Category: Adaptable Creative

When thinking about how to make a logo that actually works, one of the most obvious answers is to take notes from the pros. The most expensive logo created in the last decade was gasoline giant British Petroleum’s – also known as BP – logo refresh in 2008. The company partnered with a marketing agency (read: paid them $211 million) to create a new logo in a highly saturated, mature market. The goal was to design something that symbolized the potential of gasoline, BP’s emphasis on green technology, and that helped them stand out from their major competitors such as Exxon and Chevron. The results transformed BP’s traditional green and yellow shield into a starburst, with an updated modern font. Seems simple, right? So why was this fresh design worth $211 million, and how can you make a logo that charges your brand with the same effect? We’re glad you asked. 

Why are logos worth so much to your organization?

BP isn’t the only company that has invested heavily in logo design. Up and coming organizations or companies trying to refresh their image, such as Pepsi or Accenture, have been known to spend over a million dollars on logo designs as well. Yet, some of the most well known logos, such as Google and Twitter, were designed for less than $15. So, do you need to spend a million to make a million from your logo? We’re going to let you in on a secret: the answer is no. Highly recognizable companies such as Coca-Cola and Nike went through the same logo design process that we recommend to our clients, and now include their logos on their accounting financial statements as “goodwill” assets that are routinely represented in the billions – that’s a b – of dollars because they are so valuable.

The trick is realizing that it isn’t how much you spend on a logo, but how effective it is and how well it complements your brand, that makes a logo valuable. Logos are, quite literally, the face of your company, so they become your most valuable hook when catching your customers’ eyes. BP, Coca-Cola, Google, and Twitter all have easily identifiable logos — so recognizable, in fact, that many consumers can identify these brands with simply their colors alone. If you ask your local Orlando marketing agency representatives how to design a logo that is worth millions, the answer is simply to make sure it’s something people will remember. Logos become an asset to your brand when they trigger continuous, top of mind cognizance about your product or are so recognizable in your category that your customers always think of you before your competition.

How to make a logo that works for your brand.

There is no exact “How to Make a Logo That Works” guide (although we wish there was), but there are a few tried and tested rules that can guide your logo design toward success. Taking a page out of Google’s playbook: logo creation doesn’t need to be expensive, but it does need to be effective, which is why we recommend partnering with a local Orlando marketing agency to craft something that will speak to your target audience and adhere to design best practices.

1. Avoid cliches:

We know it can be tempting to use that ultra trendy free font you keep seeing around town, or purchase stock images from the web for your logo because they’re “in” right now, but don’t. Choose a symbol, an image, or font type that is uniquely you. If you are able to find the main image for your logo on Google, your customers will be able to find it too. Certain imagery – such as the infinity symbol, foliage, clasped hands, and globes – may seem like they speak to your brand in a meaningful way, but are so common and overused in the general marketplace that your logo has no chance of hitting that $211 million mark.

2. Typography can be a logo:

Also realize that sometimes a picture isn’t worth a thousand words. We don’t say this often, but you don’t always need an image for your logo. Custom fonts and artistic lettering can be a logo in and of itself. If you’re unsure how to make a logo that will resonate with your customers, the best place to start is often your company name. A marketing agency can help mock up a variety of lettering treatments that capture the tone and vibe of your brand. A clean, text-based logo will help your customers focus on who you are or the services you offer without leaning on cliche images or rolling the dice with abstract artwork a la Nike’s signature swoosh. 

3. Keep it simple:

The most important thing you can do when creating a logo is to keep it simple. Once you create a design, do the “three second test.” Show your logo to a few friends or colleagues for three seconds, then ask them what they remember about the logo and how it makes them feel. If your logo is too complicated, they may have trouble answering that question clearly, so use their responses to guide any tweaks, simplification, or updates to your design. Color, type face, and images all play a part in crafting the perfect first impression, so don’t be afraid to try a few variations until you discover what works.

