Penguins & Preschoolers: A lesson for business owners

I know what you’re thinking. Connie’s lost it. What on Earth do penguins and preschoolers have to do with business? At first glance, maybe nothing. I mean preschoolers are like 4 years old and we’re…well…older and supposedly wiser.

I love to read a good blog and one of my favorites is the Mann Made Blog by Jaime Lee Mann. It amazes me how she can spin an everyday happening or event into a blog post that teaches you a life or business lesson. Seriously. She can be cooking, gardening, playing with her children or visiting a local coffee shop and she thinks of something about the situation that sparks a great blog post about business. Things we already know, but forget or choose to ignore.

Jaime’s latest entry revolves around her 4 year old preschooler bringing home a picture of a penguin she drew, or so Jaime thought. You’ll have to read the whole story over at Jaime’s blog, but the morale of the story involves copying off of someone else. Something that happens way too often in business.

I couldn’t tell you how many business owners, many have been potential clients, literally want me to copy someone else’s logo, website, marketing piece, or even web content. This is something I cannot wrap my head around because it simply isn’t something I would do. For many reasons. And the fact of the matter is, I have morals and blatant copying is just plain wrong.

Some people think imitation is the highest form of flattery, but it feels more like a slap in the face. It happened to me a couple of years ago when someone decided to not only copy my website content…word for word mind you that also included my personal bio…but this individual also decided to steal my design.

Think about how that felt. This was something that I poured my heart and soul into. I spent many hours, weeks, and months working hard to set myself apart from other business owners in my industry. Do you think I was flattered that my copy and design was so good that they wanted to copy it? Hardly. Not to mention that this person didn’t even have the decency to apologize when I contacted them to remove it immediately.

Jaime makes an excellent point and one that everyone should pay attention to. It is the same thing I preach to my own clients and they love me for it. I push them to think past their own comfort zone, to set themselves apart, to be the one that their potential clients want to work with. But Jaime said it right on target: “Market with your own personality. Be authentic. Be yourself. Make your own unique, individual mark on the world and be proud of it.”

So what are you doing to set yourself apart from your competitors?

There Can Be Only One

Remember that phrase from The Matrix? There can be only one.

umbrellaThere can be only one of you and your brand which is why you should always hire an actual graphic designer (ahem) when it comes to developing your brand.

You don’t have to look very far to see the work of a wannabe “designer.” Every time you see a piece of clipart in a website header or a brochure, that’s the work of someone who might aspire to be a designer one day, but has found a way to make a buck in the meantime by piecing together pretty fonts and clipart and calling it design.

That is not a true designer and you don’t want this person mucking around with your brand.

Someone like this might have fun playing with design elements and that’s fine if it’s kept as a personal hobby. I think it’s great. I encourage it. But, I don’t think it’s cool when someone like this decides to call him or herself a designer and starts offering to design logos and websites and taking money for it.

See, design is a lot more technical than most people think.

Besides the tremendous amount of forethought required, you need a firm grasp on color analogy and some sort of background that helps you understand why you’re incorporating certain elements into a design.

A real designer never uses clipart or a template. One problem with doing so is that these are free images that a million other people (with bad taste or a bad “designer”) could conceivably be using in their own “branding.” To brand yourself is to set your business apart from your competitors and the world by portraying an identifiable icon or design that directly identifies with you and your company. Clipart totally defeats the purpose.

A designer who specializes in branding knows how to use professional design software. They understand color and fonts and how to make different elements work together. They know what file formats you need for different applications.

When you trust your brand to a real graphic designer (ahem) – a professional artist rather than a wannabe – you will be blown away by your own corporate image because it will seem as though your designer has been inside your head.

That’s because they’re going to ask you questions and probe a lot about your business and your aspirations for the future. Branding is about the whole picture. The big picture. And it’s about making your image match your mission and your goals, all the while resonating with your target audience.

Don’t put your business into the hands of a serial clipart user. It’s not worth it.

It can cost more up front to hire a professional designer to develop your brand, but it will work out to be more cost-effective in the long run because you won’t end up hiring someone to redo it when the day comes and you realize your image sucks or you don’t have one at all.

Remember, there is only one. One chance to get it right. One chance to stand out. One chance to make your impression. Do it right or don’t do it at all.

January Signature Specials – Its a Signature Celebration! Plus BOGO Sale

Signature Specials Newsletter sampleHappy New Year! This month is our anniversary and to celebrate we have several special offers to help you get your business identity, branding, and all those time consuming tasks off your plate for a great start to 2010.

What’s included in this month’s Signature Specials?

Check out the full version of this newsletter online, complete with promotional codes and active links today!

Better yet, subscribe to our Signature Specials newsletter here.

Shameless Plug: Signature Worx Portfolio

I don’t do many shameless plugs, but a girl’s got the right to shake things up, no? It’s been forever ago since I updated the Signature Worx Portfolio, but I do have good reason with running a business and having a baby and all.

sw-portfolioGetting back to the subject at hand, should you feel a break coming on or just feeling a little curious, then head on over to the updated Signature Worx Portfolio to see what we’ve been up to. The portfolio is just a partial showing of our work, I couldn’t possibly add every design or I wouldn’t get any work done. There’s just about every possible category including logos, websites, business cards, stationery, postcards, gift cards, promotional items, flyers, and more.

Let me know what you think. I always appreciate feedback…especially if it’s good ;)

Oh and since I’m already doing a shameless plug, I might as well throw this in:  If you’re starting a new business, or just need a professional boost to your current business or product brand, then be sure to check out this month’s Signature Specials. Our Fall Branding Stimulus Package is sure to get the ball rolling that won’t cost you an arm and a leg! Go ahead and subscribe to our Signature Specials newsletter so you don’t miss out on future offerings. We won’t inundate your inbox as we only send it out once a month, with an occasional extra here and there.

Thanks for reading and thanks for checking out the portfolio. I think my ego has been restored for a little while longer now.