I recently completed a brand refresh for Diane Taylor of Taylored Massage Therapy, located in Stow, Ohio. Diane had contacted me asking if I could give her a few ideas regarding a new logo for her business. Like many small business owners do when they are first starting out, Diane had designed her own logo based on a font she liked. Five years later, her company name and font had made its way to signs, custom-embroidered shirts, online media and all of her printed materials. A completely new logo and rebranding would not only be expensive to implement, but there was also the risk of compromising her hard-earned market presence.

The challenge: How do you introduce a new and original logo to an already established brand? More importantly, how do you transition to a new logo while respecting the client’s initial design and budget?

The solution: A brand refresh.

After reviewing a handful of initial concepts, Diane selected the basic structure found in the final solution on the right, incorporating the main font from her first logo into the new one. We both agreed that the icon separating the words MASSAGE and THERAPY had to be something unique and clever. Her business’ initials, TMT, provided a symmetry and balance that I wanted to explore, and so I got busy and presented Diane with the following:

As you can see, the design went through several phases. First, I approached the problem with a rather traditional solution (a nice way to say “it has a swirly thing” that represents a spa-like experience — thank goodness Diane wanted more than the expected!). From there, I explored very simple icons that depicted the natural symmetry of the initials TMT. As much as I liked the clean lines and simplicity, the logo concepts lacked the warmth and interaction associated with the business it was supposed to represent. As the concepts progressed, I modified the forms to suggest the actual act of touch and massage. We went through several variations, and I knew we were getting closer.

The final solution came as a result of drawing two letter Ts and having them come together to form the letter M. The Ts are equal in size and stature (almost bowing to one another), and represent the client and the therapist coming together. To some, only the M is visible in the icon, which is perfectly acceptable. For them, the M makes sense, as it represents the word “massage.” However, to those that take the time to explore the actual form, the Ts become evident and provide a fun little discovery.

A new casino just opened in Cleveland this week and I have only one thing to say: “Big deal. When I’m in the mood to gamble, I like to take my chances with RFPs.”

(What the...?)
Ok, let me explain.

Gambling has never appealed to me mainly because I am too much a student of logic and an even bigger observer of the laws of probability. Sure, you might win a hand or two on occasion — enough to keep you believing that you just might have a chance of winning big — but as the saying goes, the house always wins. The same is true for lotteries. Even though the jackpots may seem awfully alluring and a winner is (eventually) guaranteed, the odds are stacked outrageously against you.

In many ways, responding to a publicly posted RFP (Request for Proposal) is a lot like playing the lottery. The message is the same: you can’t win if you don’t play. So dozens of agencies and individuals will spend lots of time and energy trying to pick the right combination of numbers, placing all kinds of formulas and strategy into a system of winning that has no guarantees.

Before I invest any time and consideration into responding to a RFP, I do a little investigating. If the request is sent directly to me, I contact the sender and ask them how they learned about Lime Creative and why I was selected to submit a proposal. I’m not afraid to ask how many other agencies are being considered or if they already have a working relationship with an agency on the list. If the RFP is publicly promoted, I look deep into the organization or business that has posted the request. I learn who the decision makers are, and again I contact them directly with my questions. If they ignore my inquiry entirely, then I am certain they are not investing time into the process because the decision has most likely already been made. However, if they do engage in Q&A, then that is a pretty good sign that they are sincerely interested in finding the right agency for the job. Just like you, they recognize that It’s important to know who you are dealing with, and more importantly start building a possible relationship.

Too often, RFPs serve no purpose other than to meet a requirement of a purchasing policy or to gather free estimates to use against an agency or person who has already been granted the work. Past experience tells me it is very difficult to dethrone a current agency that is meeting even the most minimal requirements. Though an organization may require a new RFP every calendar year, the thought of switching agencies can seem nonproductive and unnecessary. No one likes change, so once you are awarded a contract with some businesses and organizations, you can almost be certain that it’s yours to lose. This is what makes these types of contracts so appealing, but also why you should approach them with a realistic outcome in mind.