No matter what image or font you choose to represent your company, your logo should be something you love. Remember, your logo often serves as the cornerstone of your brand and can be the starting point for your brand and design guidelines or creative expression. It is a jumping off point for your other marketing initiatives, so don’t rush this critical part of the brand building process. Working with client partners like you has helped us learn how to make a logo that works. Learn more about our clients and past experiences building a brand around innovative logo design. Will your name and logo become the next Google or Nike? We want to help you find out.

Have you ever noticed how logo design inspiration and trends (especially popular ones) can get recycled so many times they start looking more tired than last summer’s overplayed one-hit-wonder? Don’t let your business logo get stuck in a rut like a B-list celebrity. Use these ten easy, fresh logo design inspiration tips to keep your brand image fresher than our boy Doug E. Fresh. And yes, we just went there. It’s 2016, after all : it’s time that your logo started looking that way.

1. Logo design inspiration starts with tone and color:

One of the cardinal rules of logo design inspiration is setting the tone of your brand. Your logo should capture the heart of your brand values and communicate the vibe of your products or services. Whether you want to channel exquisite service standards, casual comfort, or extreme luxury, color is one of the best ways to set tone. Color psychology is a powerful, scientifically backed tool that can instantly augment any visual cues you use in your logo. For example, blue is one of the most popular and comforting colors to the human eye, which is why so many brands choose shades of blue to establish a sense of familiarity or trust in their logos. Just think about this range of “blue” brands: Facebook, American Express, IBM, Volkswagen, General Electric, and Gap (as a start).

2. Use negative space to affirm brand values:

Many designers, rightfully, focus their efforts on creating strong primary typography or iconography when crafting a logo. But sometimes, leveraging negative space can add a subtle cue or affirmation about your brand that customers gravitate toward. FedEx ingeniously does this by creating a forward arrow in the negative space created between the “E” and the “X” in their name. The forward arrow captures the nature of their shipping business model while signaling speed and movement. Because the negative space is so subtle, customers subconsciously think about these values on their own without being told. When your logo is that good, you don’t even need a tag line. 

3. Sometimes you need to ditch the text for fresh logo design inspiration:

Our next piece of advice is somewhat risky and definitely controversial. Depending on your brand, you may be able to eliminate words all together. This is easier to pull off when your brand name corresponds to something literal, such as electronic giant Apple. On the flip side, having a nonsensical symbol can sometimes be a very powerful aid in creating unique, one-of-a-kind brand association (think: Nike), but you risk missing out on recognition in the early stages of your company’s evolution if you go this route.

4. Break the rules with animated logos:

It’s safe to say that animated logos are not the norm. Although digital marketing is swiftly becoming one of the most ubiquitous and important pieces of the marketing mix, traditional marketing techniques still inform most digital design principles. For this reason, most logos use static images and text … But true logo design inspiration can break the rules and push boundaries. Experiment with an animated logo that uses subtle movement to reiterate part of your brand or draw your customers’ eye to a certain feature. The trick is not using animation for the sake of animation; but rather, using it to make a specific point. Our team of designers can help you assess how risky to be with your logo to push the creative limits without risking your brand. 

5. Get playful and play on words:

Word play or tongue-in-cheek logos that incorporate images into lettering are light, whimsical ways to add something extra to a traditional text-based logo without deviating too far from clear brand-image association. Taking artistic license with lettering (think: turning a Y into a cocktail glass), using tasteful double entendres or homonyms, are all ways to express aspects of your brand without falling back on tired imagery or overused typography.

6. Understand typography to drive logo design inspiration:

In that vein, it’s important to understand the general best practices of typography if you decide to go with a text-based logo. Right now, monogram-style logos with thing, sans-serif font, rustic, hipster-esque circles, arrows, antlers or foliage are all the rage. These are all great visual elements and there’s a reason why they are popular. When searching for logo design inspiration, however, be careful not to lean too far into what is trendy or popular in the moment. Your logo should be uniquely you and stand the test of time.

