By the Skin of My Teeth: Logo Sketches

Well, I can’t call them finished, and they sure ain’t pretty, but when I say I’m going to do something, I do it.

Over the past week, I’ve been working on rough, conceptual sketches for my new logo, and I definitely find myself leaning toward a particular style and layout. It amuses me to show you a few of those sketches at left, because this is where vision and mind-reading really come into play.

I almost never bring a client in on this stage of the design process. The mental translation of pencil “doodles” to final polished product is too much to ask of anyone, especially if their skills lie outside the realms of art or design. Too, they would have to be something of a mind-reader to “see” what I envision in the sketches I create.

Nonetheless, this is how all of my logo designs – and most of my other designs – are born. Sometimes a few sketches are all it takes for that ideal piece, and other times it takes page upon page. But this is where I cut loose with creativity, imagination, flights of fancy and artistry – guided heavily by hours of research, of course!

In DMT Artistry’s case, I’m in a particularly tricky situation. I’m both an exacting designer and an exacting client. There’s a very real danger of sketching myself in circles, and not settling on anything. That’s where the accountability of this blog comes into play.

Don’t let me do that!!

I look forward to coming to you next week with a decided direction and a significantly more detailed sketch.

On a separate note: Congratulations to Amy of UU@Home on winning last week’s blog challenge and the accompanying prize of a complimentary business card design!

Next Week’s Blog: Sketching My Way To Logo Nirvana.

“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”  ~Michelangelo

Dawn M. Tomczyk-Bhajan  |  DMT Artistry, LLC   |  www.DMTArtistry.com

All content Copyright © 2012 DMT Artistry, LLC, unless otherwise noted. All Rights Reserved.

The Power of Words in Designing a Logo

I’ve had an epiphany. A design breakthrough. I’ve got my logo concept “figured out”.

And it’s all thanks to a little word power!

I’ve talked about important verbage in my previous blog, particularly in terms of determining your company’s message.

An initial stage in the DMT logo design process involves filling a page or pages with company-relevent words – descriptive, associative or otherwise. One word leads to another, which leads to another, which eventually and reliably leads to an “a-HA” moment.

Instantaneous logo perfection? Ideally, yes, but realistically, no. However, word play always brings me one enormous stride closer to “the one”.

For DMT Artistry, a few of the words that not just lit, but quadrupled the wattage on, my proverbial logo lightbulb are as follows:

Transformation   Most of my clients come to me with an idea that their marketing materials could just plain be BETTER. So, as a combination designer-marketer-artist-human, it is my goal to be a catalyst – one that transforms “old and stale” into “downright awesome”!

Above & Beyond/Transcendence   My business is successfully operating and growing on 99.9% referral business. Why? I like to think it has something to do with my winning personality. But I also suspect that it stems from a personal mission to exceed expectations. That’s not lip service, either; it’s the way I do business. Ask my clients.

Flights of Fancy   There’s a reason “Artistry” is part of my company name; it represents the creative evolution of ideas and the artistic combination of “form” and “function”. So, yes, I consider “flights of fancy” essential to providing my clients with fresh and unique designs.

Energy   My designs are not static. Why should my logo be?

Awesomeness   My ego and I love to elicit the “wow” factor just as much as the next human, so I put that desire to work for my clients, creating designs that are downright… awesome.

Have an idea of what my logo will be/contain? Let me hear your thoughts!

First person to deduce correctly before my next blog post will receive a free, 2-sided business card design for themselves or a friend. (Those few who already know, sorry! You’re out of the running.)

Your Turn…
Ask yourself, do any of these words describe the essential essence of your business? I challenge you to create your own word list with at least 20 real zingers. Now hone in on the 5 most important, most relevant, and most meaningful.

In your future dealings with designers, marketers and associates alike, you’ve now got 5 powerful tools for directing the form and function of all future marketing materials. Bravo!

Next Week’s Blog: Logo sketching.

“Handle them carefully, for words have more power than atom bombs.”  ~Pearl Strachan

Dawn M. Tomczyk-Bhajan  |  DMT Artistry, LLC   |  www.DMTArtistry.com

All content Copyright © 2012 DMT Artistry, LLC, unless otherwise noted. All Rights Reserved.

Epiphany: A Color Course Correction

If you enjoy a good “aha!” moment, become an entrepreneur. Your days will be just packed with epiphanies…

One came earlier this week, as I was enjoying a company color scheme conversation with my father, a long-time corporate marketing manager (whose expertise, incidentally, you will also benefit from in future posts.)

I explained to him that I like my existing color scheme (below left) – it’s simple, pleasing to the eye and required minimal thought at the outset. However, that’s hardly a foundation on which to build a meaningful and effective branding image.

Here’s why I want to change it:

1)  These colors, in combination, appear young and feminine. There’s nothing wrong with either of these things, except that I am not targeting teen girls. My audience is professional business owners of both genders.
2)  These colors reduce my marketing flexibility. I offer a wealth of design styles for a wealth of branding materials in an absolute plethora of marketing venues. My clients hail from every industry – from service, to retail, to manufacturing, to distribution, to organizations, to events. My color scheme should allow me to easily express my versatility, rather than lock me into a particular look and feel.
3)  These colors say “nice”, when I really want them to create “wow!”
4)  These colors don’t excite me. And THAT, as they say, is THAT. Time for a change.

It was in the course of listing these problems that inspiration struck, and I realized that my dilemma was actually my solution. And, not only that… the solution also provided purpose, direction, and inspiration for my logo, office, website, print materials, apparel and other soon-to-be-transformed branding pieces.

So, yes, I have settled on the official DMT company color concept, and I will share it… in a future post. There’s still refining to be done, and that’s a process in which I am willing to invest extra time. For curious parties, the quote below is a hint…

“We are like chameleons, we take our hue and the color of our moral character, from those who are around us.”  ~John Locke

Next Week: There will be no post next week, as I address a heavier-than-usual project load, but I will be back the week after with more tips and tools for you and your business! In the meantime, enjoy these “psychology of color” links that my father thoughtfully recommended:

Color Wheel Pro

The Meaning of Colors

How the Meaning of Colors Affects Business

What Color is Your Business

Dawn M. Tomczyk-Bhajan  |  DMT Artistry, LLC   |  www.DMTArtistry.com

All content Copyright © 2012 DMT Artistry, LLC, unless otherwise noted. All Rights Reserved.