thinking. Why exactly did I redesign my site? It’s a lot of work, it takes time, it’s a pain, things go wrong….yet I felt a pressing need to do it. No, I’m not one of those people who constantly has to update and change things. That’s my husband 😉 But there are important, legit reasons to consider when deciding…

Read More

What This Year’s Super Bowl Fail Can Teach Us About Graphic Design

February 5, 2015SheilaBranding, Graphic Designbusiness, design, fail, football, marketing, opportunity, research, risk, super bowl

Like most intelligent, amazing people out there, I was rooting for the Seahawks this year (did I just lose half of you? Good ;). Hey, I’m from Seattle, so I have to root for them. Anyway, I’m sure you all are well aware of that last, horrific, play fail. The Seahawks were four points down, but it was their ball. They were like, 3 millimeters from the line with two whole minutes to go. I,…

Read More

How to Know if it’s Time for a Rebrand in 6 Easy Steps

May 19, 2014SheilaBranding2 Commentsbrand, branding, business, design, logo, name

A lot of people always wonder if they should rebrand. Some companies who have had the same brand, colors, and typography since the 80’s (and it shows) probably could use a facelift; other companies seem to churn out new identities every few years. Obviously there is a balance somewhere in between, but how do you tell? I’ll give you six easy ways to know whether or not a company rebrand should be in your immediate…

Read More

The Importance of Color in Logo Design

March 30, 2014SheilaBranding, Graphic Design, Logo Design7 Commentsaudience, black, blue, brown, color, design, green, grey, Logo Design, orange, psychology, purple, red, white, yellow

Color shouldn’t be taken lightly. Whenever I design a logo for someone, I’m always surprised that they usually either a) haven’t given much thought to color or b) don’t really care. Or worse, c) want their logo to be purple because that’s their favorite color. #fail What most people don’t realize is that color in logo design is incredibly important. It sets the foundation for the company’s branding and how it will be received (or…

Read More

How (and Why) You Need to Niche

January 30, 2014SheilaBranding, Business Tips, Marketing5 Commentsbranding, business, Logo Design, marketing, niche, niching, super bowl

Super bowl Sunday is this weekend. And like many other viewers, I mostly watch it for the ads. Not that I’ll buy anything from them, they’re just much more entertaining than usual. Plus a ton of money was spent on these commercials, so they’re bound to be good (or at least good-er). But that’s the thing; consumers are getting better and better at ignoring mass media. So while companies are spending more and more money…

Read More

7 Things Game of Thrones Taught Me About Branding and Marketing

August 23, 2013SheilaBranding, Geeky Stuff, Marketing, Random8 Commentsbranding, client, customer, Game of Thrones, graphic design, logo, loyalty, marketing, reputation, spoiler, tagline

As a graphic designer who dabbles in marketing and branding, I’m always on the lookout for new inspiration. I never thought I’d find it watching GoT, but the more I studied the plot and characters, the more I realized that it had more in common with solid marketing principles than I had previously thought.   *spoiler alert The following assumes you are a fan of Game of Thrones, and have at least watched through Season…

Read More

Branding, Logos, and Identity: Step 3, Identity

November 5, 2012SheilaBranding, Graphic Design, Logo Design, Marketingbranding, color, competition, identity, Logo Design, marketing, puzzle, stationary, Tiffany's, typography, unique, visual

So after a long hiatus, you are now ready for the final piece of this branding/logo/identity puzzle, right? Right. I do apologize for the long delay, things have gotten quite busy around here, which is good for me (but bad for you, my readers!). So, let’s jump right in, shall we? Picking up where we left off in this 3 part miniseries, today’s focus is on the third and final “step” in building a comprehensive…

Read More

Branding, Logos, and Identity: Step 2, Logos

July 5, 2012SheilaBranding, Logo Design, Marketing2 Commentsancient, branding, competition, conceptual, fine art, history, Logo Design, unique, versatile

Since you now have a firm grasp on what branding is all about… …it’s time to move on to the all-important topic of logos. I bet you’re wondering: What is a logo exactly? How is it different from branding or identity? In this three part miniseries, I will continue to deconstruct each of these “steps,” explain their differences, their importance, and meaning of each. This week, we are continuing on to Step 2: Logos.  …

Read More

Posts navigation

1 2 >

Recent Posts

  • The Real Reason Why Your Emails for Design Jobs Are Ignored
  • How a Mobile-Friendly Website Keeps You in Business
  • Smart Brands Use These—and Why you Should Too
  • What Star Wars: The Force Awakens Got Wrong
  • 25 Ways to Tell if You’re a Graphic Designer

Popular Posts

How Long Does it Take to Design a Logo?

14 Proven Ways to Find Clients

10 Reasons Why a Logo Should Never Cost Less Than $200

Good, Fast, Cheap: Yes, You Can Only Pick Two.

Don't Fall for These 6 SEO Mistakes

How to Snag Quality Clients

The Importance of Color in Logo Design

Categories

  • Branding
  • Business Tips
  • Case Studies
  • Freelancing
  • Geeky Stuff
  • Graphic Design
  • Logo Design
  • Marketing
  • Random
  • UX
  • Web Design
  • WordPress

Tags

audience bad logos blog brand branding business business goals cheap design client clients college color competition custom customers design economy education experience freelance freelancing Google graphic design history identity investment logo Logo Design marketing money niche process professional project red flags SEO simple skills social media unique value versatile website websites work

© 2016 Apex Creative. All rights reserved.