7. Don’t be afraid to be classic with literal imagery:

If it’s not broke, no need to fix it. If you have a natural association between some aspect of your brand and a strong visual cue don’t be afraid to lean on that. Get creative, get a little abstract, or switch up the styling from time to time, but there’s no need to recreate the wheel if you have something that works. Let a professional designer, such as one of our experts at your Orlando-based marketing agency, help you come up with ways to freshen up the natural visual cues of your brand without compromising them. Classics are always in style – and inspired.

8. Invest, invest, invest:

Think of your logo as your signature. It’s your chance at a first impression with your prospective customers. It’s your first line of defense to help current customers remember your brand. And in that sense, it may be your most valuable asset. It’s a wonderful place to invest time and resources when prioritizing your marketing budget. Sometimes you really do need a pro’s help for true logo design inspiration to strike, and if we only had to pick a handful of places to invest your marketing dollars, we would list your logo near the top of our list every time. 

9. Opinions DO matter:

Normally, we let opinions roll off our backs without giving them a second thought. Live loud and proud. That said, your logo is one of those times when opinions really do matter. At least to your customers. What you may consider to be a strike of genius logo design inspiration may not resonate with your customers, so before you overhaul your entire brand strategy, do some user testing and seek validation from your real customer base. Their opinions are the only ones that matter.

10. Seek logo design inspiration absolutely everywhere:

And last, but certainly not least, we recommend that you seek logo design inspiration absolutely everywhere. Encourage all your team members to share ideas, conduct customer surveys, look to nature, watch movies, and seek unconventional ways to transform your logo and brand styling.

We don’t pretend that logo creation is easy. It’s arguably one of the most difficult tasks any marketer or business owner will tackle. But remember, our team is always here to support you along the way. We’re here as a sounding board, as a creative team, and as design junkies to guide you no matter where you’re at in your logo design process. Not convinced? Just click here to read more about some of the guiding design principles we use when creating any logo.

If you think you’ve seen every blog post about website color schemes already … think again. Most posts about website color schemes showcase lists of the best website color combinations on the market. They pop with energy and elegance. You might even feel a little design envy while skimming these sites’ perfectly balanced photography, high quality imagery, and tasteful color palettes. But, let’s be honest: most of these blogs don’t tell you how to make your site look that good. Sure, we’re proud of our work. And if you want to see some examples of how we’ve helped clients use color theory to amp up their businesses, click here. But we also want to give you the tools you need to start (color) scheming like a pro. Below, we’ll walk you through the guiding principles of color theory to help you create effective website color schemes that you can start using today.
Creating effective website color schemes isn’t as hard as you think once you understand a few essential principles of color theory. Some of the basics, you probably already know from days in your middle school art class (like how primary and secondary colors are positioned on the color wheel, or mix to make new colors). And some color theory boils down to intuition based on your own taste and preferences. Remember, it’s your brand. There’s no formula that generates perfect website color schemes every time, so sometimes it’s good to trust your gut and simply go with what looks good to you. That said, these principles will help you along the way.

SET THE TONE WITH YOUR MAIN COLOR:

The most important decision you need to make is choosing your main color. A little color psychology (and some common sense) can help you here. Colors tend to channel tones and emotions that subconsciously prime your audience to feel certain emotions. Red signals urgency and energy. Green resonates freshness, nature, and cleanliness. Blue has a calming and trustworthy undertone. Yellow can bring elements of levity and lightheartedness to your brand. These descriptions should feel like common sense to you because we have all been primed to feel these associations based on a variety of environmental and cultural cues that link color with emotion. It makes sense for a sporting goods store to use an energetic color such as red and orange, or an earthy earth tone such as brown or rust for a main color because there is a natural link between these colors and the outdoors … but can you imagine that same brand choosing a soft purple or hot pink as a primary color? We agree: it’s a stretch.

Think about your own brand and the emotions you want to link with it. Jot those feelings and associations down, then cross reference them with your primary colors. Now, you’re off to a great start. If you get stuck, we recommend choosing an image (whether it’s your logo, a picture of your headquarters or office, your products, or even something that just speaks to your brand) and brainstorming what colors stand out to you. This can help you break free of the norm if you feel like your primary color is too trite or a little overplayed. For example, a surf shop owner may choose a picture of the beach when thinking about her brand, but feel drawn to a burst of magenta shrubs in the corner of the frame. Unlike the expected blue or teal, the magenta adds an element of excitement and adventure that might just be the color her brand needed.