So the next time you invest hours constructing the perfect proposal for an open RFP that seems a perfect fit for your agency, take a step back to regain your perspective. You might think you’re the right candidate for the job but then again, I wouldn’t bet on it.

I keep pretty busy and the majority of work I receive comes to me through referrals. I complete a project, it gets noticed, creates the expected results, and my happy client tells anyone who will listen how brilliant he or she is for having hired me. Or perhaps someone asks, “Who’s your designer?” and my name and contact information are handed over like an insider’s secret. It’s a great way to work because my best and favorite clients are sending people just like them, to me for my services.

A few years ago I read a book by John Jantsch called The Referral Engine. It’s chocked full of great strategies that are often counter-intuitive to traditional advertising and marketing methods. While others may advise that casting a big net will catch the most fish, Jantsch contends that the most stable businesses are built one customer experience and relationship at a time. Trust is the number one reason people refer the services of others, and that same trust is the reason others decide to do business with someone they have never met.

Too often, clients come to me with the expectation that if they have a beautiful brochure or website to promote their product or services, that customers will somehow find them. It’s called “The Field of Dreams syndrome,” where people honestly believe, “if you build it, they will come.” Yes, I do agree that having a professionally designed brochure and website can indeed display and generate a certain degree of confidence to potential customers and clients. But confidence is not the same thing as trust. For example, I can be confident that an agency is capable of providing certain services but that doesn’t necessarily translate to me trusting them with my own personal needs. I want to do business with someone I know and trust and if I don’t know the right person for the job, hopefully someone I know does.

The most difficult thing about keeping the referral engine well-lubed and running is getting happy customers and clients to continue to oil the machine. Some clients are simply wonderful — they simply can’t stop talking about you, your product or your services. And it would be great if all customers were like that, but they’re not. Giving a referral is not your customers’ job or responsibility. They are not obligated to do so unless you are compensating them for it and if are, that’s called a paid endorsement. It’s not the same as a genuine, trusted referral. You cannot expect your customers or clients to give you a referral unless you have earned their trust and they are willing to publicly acknowledge the benefits of your business relationship.

So how exactly do you get referrals from clients that are less-inclined to offer them? You ask them. And I don’t mean that you send them a canned LinkedIn message that says, “Will you endorse me?” I’m talking about having a sincere conversation where you and your client discuss the specifics of the completed assignment. Are you happy with the final results? Is there anything you would have liked to have seen done differently? Will you keep me in mind for your future needs? Would you feel comfortable referring me to colleagues and friends who might be in need of my services?

Even though the answers to the questions above might be very favorable, keep in mind that clients do not always think about the importance of referrals until you explain to them how your operation works. They often assume that everyone already knows about your talents and fantastic service; or perhaps that business is so good that you do not need more work. What I have found to be true is that most satisfied clients want to help other trusted businesses succeed. Not only are they willing to tell the story of their experience of working with you, but they often will follow-up to see how their matchmaking efforts have unfolded.

Take time today to refer an individual, business or organization that has helped you achieve your goals. Not only will you be helping them gain the trust of others, but you’ll feel good knowing that those who have served you well know just how important they are to your success.

One of the things I love best about being a graphic designer is that I often have the opportunity to see my designs in action. This morning was no exception, as a sea of green cancer wellness supporters flooded the sidewalks along Market Street and Smith Road in Fairlawn for the 6th Annual Stewart’s Caring Place Hope Walk.

Stewart’s Caring Place: Cancer Wellness Center provides free support services to individuals and families touched by cancer in Summit, Medina, Stark, Portage and Wayne counties. You can learn more about Stewart’s by visiting their website here.

For the past couple of years, Lime Creative has provided design services to Stewart’s as a way of bringing awareness to their important work. This year’s brochure and t-shirts were a lot of fun to design. If you look closely at the shoe print, you can see the familiar Stewart’s butterfly within the tread pattern. But more important than what is printed on the shirt is who’s wearing it — hundreds of cancer survivors, friends, family members, volunteers, local sponsors and supporters of Stewart’s Caring Place. What a fantastic event!

