This information is based on the principles of Laws of Attraction, Law of Allowing and Law of Deliberate Creation. And the Universal Laws of Energy (like attract likes) proven by Quantum Physics.

What colors attract people to you?

Visual presentation and appeal, whether in your marketing materials or what you wear, can turn on or turn off what people you attract. It does not matter if it’s on paper matter, the Internet, like a web site, or in a presentation.

If you do any time of speaking, writing, or design type of work, this article is for you.

I’m not just talking about visual color, I’m also talking to you about audio and writing or language color. Each affect our relationships — friends, family, prospects, clients or customers.

It is a fact that companies with large budgets spend billions on color market research — usually in product or packaging development.

Solopreneurs pockets aren’t as deep, thus, they need to use the results of the research of the deep pocket-ers.

Colors tell someone if you are approachable. In the same way they will affect whether someone will continue clicking through your web site.

Colors will determine if someone will start reading your article in a magazine or posted on your web site. Color also helps to keep people involved on your web site (it’s not just about the content) and how long they stay.

Colors also influences how people will respond and behave. A black background on your web site now represents s*x-type of web sites. It is important that if that isn’t your focus that you don’t use a black background.

Let’s take a few minutes and play with this concept. The next time you go into a fast-food restaurant, look closely at the colors. Do they decorate with vivid reds and oranges because they encourage diners to eat and leave quickly like many of the fast food establishments. That is exactly the response they want.

Different cultures have different attitudes and preferences thus; they will have another color reaction. In China, "white" symbolizes death and in Brazil, it is the color purple. People from warm countries respond favorably to warm colors; people from colder climates prefer the cooler colors.

In America, green is associated with jealousy or money. Here are some color references for America.

Red……excitement, strength, sex, passion, speed, danger.

Blue…..(most popular) trust, reliability, belonging, coolness.

Yellow…warmth, sunshine, cheer, happiness.

Orange…playfulness, warmth, vibrant.

Green….nature, fresh, cool, growth, abundance.

Purple…royal, spirituality, dignity.

Pink…..soft, sweet, nurture, security.

White….pure, virginal, clean, youthful, mild.

Black….sophistication, elegant, seductive, mystery, sexual.

Gold…..prestige, expensive, elite.

Silver…prestige, cold, scientific.

This also means that color affect shopping habits. Red- orange, black and royal blue attracts impulse buyers. Pink, teal, light blue and navy attract smart budget Shopper. Pink, rose and sky blue attract conformists.

A great exercise to experience this — visit large company web sites that have spent the funds on this type of research.

Try McDonalds (http://www.mcdonalds.com — bright red) or Wendy’s (http://www.wendys.com — brownish red). Jaguar (http://www.jaguar.com — black for sophistication, green cool, and silver for prestige). It matches perfectly with their market — high income-ers with a view on sophisticated.

If you are a service professional, how might you put colors to use for you?

First, make sure you have the right target market. Young children materials contain large amounts of bright primary colors. These colors will attract the child yet the parents or grandparents open the wallet. This means that for the children you would use the primary colors and for the marketing material being read by the grand/parents you would use reds, blues, pinks and yellows for trust, reliability, security, and playful.

If you a web site and you choose the colors because they are your favorite, then you choose it could have chosen it for the wrong target market — unless, of course, you are the only one or people just like you are the only ones you want buying. Pick your colors for your market. This is anything you want to attract in America.

Catherine Franz is a Marketing & Writing Coach, niches, product development, Internet marketing, nonfiction writing and training. Additional Articles: http://www.abundancecenter.com blog: http://abundance.blogs.com

Small business owners learn many lessons the hard way - through the school of hard knocks. I recently experienced my own tough lesson concerning the importance trademarking my business name. Like many solo-entrepreneurs on a tight budget, the thought of trademarking my business name was not high on my priority list. Had I placed more importance on it, I might have saved myself some anxious moments, not to mention a few hundred dollars in attorney fees!

As a member of a couple different virtual assistant membership organizations, I often look with interest at other VA’s business names and website URL’s. One day I noticed a new member announcement for one of the groups and saw a listing for VA Office Solutions. Now this one hit a little too close to home for me - after all, my business name is VA Office Solution. I also noticed that she had a domain name to match.

Have you figured out my first mistake yet? I could have kicked myself for not purchasing the domain name, http://www.vaofficesolutions.com, which is so close to my own domain name of www.vaofficesolution.com. After all, even some of my own clients inadvertently add an "s" to the end of my business name in correspondence. I certainly didn’t want people to look for my business on the Internet, and mistakenly find this other website! This could potentially be very confusing for both of us, especially considering we both operate similar businesses and conduct our business virtually, working with people all over the country.