CHOOSE SUPPORTING COLORS, AKA UNDERSTANDING COMPLEMENTATION:

Next, invite some friends. Complementation refers to how well colors mingle with other colors. Hues that are across the color wheel from each other tend to be visually pleasing because they create a natural visual balance by complementing each other. As you think about additional colors that will support your signature tone, consider how well they work together. Make sure you have at least one additional color that creates real contrast when layering colored text or grabbing your viewers’ attention. Most supporting color choices fall into one of four types of website color schemes:

• Complementary 

  Your brand colors should play off each other, rather than conflict with each other, which is why complementary website color schemes are one of the most popular choices. Start with your main color, then look across the color wheel to see what its opposite is. This tone will stand out when placed near your main color without competing or creating visual friction.

• Monochromatic 

  If your complementary color is too bold for your brand, you may consider dabbling in monochromatic color schemes. Instead of choosing additional colors, you use different tones or shades of your main color. This creates a sense of visual consistency and uniformity that can be very aesthetically pleasing. Just make sure your colors are not so similar that you lose your visual dynamics. To do this, experiment with the saturation, tone, and warmth of your main color.

• Analogous 

  A variation on this idea is analogous website color schemes. Typically, they feature three to four colors adjacent to your main color on the color wheel. Like monochromatic schemes, this option creates a visual consistency that can boost familiarity with your creative elements; however, analogous colors provide a little more variety and interest on your website. This is especially useful to mitigate the negative impact screen size, brightness, HD display styles, and other outside factors can sometimes have on monochromatic color palettes.

• Triadic 

  In recent years, triadic website color schemes have become wildly popular. Start by drawing an equilateral triangle from your primary color on the color wheel. The two opposite points of your triangle (and their neighbors) represent unique color complements that are visually intriguing, but not as starkly contrasted as your primary color’s main opposite. Triadic colors give you a little more flexibility if you want to use several colors for your brand without the risk of overwhelming your viewer.

When in doubt (or when you’re ready to take your website color schemes to the advanced level), our team can help educate and assist you in choosing your color palette — but remember, the best website color schemes come from your heart.

History has a funny way of repeating itself. We see this in fashion (we’re still wondering why flared pants keep coming back in style), in politics and history, and in design trends. This year, CSS gradients are making a comeback. But this time around, we’re calling it ombré, and doing it using css gradient code, and giving Photoshop a rest. The results transform this 90’s-style splash trend into a sleek, modern accent tool that surprises viewers without overpowering other design elements.

CSS GRADIENTS ELEVATE FLAT DESIGN:

The flat design trend took the creative world by storm and helped cut through the mounting visual clutter of hyper-realistic, hyper-saturated, hyper-detailed design made capable by today’s powerful digital tools. But, like many trends, once flat design reached an extreme, tastes have begun to slowly swing in the other direction. We still love the clean simplicity of flat color palettes and how minimal design focuses the eye; but we also crave a few dynamic elements that bring just the right amount of depth and interest into the picture. Layering a subtle ombré wash onto a flat background or using graduated color to denote shadow adds elements of realism onto flat design principles without departing from the essential simplicity of this trend. 

YOUR DEVELOPERS AND DESIGNERS WILL LOVE YOU:

Despite the complex visual intrigue ombré delivers, it’s surprisingly simple to implement. In some ways, we credit technology for this design comeback. Today’s website coding language allows developers to create a consistent set of rules, called a CSS, that dictates how certain elements (such as your hero image or tile modules) are treated across the site. Designers and developers can work together to define these rules in accordance with your brand style guide so that your designs and the finished website product are more closely aligned with each other, and with your guiding creative principles, than ever before. CSS gradients are a perfect example of how technology can make your designs more consistent. Instead of using Photoshop to add a gradient onto every single photo where you want this style to appear, CSS gradients use a simple snippet of code that deliver radial, horizontal and vertical linear fades almost anywhere on your site. They can be layered on top of each other to combine two or more colors for truly remarkable – and replicable – effects. These gradients can be seamlessly duplicated anywhere you want them to appear. This frees your designers from the tedious process formerly needed to create web-ready striking ombré images on your site, while making implementation more consistent and clean across the board. Trust us, your perfectionist of a developer will thank you later.