We all have a “good enough factor” wired into our brains. It’s who we are and very much a part of everything we do. I come from an austere German heritage, so you can imagine how high my “good enough factor” was set even as a kid. At my house, you didn’t just mow the lawn, you mowed in a consistent and straight pattern, trimmed closely around everything, raked the clippings, edged the sidewalks and then swept them clean after pulling any weeds that might have been growing in the cracks. It was that way with everything: laundry had to be folded a certain way, beds were always made and things were always expected to be returned to where they belonged. The German mindset: “If you don’t have time to do something right, when will you find the time to do it over?”

As a kid, as a student and even later as a designer, I was often called a perfectionist and I wore that title like a badge of honor. I honestly thought it was compliment and that being called a perfectionist meant I had indeed reached a state of perfection in my work. Boy was I wrong.

It wasn’t until recently that I started challenging the idea of perfectionism, and how this entire notion of perfection was undermining my ability to respond quickly to opportunities, think creatively in new and unproven ways, and to take risks based on my instincts instead of my intellect. I began to realize that when called a perfectionist, it wasn’t the same as someone saying, “you have reached perfection.” Instead, it often meant that I had spent too much time and energy focusing on details that didn’t matter. My “good enough factor” did not align with theirs.

I have since changed how I approach assignments and work with my clients. The first thing I try to understand is their own level of “good enough.” Does this mean that I only deliver to that level? Absolutely not. What it means is that I have stopped trying to design for the respect and consideration of the design community and I focus more on what my clients and their customers want and expect.

I still embrace the idea of “under-promise and over-deliver.” I still try very hard to provide the best solutions I can within the perimeters of the project. I still implement a creative process that involves getting ideas down quickly on paper and sharing them to get as much feedback as possible. I obey the key elements of sound design and I will always adhere to deadlines and industry standards.

What I no longer have is a perfect excuse for disappointing my clients and myself because I was trying to be perfect.

Confession #2 – I tend to over think things.

When I first launched LIME and started developing my marketing materials, I found myself laboring over the content as though I were writing a great manifesto or the decisive rules for governing a small nation. Obviously, I wanted to get it right, but more than anything I wanted to be sincere and authentic.

What I wanted to express was pretty straight forward and I was able to generate most of the content rather quickly. I had been planning the launch of this business for quite some time and I knew exactly what I wanted to say — that wasn’t the problem. Everything was coming together quite nicely and then BAM!, there it was, the question that needed answered: should I write and speak in a singular or collective voice? Who could have imagined the self-reflection and strife that the four little pronouns we, us, me and I could produce?

To gain a little guidance and clarity, I read several books and online articles regarding how to market an agency of one. Several solo practitioners like myself argued that using “we” and “us” instilled a sense of confidence in potential clients, suggesting that no project could be too large to manage. They rationalized that most individuals rely on a team of others behind the scenes to get the job done — whether it be web programmers, professional printers, or even the mail house — so the reference of “we” was really a reflection of that team effort. They also mentioned that clients like to feel involved in the creative process, so the use of “we” was a nice way to make them feel included, too. On the surface it seemed like a sound business decision. The last thing I wanted to do was lose potential work because I was perceived as being too small and insignificant to matter. So I did it.

In all of my promotional materials and website content, I used the terms “we” and “us” to describe my individual intentions, efforts and successes. I completely embraced the “fake it until you make it” mindset that is so prevalent in our business culture today — and the deception worked. But words that were so successful at instilling confidence in others did just the opposite to me. Instead of being sincere and authentic, I felt dishonest and overinflated. I felt like a fraud.

And then it hit me. Why was I so concerned about the pronouns I should be using? LIME’s marketing materials and website were never supposed to be about me. They are supposed to be about ideas and solutions that help others establish their brand and solve their communication problems. How could I expect to build trusting relationships with my clients based on an obvious deception? Since the majority of my clients come to me through referrals, the last thing I want to do is compromise my reputation.

I have since started removing the “we” and “us” from all of LIME’s marketing materials. There are still lots of pieces floating around out there with LIME’s collective voice and with my luck, by the time I finally get everything switched to the singular reference, I will have hired an assistant or taken on a partner. Oh well. At least now I am keeping it real.