Well the first thing I did was a little research on this domain name. I was able to find the owner and saw that the name had only recently been purchased, and had only been purchased for a one year period. This indicated to me that this was a new business, and she had only just started using this name.

Then next step was to get some legal advice. I had met an attorney who specializes in trademark law at a networking event so I gave her a call and asked to meet with her. I learned that I definitely had a good case, as I’d been using the trademark since 2001. Even though I had not formally registered the trademark with the USPTO (U.S. Patent and Trademark Office), I still had first use of the trademark, which gives me certain rights.

After meeting with the attorney, I decided that my first step should be filing my trademark with the USPTO (http://www.uspto.gov). Now this is something that I could do myself, without paying an attorney, but taking into consideration my own time constraints and her expertise, I decided to let her handle it for me. Also, since there would need to be a letter drafted to the trademark infringer after my trademark had been filed, I just felt more comfortable letting my attorney draft a letter that would be effective enough to get the infringer to stop using the trademark and take the website down.

So how did it all end? Well I got my trademark registered and we sent the letter to the trademark infringer. She agreed to stop using the trademark and took the website down. All in all, the entire process took about three months. I feel very lucky though, as I was able to find this infringer very soon after she opened her doors for business. By getting it done quickly, it should not have been devastating to her business and did not have an apparent affect on my business.

So what should you consider when deciding if you should trademark your business name? First you should conduct some research to make sure you’re not infringing on someone else’s trademark. You may be forced to stop using it if that’s the case. If you decide to trademark your business name, then you must be prepared to enforce your mark. If you allow others to use the mark, then you can face abandonment and risk losing your own trademark. You should also consider the domain name issue. Do not make the mistake I did and let someone else snatch up a domain name that matches your trademark.

Be sure to visit the U.S. Patent and Trademark office at http://www.uspto.gov, and then visit my attorney Heidi Pliam’s trademark website, Trademark Edge, at http://www.trademarkedge.com. And if you’re looking for a good trademark attorney, be sure to give Heidi a call! Her contact information is on the website.

Jean Hanson is a Certified Professional Virtual Assistant. Discover how partnering with a virtual assistant will give you more time to do the things you love to do! Visit her at http://www.vaofficesolution.com. Jean is also the author of the eBook, Virtualize Your Business - http://www.virtualizeyourbiz.com

Graphical LED Displays utilize high-resolution graphics and video to transmit the information. You will find them sited in world’s great cosmopolitan cities. These impressive electronic signs towering over the streets displays graphic and video to broadcast important information or to advertise themselves.

There are many companies that use these displays to broadcast their product in the open world and these displays help them a lot to expand their business or industry. In this digital world, the use of Graphical LED Displays gives new sleek to the tradition of marketing department also. Not only in the industrial zone, they are used in many other areas also. Because of the LED technology employed in Graphical LED displays, they are energy efficient, produce clear and bright result and waste no light.

Graphic LED displays are available in variety of options. Jayex Technology offers many choices in Graphic LED Displays. Variations are in size, color and mode of display. Also mounting options are considered for Graphic LED displays. Some of the bigger displays feature characters over six feet tall and whose length measures over 100 feet tall, there are smaller sizes to fit any budget.

Graphic LED displays employ LED technology which stands for light emitting diodes, and is considered most efficient form of lighting today. They don’t get hot when in use and this is the most measured advantage why it is widely used in current trend. It produces all the color including white, although it is most difficult to produce white color under LED technology. Graphic LED displays are available in single color, two color or multi color options today.

These graphic LED displays are one of the world most impressive outdoor signs, which are very famous of outlet displays as they convey all type of information. They are connected to local power supply and can be programmed to automatically switch on and off at pre defined time schedule. More over they are easy to program, and any person can operate it to change the content with least expertise.

About The Author

Paula Jones

Jayex Technology Limited, based in London specialise in advanced information display systems. Established in 1978 we have pioneered the development of the LED display market and now have over 18,000 customers worldwide. We offer, probably the largest range of models from small single line signs to big screen Megavision screens that can display live video and action replay in stadia.

jayex.co.uk

A rough guide to corporate identity

The tabloids report the millions spent by large corporate companies on their logos as a scandal… Those small swathes of colour adorning British Airways’ tail fin, ICI’s letterhead or Sainsbury’s checkout seem to come at a huge price.