WHERE YOU CAN USE CSS GRADIENTS:  

Spotify made ombré backgrounds popular with their jewel-tone color overlays and bold fading. But you can also use CSS gradients on individual elements. Consider adding a gradient to a button to draw attention to that element without beating viewers over the head. Use gradient in your font to create beachy, laid back text elements. Add ombré to your borders and shading for a surprising twist on tried and tested visual cues. Or layer colors on top of each other to change the tone and feel of your site (think: muted nudes for an ethereal vibe or punchy primaries for a more jovial energy). CSS gradients can be applied almost anywhere due to the flexibility of the code used to implement them. Because this effect is easy to implement and edit, don’t be afraid to experiment how it looks around your site.

Our team is in love with this new trend and wants to hear how you have been celebrating the ombré comeback on your site. Share your design ideas here or reach out to our team to learn how you can incorporate CSS gradients onto your next paid ad, website, or email campaign for creative elements that are truly on point.

Business card design is not what it used to be. With so many printing options, DIY business card companies, paper thicknesses, foiling, glossing, photography overlays, shapes and sizes, it’s easy to get caught up in wanting to create the most creative or luxurious business card design for your business. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

Once you strip away all the bells and whistles, we believe that business card design should fall into one of two categories: simple, sleek and professional or radically creative. In either case, your card needs to clearly display your logo, your contact information, and provide a relevant call to action about your business or brand.

While those three things are all given, there are four business card design trends you should never, ever fall prey to. Below, we share our hit list of business card faux pas and why they are bad for your business.

1. Forget all the text you want to include on your business card design:

Your business card is not the place to teach prospects about your product or services. Overloading your business card design with cramped text or too much information can overwhelm the viewer and detract from the contact information on the card. The primary goal of your business card should be to encourage customers to reach out, surf your website, or give you a call. Leave them wanting more by including a simple catch phrase or invitation for a free consultation. Everything else you should save for your website, blog, or customer brochure.

2. Don’t create something that won’t fit easily into a wallet:

We know that creating a business card that looks like a pack of matches, or going crazy with the die cutter might seem like a cutting edge way to set your business card apart from the competition. The reality is, if you want your prospective customers to remember to give you a call, your business card needs to fit easily inside their wallets. During networking events or daily exchanges, you may trade any number of business cards. While quirky or oddly shaped cards may stand out in the moment, those that don’t easily fit into your prospects’ business folios will likely end up in a pocket (and subsequently the washing machine), at the bottom of a purse, or inside a trash can.

3. Never use QR codes in business card design:

There once was a time when marketers like our Orlando marketing agency team tried to socialize QR codes. The idea was a good one. Simply scan the code to reveal promotions or contact information. The reality is, no matter what anyone tells you, this trend has never (and will never) catch on. Save space on your business card and skip the QR code. No one will use it anyway, so you’re missing an opportunity to put that same information or promotion on the card. The QR code itself is also distracting and can be a major detraction from your design.

4. Avoid generic fonts:

If you have seen and can easily recognize the font on your business card before (think: Comic Sans, Papyrus, or Copperplate) you shouldn’t be using it. There are tons of free fonts available for download if you choose to create your own business card design, and any good marketing agency has access to paid and free options they can incorporate on your behalf. Using overplayed or highly exposed fonts makes your business card look less professional or may create an unintentionally negative association between your business and another business using the same font. The same goes for generic images in lieu of a customized logo. The small investment in a new font or personalized logo will go a long way in building a lasting, meaningful brand identity that will help customers associate your products and services with your unique value proposition rather than someone else’s.