I have been employed as a professional graphic designer for over half of my life (nearly a quarter of a century!). More times than I care to admit, especially when I was moving forward with an idea or project that I did not agree with, I would remind myself: “Remember who signs your paycheck.” Because when you work within an in-house marketing department or for an advertising or communications agency, the person whose name is scribed on the bottom of your paycheck is the person you answer to. Every decision you make and action you perform must comply with that person’s own agenda if you wish to keep receiving paychecks. It’s that simple. Period.

My days as an in-house designer and agency employee are long over. I am self-employed and although I operate under the agency name of Lime Creative, I am really “just another” freelancer designer. But freelancer is a difficult badge to wear. No, I am not in-between jobs, doing this on the side or waiting for the perfect offer to come along. And no, I’m not just dabbling in a design career to see if it’s the right fit. I’m not lazy or unreliable, and I am certainly not unemployable.

What I am is this: I am committed to producing quality design work and marketing materials that deliver awareness and measurable results for my clients. I am determined to remain fair in my practices, even though larger profits could be realized by cutting corners, rushing through assignments with hurried solutions or eliminating free services. I am and will always be inspired by my clients and their own personal and professional stories. I am motivated by and sincerely thankful for the opportunities I have been given. I continue to be challenged by an industry that is forever changing, yet encouraged by the amount and degree of information my colleagues and business partners so willingly share. I am humbled by how much more I have to learn.

But most importantly, I am forever mindful of who signs my paycheck now: you.

One group of individuals that I spend a great deal of time with is other small business owners. I have several friends that have ventured out on their own and started their own companies. The majority of my clients are micro-businesses that have been in existence for less than five years. So when I say that I understand the concerns of the small business owner, it’s true — I really do get it. Just like them, I consider every penny I invest into my business carefully. But more importantly, I consider every minute I invest into my business, too.

We live in an age of “do-it-yourself-ism.” No matter what it is that we wish to attempt on our own, there is a considerable amount of information that can be found in books, online and on television about almost any conceivable topic. Most of this information is relatively accurate and very useful. With the right tools and a little confidence to try, most of us have experienced the pride of having changed our own headlight or installed a new bathroom faucet. When you have the time, you can save a little (or a lot) of money along the way.

However, many times in our quest to save money, we overextend and even waste our most valuable asset: time. Money will always come and go, can be borrowed, saved, spent or even given away; but time is a far less-forgiving currency. You only get so much (exactly 24 hours in a day) and how you choose to spend it is completely up to you.

I often tell the story of the small business owner that is the fastest typist in her organization. Instead of passing the task onto her secretary who is slightly slower at typing than she is, she continues to spend several hours a week pounding away at her keyboard because she believes this is saving company time if she does it herself. After all, the typing should be completed by the fastest typist, right? In reality, the difference between her words-per-minute and her secretary’s over the course of the week is maybe only an additional hour or so. More importantly, when you consider what other things could have been accomplished by the business owner within that time instead — the completion of more challenging tasks and top-level decisions that require her leadership and direction to move the company forward — you begin to realize the true cost of her trying to “save time.”

As a graphic designer, I often hear people say that they like “doing” their own design and marketing because it is fun to play with the different programs, fonts and clipart that came with their computer. I will be the first to admit that they are right — playing with these tools can be a great deal of fun and with a little trial and error, even a small child could probably be successful at building something that looks presentable. Software companies have gotten very good at including all kinds of canned effects, templates and imagery that make it easy to assemble a visually pleasing layout. However, what the programmers and software developers are not able to include within their pre-fabricated “designs” is authenticity. Essential elements of good design include audience identification, targeted and relevant content, a unique selling proposition, creative delivery and originality — all specific to you and your company and directed toward your consumer. As we all become introduced to pre-designed templates, stock images and free fonts — the more they are being used in a widespread manner — the more important original and creative design becomes. Remember, design is not just about how something looks; it is about how it functions as well.