So do these companies have too much money and not enough common sense? Are they victims of designer indulgence, or are they getting a good deal?

This isn’t rocket science, but it is often misunderstood, as the tabloids flagrantly show. Let’s start at the beginning. Every company has a corporate image. Every company from Joe’s One-Man Taxi Co. to IBM. It may be good, it might be bad. Put simply, corporate identity is the way in which an organisation is perceived.

Corporate identity describes the individual characteristics by which a company is recognised. It is the organisation’s sense of ‘self’ - the corporate individuality or personality. Visual identity (that’s the logo) is a pretty big part of it.

So how deep into corporate identity do you want to go? Let’s really confuse matters.

The public, customers, employees, the city, all have a vastly different image of the same company. The image is an accumulation of a company’s past and present identity. Each and every encounter we have with it (by phone, in person or through the media) alters our impression. First impressions (what psychologists call the “primacy effect”) are vital to how we see the company in the future, and extremely difficult to change. Future encounters with the company and its products will only add to the mosaic already constructed in our mind (the “recency effect”), rather than replace it.

But the multi-nationals have bought far more than just a logo. They buy a carefully designed face - corporate plastic surgery, an appearance, an identity. And they’ve paid for a lorry-load of thinking behind it. They have funds and enough at stake to really do the job properly. The logo isn’t plucked from the sky, but selected with precision from thousands of others which were cast aside during its design.

A research team identifies the company’s needs (they are all so very different). A corporate ID programme uses the results and a design team is briefed. Ideas lead to solutions, and stage by stage presentation to the client for discussion and refinement.

Once completed, the ID is usually ‘rolled out’ gradually, strictly enforced by lengthy guidelines covering all possible applications. The advent of desktop publishing has both helped and hindered in-house bastardisation of corporate identity. Without consistency, the identity is ineffective, probably damaging.

There are companies in the UK still unconcerned by their image. Some feel the company is not developed enough to begin work on its image; others perceive astronomical costs, or just don’t care that their corporate communications look like the office dog ate them. And some just slap a logo on everything in sight.

You don’t have to spend millions on corporate Identity

Many household names would not exist without painstakingly designed and instigated schemes that we as customers seldom even consciously consider. So what of those companies who don’t have millions to outlay on corporate identity programmes? Fortunately, the corporate identity for a smaller company tends to be far simpler.

Your corporate identity programme can be conducted in-house, just as the research and much of the development. Always keep it very simple, and brief an appropriate designer not a print company. Make sure you get on with them, and see some of their past work. Get a rough quote before you start. Cut down any wrong trees they are likely to bark up. Inspire them. Be direct. Be patient. Be decisive. Give them ‘creative freedom’. Ensure they get to know and understand your business. Try to see your company from the point of view of your target market.

Keep the number of presentations they make to you to a minimum. This adds importance to those meetings. Don’t compromise, but do stay open-minded. It doesn’t have to be expensive, and an investment in a well thought-out corporate identity for your business will reap its cost many times over, not to mention giving you a massive advantage over your badly-dressed competitors.

Next time you walk down the street, look out for Sainsbury’s which is certainly tasting better at last. It took their designers nearly three years to lose the ‘J’ and find a replacement for that ghastly orangey-beige. Check out Barclays’ gorgeous new global eagle. And while you’re there, you might remember that Tesco not so many years ago looked a little bit like Kwik Save does today. Next time you decide to skimp on the presentation of your company, think how much you spent on your best suit. Don’t turn up to the ball in your jeans!

Written for In Business Magazine by Jonathan Foster-Smith from Shine Design., graphic design and corporate identity consultants in Oxford. Distributed by Whatprice.

The right logo, with the right characteristics, will boost your visibility, credibility and memorablity – which means more business for you!

These characteristics include:

Consistency in use of your logo, tagline, materials. Repetition of similar elements, used in the same or similar ways, helps people to remember who you are and what you do.

Memorability, so that your logo stays at the forefront of your potential clients’ minds. That way, they’ll think of you next time they have a need.

Meaningfulness, so that your logo can spread the message about the distinguishing characteristics of your business.

Uniqueness, which helps you stand out from the crowd. For example, if everyone in your industry uses a particular symbol (i.e., travel agencies often use globes in their logos), try to use something else – that way, your logo doesn’t just look like everyone else’s.

Professionalism, in the quality of the graphics, the printing and the paper on which your materials are printed.

Timelessness in your logo will ensure that you don’t have to redesign your logo in just a few years and that your investment and equity in your design will be lasting.

