March 2017 – ACS Reduc 2022

Addy’s Wins

March 28, 2017

We humbly accept more Addys.

For the last three years running, ACS Creative has earned the accolades of its industry peers. We are grateful for the judges who think so highly of our work, and we are doubly grateful for the clients who trust us with their brands and allow us to do great things. Addy’s are not the result of one creative mind. It takes a team effort, agency and client working together, to develop ideas that lead to designs that garner awards. You might say the real winner here is our customer service. You also might say that three years of wins means we can proudly state: ACS Creative: award-winning branding agency. We hope you don’t mind if we do.

But wait, what is an Addy?

For those of you unfamiliar with the nickname, Addy is the affectionate moniker given to the awards presented by the American Advertising Federation. They hold annual competitions with over 40,000 entries in a three-tier, national contest that begins with local competitions followed by regional and national. The only point is to recognize the smart and artistic work being produced by creative companies nationwide. It’s an honor to be included in the distinguished group of agencies that were singled out for their work in 2016.

Our award-winning entries.

ACS Creative has been developing successful brands for clients for many years. It was no surprise then that the judges chose to give us two awards in the areas of branding & identity. The third win was for web design—another one of our core competencies. It is particularly satisfying to be acknowledged for the things you do well. The ACS team spends much time honing their design skills and staying abreast of industry trends and best practices. Not to win awards, but to help our clients meet their business goals. The trophies are just icing on the cake.

About that award-winning logo.

The logo that garnered the most acclaim was designed by us for an organization named Britepaths—which was a new name as well. The organization, originally called Our Daily Bread, has been around for more than 30 years and is dedicated to developing sustainable solutions that meet the challenges of low-income working families through emergency assistance, financial literacy and one-on-one mentoring. A great cause worthy of a great logo. We went to work gathering brand insight, developing a name and finally crafting a logo. The process (more detail on this in next week’s blog so stay tuned) was textbook collaboration between agency and client. It couldn’t have gone smoother. Probably why the end product turned out so good.

Here’s the winning logo. We like it and, more importantly, Britepaths likes it.

(INSERT IMAGE)

So what makes a great logo?

First, the research that goes into it. You need to understand the industry, the brand’s history and the competitor logos already out there. Then you start designing. You draw out several options. You revise them. You throw some out and you finalize some others. Then you get the client involved for feedback. Repeat until logo is finished. That finished logo hopefully dovetails with what great logos have in common:

• They use a simple, iconic mark consumers can recognize
• They use colors that are appealing and attract the eye
• They look great across all types of media

Trust us, it’s not as easy as it looks—which is why we are so pleased with our Addys. Hard work does pay off.

We’re Here to Help!

Need a brand identity? Why not hire an award-winning branding agency. Not because we win awards, but because those awards indicate that we will take good care of your business.

Logo Design Can Make or Break Your Business

March 13, 2017

At first glance, logos and logo design seems easy enough. You find a mark or font treatment, and you’re ready to go. Because they often appear so simple to design, a lot of business owners think they can create one themselves. They’ll download an image from the internet and pick out a font. “I can do that,” they say. “Why waste money on a designer?”

The problem is, logos only appear simple. In truth, they are strategically conjured representations of your brand. They are one of the first things a consumer sees when they encounter your business. And they go on everything. So if your logo looks amateur, so will your company. That’s bad for business. But if your logo entices people to check you out, it can lead to potential profits.

You are not a logo designer.

The chances of designing a quality logo yourself when you are not a professional graphic designer are about the same as successfully performing your own appendectomy. Graphic designers understand how hard it is to create something simple and iconic. They know what colors and fonts appeal to your target audience, and they are skilled at developing logos that are scalable, meaning they work both small and big.

Plus, graphic designers are creative. While you might be creative too, chances are you are not creative for a living. Graphic designers are professional creatives. They’ve spent years in schools and at agencies honing their craft. There’s a lot more that goes into designing a logo than meets the eye.

Multiple ideas for one price.

When you hire a professional logo design agency, you will get options. They will show you different potential designs and color palettes. They will walk you through the benefits of each option and provide their recommendation. You will get to confer with knowledgeable experts, who can help you drive more revenue by creating a professional logo to represent your brand. So you are getting way more than a design. You will be able to harness the expertise of an agency that does this day in and day out.

Speaking of an agency….

Alternatively, you could hire a freelancer to create you logo. The drawbacks: that freelancer may or may not have the strategic expertise to design an effective logo—though it will look nice. The advantage of going with a bona fide agency is that you get to collaborate with several folks who excel at various disciplines and are all working together to help your business grow. An agency is also less likely to disappear overnight when you need another version of your logo or want to make a change. Freelancers are more difficult to count on.

Get all the logo versions you need.

When you hire a professional logo design agency, you’ll also get that logo in a variety of versions like eps, ai, jpeg and png. Each of these file types serves a unique purpose. Some are better for large print, while others offer transparent backgrounds.