As a small business owner, you must ask yourself the following questions if you are sincere about marketing your business and utilizing your time wisely:

1. What do my current marketing materials (or lack of) say about me and my company?
2. Do I really have the time, skills, tools and knowledge to design my own marketing materials and website?
3. Do the materials I design for myself look professional, generate leads and evoke interest in my company? Are they working for me?

I used to tell myself that I am my own cheapest labor — that if I am willing to give up my evenings and weekends to business tasks outside of actually designing, I will be saving my company money. On the surface, it seemed like a logical argument. Thank goodness with experience comes wisdom. I now rely on the expertise and talents of others so that I can keep my focus on what I do best: design.

What is it that you do best? If it’s not design, are you sure you should be doing it?

For the past couple of months I have had the privilege of working with the staff and parents at Spring Garden Waldorf School in Copley, Ohio. We have been working on a number of exciting and important projects, but none compare in physical size and overall significance to this — Spring Garden’s mission statement.

By engaging the head, heart and hands, Waldorf schools focus on developing young citizens that not only contribute to the beauty of the world, but are also steadfast in their love of discovery and learning. If you are unfamiliar with the principles of a Waldorf education, I encourage you to view this video on YouTube® entitled The Gift of Learning.

As for the sign itself, it was printed by DCI (Digital Color International) here in Akron. Below Andy Liptak and John Shaffer (patiently) hold the sign while yours truly snaps the photo. Thanks guys!

This morning during a networking event, I asked the audience if any of them had ever purchased a bottle of wine because they liked the look of the label. As I predicted, over half of the people in attendance raised their hand indicating that they had. Needless to say, this made me smile and I then proclaimed “that, my friends, is the power of design.”

Often when we think of design, it’s easy to dismiss it as the frosting on the cake or the pretty wrappings on the package. We may not feel that it is necessary — that the substance of what is being offered should matter more than the style in which it is being presented. After all, we have been conditioned by decades of “don’t judge a book by its cover” and “beauty is only skin deep” thinking. Those adages may have seemed true two or three decades ago, but today we live in an age of heightened aesthetic. It is very unlikely that we will ever go back to the days of brown paper packages and generic black and white food labels. Design is simply too important.

So what exactly is happening in our brains when we select one product over another based on what it looks like? Quite simply, we are making a series of assumptions based on what we know. Let’s go back and use the wine label as an example. We may not know a lot about wine, how it is made or what characteristics make one wine better than another. What we do know is that humans are generally pretty consistent in their behavior. If the owner of the winery has taken considerable care in selecting the perfect label for the bottles, isn’t it safe to assume that the same care and consideration was taken in selecting what has been put inside?

Design evokes a feeling (either good or bad) and your audience’s gut instincts will guide them to respond accordingly. So what is your design sense saying about you?

When I look back at 2011, it was nothing short of being an incredible year in terms of personal growth. Life is like that sometimes. We have those moments in time where everything seems to click for us. I don’t mean click in the sense that everything happens the way we want it to. I mean “click” in the sense that the answers we are looking for somehow present themselves and we are able to move forward and make significant progress. That’s how 2011 was for me.

If you recall, last year at this time I posted a blog entitled “F-bombing the F-words” and I seriously took my resolution to heart. Every day this past year, even if I only thought about FEAR and FAILURE for a fraction of a second, I corrected my thinking and continued my pursuit for answers. And sure enough, even when I wasn’t completely certain that the direction I was taking was always the right one, the determination to continue moving forward was enough to sustain me until the next piece of the puzzle fell into place.

I realize now that honoring my 2011 new year’s resolution wasn’t about conquering fear and failure in one fell swoop. There was no moment of realization or major battle I had won. Instead, it was about addressing a thousand little things everyday with the audacity and conviction of becoming better and smarter than I was the day before. And trust me, the little things do matter. They quickly add up to very big things — good and bad. And like it or not, we are the result and culmination of what we do every day. No matter what obstacles we face or excuses we use for doing less than our best, our habits define us. We begin the process of changing those habits when we become mindful of the (seemingly unimportant) thousand little decisions we make each day. The devil (or the divinity) is always in the details.