Differentiation between the colors in your logo – and not just in terms of hue, but in terms of value as well, so that it translates well either to black and white or greyscale and colorblind people are able to see it.

Unity among the different elements in the logo. The logo must fit together as a single unit, and not just appear as a jumble of elements pasted together.

Scalability, so that your logo looks equally good on both a business card and on a sign for your business (or a billboard!), and at every size in between. Your business’s name should be legible at different logo sizes – be sure that your designer chooses a font that is easily readable.

Having a professionally designed logo can really give your business a jumpstart and helps your business get the attention – and clients – you need to succeed.

About the Author

Erin Ferree, Founder and Lead Designer of elf design, is a brand identity and graphic design expert. She has been helping small businesses grow with bold, clean and effective logo and marketing material designs for over a decade. elf design offers the comprehensive graphic and web design services of a large agency, with the one- on-one, personalized attention of an independent design specialist. Erin works closely in partnership with her clients to create designs that are visible, credible and memorable – and that tell their unique business stories in a clear and consistent way. For more information about elf design, please visit: Logo design at http://www.elf-design.com

Initial lack of customers and cash flow often causes a small business to put off designing a logo and marketing materials professionally “until [they] got a few clients” or “until [they] get started.” Designing their own marketing materials when they launch their business, instead of having them professionally created, will make getting those initial clients more difficult, and may result in a business that will not succeed.

Many entrepreneurs choose to design their own marketing materials when they launch their business, especially by creating their first business card. Or, they will have an amateur designer, friend or relative create the design. There are several reasons why this is not the best idea. An amateur logo design and business card can make your business more likely to fail because:

- Your business won’t look stable. It will appear to be more likely to fold or to fail. Clients won’t have confidence in doing business with you. Would you do business with someone that seems to be on unstable footing – who might not be in business by the end of your project, or after you’ve purchased an item?

- You’ll look like a very small business. Large, successful businesses would never consider doing business without professional, originally designed marketing materials. Using materials that are not professionally designed (i.e., Microsoft or Vistaprint templates) makes your business appear even smaller, and can possibly indicate that you cannot perform to or meet the standards required.

- You’ll look unpolished and rough. Not having a professional look and feel can make it look as though your business does not matter to you. Customers may get the impression that you don’t care about the way your business presents itself, which might indicate that you wouldn’t care about the quality of your work, or the way that your work reflects upon their business.

- You’ll look unfocused. Unprofessional, uncoordinated marketing materials can make your business look “jumbled” or confused. If you have a business card with one look and feel and a website with another, this creates a confused – and confusing – look and feel for your business. This can also cause an identity crisis for a small business. When looking at your differently designed materials, potential clients may be fooled into thinking that they are looking at materials that represent different companies.

About half of all businesses fail within their first few years. One source of failure that’s commonly cited by experts is sloppy or ineffective marketing – if your marketing materials don’t stand out from your competitors’, your sales will suffer.

When you start a business, you need to create the quickest possible route to business success. A logo helps to create this by contributing to your business’s visibility, credibility, and memorability – three factors that will help your business to grow and achieve success. So, while putting off your logo development may seem like a prudent idea from a cash-flow point of view, it could result in your business never getting “off the ground”. It can also lead to your business folding when it would otherwise succeed – if you don’t invest in your business, who will?

If you think that you can’t afford to design a logo when starting your business, consider the outcomes – how can you afford not to?

About the Author

Erin Ferree, Founder and Lead Designer of elf design, is a brand identity and graphic design expert. She has been helping small businesses grow with bold, clean and effective logo and marketing material designs for over a decade. Elf design offers the comprehensive graphic and web design services of a large agency, with the one- on-one, personalized attention of an independent design specialist. Erin works closely in partnership with her clients to create designs that are visible, credible and memorable – and that tell their unique business stories in a clear and consistent way. For more information about elf design, please visit: Logo design at http://www.elf-design.com

Logo, graphic, icon, logotype, typogram, logoform, image…call it what you will, a logo by any other name is the group of letters and/or symbols used in a consistent and unique way to identify a company. It is the most prominent and stable element of marketing, and should be planned carefully to fully reflect your brand. Understanding the key aspects of a logo will help in developing a durable, on target identity.

Format

There are three common formats for a logo:

• Image & Type — Includes a literal or symbolic graphic with the company name positioned close to but separate from the graphic.

Direction

Design development of the logo generally follows one of three directions:

• Graphic — Literally describes the company’s activity, such as choosing a tree or a shovel to depict a landscaping company.