For example, if you only create a jpeg for yourself, you will be hard pressed to put it on a billboard. Jpegs don’t scale well. But a jpeg will work great for Facebook and other social media applications. Your design agency will be able to show you which file to use where.

Got software?

Per industry best practices, logos are designed in Adobe, specifically Adobe Illustrator. Most people don’t own Adobe products—and the ones that do only have Photoshop. These programs are intricate. They are mostly intended for professional creatives.

If you don’t own Illustrator or don’t know how to use it, your logo won’t be professional. It may also not meet industry print standards. So even if you design something yourself that ain’t too bad, it’s not likely going to print well. And a blurry logo is just as bad as an amateur one. Both convey the idea that your company is not of high quality.

It’s a whole branding package.

An agency will also provide more than just a logo. You will get brand standards that list out your font choices and color palette, as well as instruction for how to use and not use your logo. Brand standards are important because they serve as a blueprint for you company’s appearance. You can send them to all your vendors to create consistency among your different consumer touch points.

Hiring a professional designer should be a no brainer.

Basically, we believe every company big or small should hire a professional design agency to create their logo. The benefits are too good to pass up, and the risks of not doing so are too great. After all, your bottom line depends on the first impression you make with consumers. Ensure it’s a good one.

5 Reasons Why Your Business Must Have a Logo

March 1, 2017

Think of all your favorite brands. Now picture their logos. Pretty easy to do. That’s because logos date back to the beginning of marketing time. Consider Nike without the swoosh or Apple without it’s apple. The logo is arguably the most important tool in your advertising toolbox. It’s not some random mark. It gives your company an identity that represents your mission and your core values. If it’s well executed, that identity can instantly convey your brand to potential consumers. Poor logo design can and will repel customers. Not having one at all is an even bigger marketing no no.

Your logo is not your brand.

Before we begin with our 5 reasons for getting a mark, let’s clarify: your logo is not your brand. It represents your brand. Through font, color and mark design, it conveys your company’s personality—much like the clothes you choose to put on in the morning represent who you are. They are not you, but they give others an idea of your personality and character. Developing your logo, then, should take some time and thought. This is a strategic endeavor that will be the anchor to all your future advertising. It should not be taken lightly.

Who are you?

But let’s get back to our 5 reasons. Even if you’re a micro business, you need a company identity. Your target audience should understand who your company is. A good logo is the most expedient way to accomplish that. It can appeal to the consumers you are after and set you apart from competitors. Let’s dive deeper into why.

1. Get recognized: Fame leads to profits.
If you have a business, you have competitors. And if you have competitors, one fundamental task will be getting consumers to think of your company first. A great logo is memorable. It can help to keep your company top of mind.

Think of a service truck that rolls by with the company name simply etched on the side. Will you recall that name? Or will you remember the company with the great logo that made you take a second glance? Coupled with a marketing strategy that puts it in front of consumers across varied media, your logo can help you steal more market share.

2. Build trust: If they like you, they will buy from you.
When it comes to brand identity, logos do a lot of the heavy lifting. You can build trust in the marketplace with a logo that speaks to your target audience in a positive manner. For example, if your ideal customer is a skateboarding millennial, your logo should look quite different than if you’re selling to seniors. Seniors might prefer a more traditional, serif font. Young people tend to gravitate towards more modern sans serif fonts. Sans serif fonts are also friendlier, while serif fonts are great if you want to communicate strength and longevity.

The same goes for the colors you choose. Blues evoke trust. Too much yellow and you might make people anxious. There’s a whole science behind the emotions of color, and you can leverage this information to design a logo that makes consumers feel really good about your company even before they’ve interacted with you.

3. Emotional connection: This is how you build brand fans.
Again, picture all your favorite logos. Think about how they make you feel. The emotional engagement you have with your favorite companies often begins with their logos. Consider these statistics from Marketing and Entrepreneurship:

93% of purchasing judgments are made on visual perceptions.
7% of consumers say color is the reason they buy a product
80% think colors increase brand recognition

This is why you need a logo that is purposely designed to elicit a favorable reaction from consumers. If consumers engage with your logo, they will be more likely to remember your business. And if they remember your business in a good way, they will be more likely to buy from you. In contrast, a poorly designed logo can be detrimental to your bottom line. Your logo is your first impression—and as they say, you don’t get a chance to make another one.

4. Industry marker: Explain what you do.
Through it’s design, your logo can also quickly communicate your industry to consumers. For example, if you are in the pet business, you can easily represent that with visuals. Of course, some business types lend themselves to symbolism more than others, but you can still develop a mark that intimates whether you are a hair salon or a cyber company. This is especially important if your company name does not relate to or convey what your business does.

5. Look professional: Your logo influences perceptions.
If your logo appears to be low quality, consumers might associate that with your products and feel less confident about your ability to deliver professional products or services. This is no different from having a shabby storefront or typos in your advertising. If you show high standards in the way you represent your company, people will assume you apply the same high standards to your offerings and will be more likely to give your business a try.