February 2010
Heidi Peterson - President
You Have a Logo - Why Do You Need a Brand?
The word "brand" is derived from the Old Norse "brandr", meaning "to burn." It refers to the practice of producers burning their mark (or brand) onto their products.
Combine that definition with the following quotation and it becomes clear that "branding" is also about making a mark on your conscious/subconscious mind by giving you many ways to identify with a company and their product. The logo, tagline, jingle, colours, shapes, images and the personalities associated with the company are the brand you come to identify with.
"A great brand raises the bar -- it adds a greater sense of purpose to the experience, whether it's the challenge to do your best in sports and fitness, or the affirmation that the cup of coffee you're drinking really matters." - Howard Schultz (president, CEO, and chairman of Starbucks)
Everyone is familiar with the logos of large corporations like Nike and Apple. They are clean, simple marks that convey a message with impact. Even without the words, they are unmistakable. The process of identification began with well-designed logos and has been developed over the years into strong brands.
For Nike, the tagline, "Just Do It", conveys determination, conviction, and the quest for victory. Apple's "Mac VS PC" television ads appeal to our youth-oriented culture with a message of getting results, simplicity and instant gratification. Most importantly, these companies back up these claims with excellent, proven products and customer service.
If you have a great product, give excellent customer service and need help creating a brand that will represent your business and appeal to your market, come see us. We can help.
Profile of a Chameleon
Meet Our Web Designer Chad
Chad graduated from the Malaspina College Graphic Design Program and brings excellent illustrative, design and technical skills as well as a keen interest in leading-edge special effects. His fine art background brings an original flair to the logos and web sites he designs.
Chad says:
"I'm a commercial artist. A Designer. I still sketch. I still work on tattoo designs that I'll probably never have on my own skin. And I paint. But graphic design is where I am every day. It was a long, strange road here but I'm glad I took it... following my own true path in life. Art."
As an ex-helicopter pilot Chad is accustomed to looking at things from a different perspective. His sense of humour keeps us laughing and his logos and website layouts knock our socks off on a regular basis.
More than Cute Kitten Videos
SEO TIP* YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world so it just makes sense to have a presence on this wildly popular engine. If you have videos on your website they should be uploaded to YouTube following these simple directions. Or we can do it for you!
Your uploaded videos will appear in the YouTube index and Google will then add them to Google Video. Presto, you now have sales pitches on the two biggest search engines in the world. Be sure to include optimized information so your clients can find them.
We can help you with that!
Once your video is on YouTube you have access to Insight, an exciting new program that allows you to micro monitor viewer's reactions. You can determine exactly which parts of the video are popular and which parts cause viewers to opt out. Extremely valuable feedback that lets you hone your "Sham WOW" selling skills!
Featured Client
The Campbell River Chamber has rocketed into the spotlight in the past 2 years. Colleen Evans, the Executive Director, together with the board and staff, has galvanized the organization into action. Building a new website was key on Colleen's agenda.
"Creating a new website is often daunting but that certainly was not the case when Chameleon Creative developed our new brand and website. From the moment we met to discuss concepts, their professional presentations and commitment were in evidence and they ensured that our website exceeded our expectations. They delivered creative excellence, on time, on budget and always putting the client's need first. Thank you, Chameleon Creative, for a fantastic website development experience."
- Colleen Evans, Executive Director.
Profile of a Chameleon - Meet Our Web Designer Chad
Chad graduated from the Malaspina College Graphic Design Program and brings excellent illustrative, design and technical skills as well as a keen interest in leading-edge special effects. His fine art background brings an original flair to the logos and web sites he designs.
Chad says:
"I'm a commercial artist. A Designer. I still sketch. I still work on tattoo designs that I'll probably never have on my own skin. And I paint. But graphic design is where I am every day. It was a long, strange road here but I'm glad I took it... following my own true path in life. Art. "
As an ex-helicopter pilot Chad is accustomed to looking at things from a different perspective. His sense of humour keeps us laughing and his logos and website layouts knock our socks off on a regular basis.
More than just cute kitten videos
SEO TIP* YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world so it just makes sense to have a presence on this wildly popular engine. If you have videos on your website they should be uploaded to YouTube following these simple directions. Or we can do it for you!
Your uploaded videos will appear in the YouTube index and Google will then add them to Google Video. Presto, you now have sales pitches on the two biggest search engines in the world. Be sure to include optimized information so your customers can find them.
We can help you with that!
Once your video is on YouTube you have access to Insight, an exciting new program that allows you to micro monitor viewers reactions. You can determine exactly which parts of the video are popular and which parts cause viewers to opt out. Extremely valuable feedback that lets you hone your "Sham WOW" selling skills!
Links - Should You or Shouldn't You?
Right now anyone can place links on their site to content on most other websites. Usually this linking is welcomed by the linked site because it drives traffic to their site and ultimately contributes to their Google Page Rank. The only reason to ask permission is if you want to request a reciprocal link.
There is now some debate about whether linking to another site's information is a form of theft. Some British online news providers are blocking inbound links, or offering the option to link for a fee.
Opponents are insisting that linking is a right that promotes the free exchange of information which must be protected at all costs. "Linking is not a privilege that the recipient of the link should control - any more than politicians should decide who may or may not quote them. The test is not whether the creator of the link charges (Murdoch's newspapers will charge and they link)," says Jarvis. "The test is whether the thing we are linking to is public. If it is public for one it should be public for all." Jeff Jarvis, journalist and author.
SEO TIP* To link or not to link? It's hard to tell what will happen with this issue. Linking is still a valuable SEO tool so keep linking to relevant information, where possible ask permission and for a reciprocal link. If proponents of restricted or paid links win the day then some day you might get asked to pay for your links. At that point it's up to you.
Fav Icon stands for "Favorites Icon". It's the little icon beside your site's URL (web address) in your browser's address bar. If you have one it will also display beside the site's name in your favorites list, as a bookmarked website on the desktop, and in your "Links" bar and on the windows task bar.
