photo credit: opensourceway

Welcome back to part three of my interesting conversation with Ali Rowan, professional graphic designer.

Last week in part Two, I shared with you the importance of choosing the right colors for your brand. This week we will take a closer look at what Ali has to say about fine tuning your design.

The most important thing to watch out for when creating a specific design for your brand is copyright infringement. Avoid future problems by researching businesses that offer products or services similar to yours.

Being clever with a play of words is sometimes all it takes for another company with a recognizable brand to come after you for copyright infringement. Take the time to create your own unique version of something; don’t take your chances piggy-backing on the already established visibility of someone else.

An example would be perhaps using a likeness of the Jolly Green Giant as the spokesperson for your Landscaping business. Granted, it is two entirely different markets, but copyrights are in place to secure the Jolly Green Giant will represent the vegetables, not your lawn care business.

A play on words or even a slight variation on a recognized icon or design may seem like a brilliant idea and provide some humor to your personal branding, but can be very troublesome. I didn’t know this, but Ali told me that even some specific colors are copyrighted. It can be a very sticky situation.

Wise words of advice from Ali: “When in doubt about how far you are pushing your luck, don’t do it.” Better yet, seek the counsel of a professional to guide you.

You want to create a focal point within your design and layout. Too much ‘activity’ is distracting to the eye and fails to register as well as one simple powerful item for potential clients to remember.
This is a definite area to work with a professional. The elements and principals of design are their specialty.

How much of your personality should be evident?

When I proposed this question to Ali, her response was “It depends on the company or service”.
This is best explained by the comparison of two very different occupations:

• Legal Services
• Artist

A freelance legal representative probably wouldn’t gain much credibility if they had a fun, creative design on their business card. The business in general has a more serious tone; therefore the branding representation should reflect the tone of the business. That’s not to say a legal representative has to be all stoic and somber to be good at what they do, but first impression from the business card has to instill confidence in the client.

Breaking out of clichés, like “serious” branding for a law firm, while risky, can sometimes be a great way to stand out of the crowd. It’s okay to break the rules sometimes–just do it consciously, and know why you’re doing it.

A freelance artist, on the other hand, is marketing their uniqueness. Showing a more detailed ‘taste’ of their skills and talents would do well with potential clients. If their artwork is primarily bold strokes and abstract shapes, those features on a business card would be perfectly acceptable.

As with color choices, it all boils down to doing the research and knowing the demographics of your target market, your competition, and your product. Every little detail is vital to the impression your branding logo will create with its marketability.

Next week the conclusion of this series will end with Ali’s recommendation of the top Do’s and Don’ts when working on your brand. Be sure to check back and read about the tips she has for you.

Ali Rowan is a freelance graphic designer in the time that fits around her being a student, writer, crafter, girlfriend, daughter, sister, Canadian, and the various other things that keep her busy—not that the Canadian bit entails a lot of effort on her part, Olympic spirit aside. To embrace cliché, art and design have been a part of her life since she was little—she was temporarily ambidextrous around the age of 3, just so that she could continue colouring when one hand grew tired. To this day, she deeply regrets not keeping up with that, because come to think of it, being fully ambidextrous would be quite awesome.
Brief tangents aside, it was only in 2009 that Ali embarked on her freelance career, and admittedly, she’s still got lots to learn, just as she always will—if there’s one piece of advice she’s got, it’s that there’s always something left to learn, so never stop.
For more on Ali, don’t hesitate to follow her on Twitter, or check out her website, Avian Function.