LOGO-riffic

Our PreK teacher gave us a few summer tips in order to prep our 4.5 year old for reading.  While we've been introduced to Bob Books (great starter books for beginners) and some LeapFrog DVDs, I'm already impressed with what my daughter can already "read".

"Are we going to eat at Grapes?"

"Mama, when we go to the mall, can we park near Star?"

One of our more popular grocery stores down south, or as my daughter likes to call it: "Fish, Bread, Apple"

NASCAR sponsorship helps with recognition on these, combined with seeing them in our neighborhood each and every day:

One of her favorite places to shop:

What brand of car her Nana drives:

When she's really engrossed in a brand, she will also give me a jingle. "Nat what would you like for lunch?" - "$5 footlong... SUBWAY, Eat Fresh!"

Part of me cringes with all this consumerist recognition, but another part of me feels as if the identification of logos and letters will aid in her actual ability to "read". Obviously, with a marketing background, I'd also give a nod to these corporations who have built strong logos that support their brands.  

As long as we're 10+ years off from her recognizing

 

and/or

... I think we should be fine.

Drumroll Please…

For years I’ve honed my marketing and advertising skills to develop concise and effective creative briefs. Creating a logo for my business was no different than playing Account Manager for one of my clients. I needed to stay focused with singular intent. I needed to ask myself probing questions to get to the heart of what I wanted my logo to convey- emotionally and rationally. I needed to take stock of my company today, and where I want it to be 5 and 10 years in the future. Then I needed to sit back and watch the creative process unfold.

The weeks that followed were exciting and fruitful. Not only was I working with a trusted and talented designer, but for the first time I was taking stock in myself as the “client”. Was I clearly communicating my expectations? Did I respond in the timely manner that I had promised? Was I providing effective feedback? Was I trusting my designer to the design and why I hired him in the first place?

Putting yourself in your client’s shoes is a great exercise to remind you of what you respect about a good working relationship. If you’re in retail, go through the purchase process on your website a few times a year and see what your customers are seeing. Is there anything you would change to make the experience better? If you’re in a service industry, have you ask for feedback from your vendors and clients? Find out if they enjoyed working with you. Did you get the sense that they would work with you again? Ask them if there is anything that you can improve to make the relationship work better for them.

And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, Friends, Clients, Potential Future Clients,… I am proud to introduce you to the SleeveShirt Consulting logo!