Style

Color, font and format choices assist in building an impression.

• Traditional — Achieving a classic image calls for timeless shades of red, navy and forest green. Choosing an elegant script or serif font like Vivaldi, Times or Palatino, as well as creating a balanced layout reflects a traditional image.

Uniqueness

It is important to be aware of the images around you. Creating a logo that is inappropriate for your industry, too close to a competitor’s, or reminds viewers of another company can sabotage communication. A logo should be like a fingerprint, one of a kind.

Logos have many elements that can be coordinated to deliver maximum impact. When developing an image to reflect a brand, consider these key points for aligning visuals with the verbal and experiential message of your company.

About The Author

Beth Brodovsky is the president and principal of Iris Creative Group, LLC. Brodovsky earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communication Design from Pratt Institute, New York. Before launching her own firm in 1996, she spent eight years as a corporate Art Director and Graphic Designer, providing a sound foundation in management and organizational standards and structure. Iris Creative specializes in providing marketing and strategic communication services to clients in service industries and small businesses. For more information contact Beth at bsb@iriscreative.com or 610-567-2799.

Creating a logo to get you noticed.

When you’re branding a company with a name, a colour scheme and a logo the logo is often not given enough care and attention. It should follow the chosen colour scheme and reflect the business that your company is in. Too often, particularly on the WWW logos are seen as a way to show off the design talents of the author. To create a free logo I have created this easy to follow step by step guide.

Planning

Your logo should reflect the company it represents. Create a list of all the services or products the company supplies and try to find some common ground.

Sit down and choose the colours you will be using. This is best achieved by studying the corporate colours and maybe adding a few more shades of these colours. You should aim for a maximum of 12 but ideally you will want only one or two colours. Avoid very dark colours unless it is relevant to your company. If you send out a letter on headed notepaper to a client you will want your logo to jump off the desk at them to remind them who you are.

Remember that your design may have to be very small (a business card) or very large (the side of a van) so whatever you come up with must be scaleable. Try imagining your logo as a tiny image and then as a large image. If your using lettering will it must be readable at a very small size. Will the font appear correctly in a user browser on the internet?

Consider every place your logo might appear and work out what you will need to design for. A company that deals with older people does not to be bright and modern, something a little more sedate would be more appropriate.

Until you know the answers to all the questions above don’t move on to the next section.

Creating

Keep it simple. Look at any major company in the world and see how simple their logos are. Nothing fancy for the experts so why should you have a fancy design?

Look at what the competion are doing. DO NOT COPY somebody else’s work. Sometimes I get me best inspiration from studying other people ideas and coming up with a really original one based on a concept they have used. As long as it’s not a copy of somebody else’s work your not infringing copyright.

A tip for doing this is to use Googles Image Search. Type in some key word and select the image search with the word logo. For example if you were selling cars search for “cars + logo”. You will be presented with a selection of rival logos for other sites.

Use this to see what works and what does not. You will be drawn to the good designs and you will recognise what represents a company that sells cars. This search brings up the Alpha Romeo logo in the first few entries. This logo is slightly more complicated than you will want but works perfectly for a company producing cars.

Now start sketching some designs on paper. Keep all of the designs you make to hand as you never know when you might decide that the picture you drew before could be the one. When you have an idea don’t over develop it. You should aim to have at least 15 to 20 rough ideas before choosing 2 or 3 to work on further.

Developing

When you have chosen your two or three best ideas ask some friends what they think. Use your friends and family to test your logo. Everybody loves to give their opinion on everything so use that to your own advantage. Listen to what people have to say about your designs and you may learn something. Little things that you have not seen can be very obvious to someone that has never seen it before. Take a note of all the comments and go back to the drawing board. Look over what was said about every design and then, based on your own feelings and the comments you have collected, decide which idea you are going to develop more.

Create a slightly more refined drawing, or if you have some computer skills, make up an approximate design using a graphics program (don’t worry if you can’t do this as the next step will take care of that anyway.)

Unless you’re either a graphic designer or a printer, employ a professional to finish the work to a high standard. Your logo will appear on every bit of literature your company will ever produce and if it does not look professional then you don’t look professional. You will have saved a lot of money by developing the logo yourself so it is now time to ask a professional to finish the work.

Well done. You have just created an effective and attractive logo for your company. Be proud of your work and display it everywhere.

About The Author

Philip Gillespie is a proffesional website designer and graphic artist. His works include www.echo-art.com, www.thekimberleyinn.com, www.yellowsands.com and www.integratedbodytherapy.com. Please contact for any further information or help.

philipgillespie@hotmail.com

Every day, the average person is exposed to millions of visual stimuli including hundreds of company logos.