For more inspiration on how to design a perfect business card or how to use creative elements to build your brand, visit our creative services page.

At BIGEYE, we pride ourselves on the opportunity to promote personal development and growth through curiosity. In particular, we love to give our creatives around here a lot of wiggle room when working with us. For that reason, whenever we have graphic design interns, we encourage them to take on a semester project, in addition to all of the awesome client work they get to dig their teeth in to. The semester project allows for interns to express themselves through a visual medium of choice. They’re asked to reinterpret something known to pop or local culture in a way that speaks to their creative abilities. Through mentorship with our awesome Creative Director and other members of the design team, they learn to shape and sharpen their creative approach. After about a few months and plenty of hard work – BAM! We get superb renderings of staples in popular culture.
Last semester a particularly savvy intern, Candace Hoeckley, decided to take on a redesign of the Game of Thrones book cover series. Unless you’ve been living in a yurt or have recently awoken from a decade-long coma, you’re probably familiar with the multi-million dollar franchise. George R. R. Martin’s five (soon to be six) book storyline chronicles the fictitious contention amongst the houses of Westeros for the Iron Throne. Hence the namesake Game of Thrones. View Candace’s striking design scheme below:

Simplistic, intelligent design intermingled with the element of gore in this recreation of the book covers, each one reflects the content and title of every installment. The common themes of blood and snow are called upon to represent the forthcoming storyline. As many Game of Thrones fans know, the fight for the kingdom of Westeros is a cold, bloody one. As you go through each image, you will see the sparse grass disappearing under the cover of snow. This parallels the storyline’s dark, growing ominous character and the longstanding civil war.

The newly envisioned covers serve as an incredible testament to George R. R. Martin’s genius and that of our stellar intern. And, if you think can’t get enough  – trust us, we feel the same way. We’ll all just have to wait for that last two installments to round out the entire series.

Check out more of our work here. Happy scrolling!

Growing advertising agencies, tech companies, and startups build and maintain great talent by creating a company culture that entices and engages the best employees. If you’re a forward-thinking creative marketing agency, employees may enjoy a relaxed dress code and flexible hours. Tech savvy millennials may enjoy the freedom to work remotely, collaborate in a communal space, and spend time exploring their professional passions. Giving team members individual attention and shifting policies and procedures to sustain your culture is easy when there are only a handful of passionate, dedicated employees to please. But what happens when your company begins to grow? As we’ve flexed and adapted to our growing company size, we’ve learned a few tips and tricks to keep the culture alive along the way. Here are our top three recommendations on how to stay true to your roots while growing.

1. Understand what values your brand embodies:

As your company grows, take time to step back and evaluate the type of values your organization embraces most naturally. Growing advertising agencies often put a premium on creativity and results; but push this notion farther. What inspires your employees? What types of clients do you gravitate toward? Whether your ideals center around collaboration, pushing boundaries, helping others, or flexibility, knowing what your company represents at its core will help you craft policies around those ideals to sustain the culture that attracted your first employees.

2. Put policies in place that make your company culture a procedure:

Once you clearly understand your organizational values, you can begin putting policies in place that protect your culture. Ensure these policies are enforceable and measurable (i.e., employees can spend 10% of their time on their creative portfolios). It’s also crucial that your employees have the authority to act on these policies across the board. For example, if your culture embraces a flat decision structure, team members at all levels of the organization need to be able to make changes within their sphere of influence.

3.  Know the market:

Lastly, pressure test the policies you’ve put in place against the market. Although your company culture may be unique to you, other growing advertising agencies or startups may share similar values. Consider how they foster a positive culture, even if it isn’t identical to the environment you’re trying to create. Understanding how other companies are treating their employees will help you understand what your top talent is looking for in terms of culture, benefits, compensation, and lifestyle. This will help you protect and retain talent, as well as encourage longer tenure within your organization that will strengthen and build on the culture that already exists.

Get a feel for our BIGEYE culture by clicking here. We promise only the best of vibes.