A logo is a unique visual image that represents a company or its products. It aims to create a positive and memorable impression in the minds of the people who see it. In addition, a good logo can make a sale by saying something about the company to customers when there is no sales person present.

Choosing a logo for your business requires much thought and it is essential that you work closely with your graphic designer. Logo design needs your input as well as the designer’s creativity.

You have to start with an idea of the image you want your logo to portray, i.e. what you want it to say about your company. Beware though of turning the logo into a metaphor for something. The most memorable ones are usually the simplest – think of McDonald’s golden arches, the Apple Computer logo or Nike’s ‘swoosh’. Less is often more as far as logos are concerned.

Secondly, you will have to decide whether your logo should be an illustrative representation or abstract graphic that represents what your company does, or whether it should be font-based. Alternatively, your logo could be a combination of these options.

Logo colour is very important. Bear in mind that the colours you choose will impact on all your corporate materials. Your logo should also look good in black and white for use in mono print applications or on faxes for example.

Size is also a consideration, as your logo needs to look equally good on a business card as it does on the side of a truck or building. Similarly, make sure your logo is designed for print first and the web second. Do it the other way round and you may find that a design that looks good on a web site appears mediocre when scaled up for use in print.

Choose your logo design carefully as it will have a powerful impact on your business. A great logo lasts and should look good years from now. It also stands out from its environment and from the competition.

As well as building brand-awareness and speaking for your company, a great logo helps you make great sales… provided of course that you have the product and service quality to back it up.

Copyright © 2004, Christopher Smith, Mano Design

About The Author

Chris Smith is a partner in Mano Design ( http://www.mano-design.com ) - a Vancouver Design and Marketing agency.

Your corporate identity is a graphic expression of who you are as an organization. It plays a major role in what sells your company and its products. Everything that identifies your business, including your logo, color scheme, and tagline, work together to create an image that your customers remember. Building a corporate identity that bolsters your business objectives is a subtle, yet important part of achieving business success.

How do you want your business to be recognized? What image do you want to call forth in people’s minds? You may choose an identity that is fun and wacky if you run a family fun center, or calm and serious if you operate a funeral home. The mistake many businesses make is to not think about it at all. Your company has a corporate identity whether you intentionally developed one or not. It can be difficult to turn an unplanned image around. And chances are, it doesn’t convey the image you need to boost sales.

The best identity plan is one that is strategically designed to answer the following questions: What is the essence of your company? What message are you trying to send to your key audiences? What kind of name represents your desired image? What is the look and feel of your logo? Will the color and texture of the paper you print your business cards and brochure underscore the image you want to convey? How about the voice you use to do radio advertising? Everything must work together consistently to reinforce your image again and again and again.

There are dozens of ways that you can carefully develop your identity and project your businesses’ personality. Specific, intentional creative choices will deliver a desired impact. A professional designer can help take your corporate identity to the next level. He or she can also help you develop marketing materials to reflect your image. Here are some elements to consider:

1. Business Name: Your company name should reflect your business personality. It should also be concise, memorable, unique, and appropriate to your product or service.

2. Logo: An effective logo is visually simple and easily recognizable. It symbolizes the essence of your business. The shape of your logo expresses different meanings. For example, curves can signify an organization that offers supportive services. Straight, sharp lines can represent a company with a technological focus.

3. Typographic Identity: The font that you use should complement your logo. There are thousands of fonts to select from, choose carefully since each offers subtle visual elements that can reinforce, or detract from, your business image.

4. Corporate colors: Different colors elicit different emotional responses and further serve to enhance your identity. For instance, deep blues represent trust, while oranges and yellows are fun and playful.

5. Tagline: What is the most important message you want to deliver about your business? A tagline describes your business in a short phrase that can be included on your letterhead, business cards, brochures, and so on.

If you are just starting your business, carefully think through all of the identity materials you use to promote your company. And, if you have been in business for a while and your identity doesn’t represent your level of professionalism, consider revamping it. Remember, you only get one chance to make a first impression. What does your identity say about you?

Wendy Maynard, your friendly marketing maven, is the owner of Kinesis. Kinesis specializes in marketing, graphic and website design, and business writing. Visit http://www.kinesisinc.com for more articles and free marketing wisdom.

Want to harness the power of kinetic marketing? Sign up for Kinesis Quickies, a free bi-monthly marketing e-newsletter: http://www.news.kinesisinc.com