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We Now (Officially) Offer Digital Branding Services

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We Now Offer Digital Branding Services!

Create a digital brand that represents your business and speaks to your customers with DaBrian Marketing Group, LLC.

18 January, 2017 (Reading, PA) – DaBrian Marketing Group, LLC formally adds digital branding as another service at its agency. The digital marketing firm based in Reading, PA has experience connecting its clients’ marketing material from traditional, to print, to their expertise in digital marketing – creating that cohesive brand image all companies need.

Smart Insights reports that 47% of businesses utilize digital marketing without any defined strategy. The DaBrian Marketing team works with a variety of industries such as financial and consumer services, hospitality, healthcare, non-profit, and Ecommerce. The overabundance of companies struggling with their strategic branding led the company to officially add the service.

The company offers four types of digital branding services.

  1. Branding Development: DaBrian Marketing takes your brand from what it is to what you want it to be with data-based analysis and personal evaluations
  2. Name & Tagline Development: Get your name recognized for the unique service you provide 
  3. Logo Development & Corporate Identity: Create an identity that fits your company and speaks to your audience. 
  4. Strategic Marketing Plan: DaBrian takes you through the process of improving your business’ visibility to achieve your personal marketing goals.

Daniel B. Laws, Jr. understands the importance of connecting all marketing efforts and is ready to start 2017 with his agency’s new service offering. “For years, DaBrian Marketing has been providing clients with these services as part of a digital marketing plan. We’ve noticed clients [current and potential] consistently running into challenges such as conveying a clear plan, providing marketing materials in the appropriate format, establishing a brand identity, and measuring success. So, we have expanded our offerings to those companies that need help. ”

For more information on digital branding, request to speak with Daniel B. Laws, Jr. by visiting DaBrian Marketing Group’s website and filling out the “contact us” form.

About DaBrian Marketing Group, LLC
Founded in 2008, DaBrian Marketing Group, LLC is a full-service digital marketing agency, focused on providing original and strategic digital marketing solutions for businesses, that want to create digital awareness, increase return on investment (ROI), and identify insights that not only will help achieve goals but will also help to increase your business’s efficiencies. DaBrian Marketing Group’s services include email marketing, digital branding, search engine optimization (SEO), Pay Per Click Advertising, web design, web analytics, social media marketing and more. Company headquarters is centrally located at 500 Penn Street, Suite 201, Reading, Pennsylvania 19602. For more information about DaBrian Marketing Group, visit dabrianmarketing.com or call 610.743.5602.

Five Logo File Types Every Business Should Keep on File

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Business owners often advertise their brand in multiple facets and in the media space. This makes it crucial for them to understand the different logo file types and the way they are utilized in the media space they are implemented into. In this blog, I will be covering the five important logo file types all business owners should have at their disposal.

Vector Based File

Vector graphics are considered to be the most flexible image format for saving logo files. Vector based files allow you to easily add spot colors (Pantone colors), gradients, and textures to the artwork. However, what they are mostly known for is having the ability to be reduced or increased in size without losing any quality. Common file extensions associated with vector files are .AI, .SVG, .EPS, and .DRW. If there is one file type I would recommend a business owner use to preserve their logo, vector files would be it.

vector-export

EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) File

​Another versatile and effective file type for preserving logos is an .EPS file. An .EPS file can contain any combination of text, graphics and images and is often used when exchanging logo vector graphics that are only to be read but not edited by the recipient. Files sent to a professional printer, for example, are usually sent in this format. Unlike vector files, .EPS files have very little editability when it comes to changing colors, adding gradients, or simply changing text. However, they are similar to vector files because they are programmed in PostScript (PS), which is the language used to create vector based graphics, allowing them flexibility in the scaling department. An .EPS file is made up of two types of data; there is the preview data that allows the file to be viewed in most page layout programs, and it also contains high resolution data used by high quality printing devices.

eps-export

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) File

JPEG is a compressed image file format (or lossy compression format). JPEG files allow you to compress an image while trying to preserve as much of its’ quality as possible and are not limited to the amount of color it contains. Although some image quality is lost during compression, JPEG images can still appear to be colorful and high in resolution. I would make a guess and say that over 80% of the images seen on the World Wide Web are JPEG files in nature. If you have to showcase your logo on the web in an advertisement, for example, more than likely this would be your image file of choice. The big negative on JPEG images is that they do not preserve transparency data unlike all the other files mentioned in this blog.

jpeg-export

PNG (Portable Network Graphics) File

​Just like JPEG files, a PNG file is a raster (or bitmap) image file format which supports lossless data compression. It also supports millions of colors similar to it’s counterpart,  however it does not support non-RGB color spaces such as CMYK which doesn’t make it ideal for high quality printing if any printing at all. It’s a  clear advantage over JPEG files is the ability to preserve transparency data which is how logos on most websites are implemented.

png-export

GIF

Last, we have the GIF file. A GIF image by nature is an 8-bit color file, which means they are limited to a palette of 256 colors. Having this limited color palette makes GIF files ideal for small images with solid areas of color. GIF files are also an effective means of saving grayscale images since they are based on an 8-bit color palette. With its limited color palette, GIFS offers the smallest image compression available, but that comes with the sacrifice of poor image quality. GIF image files are currently being replaced by PNG image files around the web and most digital spaces since they offer higher resolution images.

gif export

Conclusion

As a business owner, it is important that you prepare your logo in a variety of image file types. The ones I’ve listed are just a few, but these file types are the ones I feel are the most important. Having these files at your disposal gives you the flexibility to place your logo on any type of print or digital advertising campaigns. Having them readily available can also speed up your creative or design process, as well as, give your designer a peace of mind not having to recreate or redesign any logo assets. If you have any other file type in mind you would like to mention, please leave it in the comments below.

The 5 Different Logo Types and Your Brand Identity

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Introduction

In my last blog on the basics of designing a logo, we covered principles to follow when designing one of the most important identity pieces for your business. We learned that a successful logo design should be simple, yet versatile enough to be placed on a variety of different media. Visually, its design should appear to be memorable and timeless, yet stay appropriate to its audience.

When working to develop a logo, one big consideration is the type of design you choose. There are wealth of resources out there that cover various logo styles, but in my experience, there are 5 that are most prevalent and also most important. Let’s get started!

1. Symbol / Icon

The symbol or icon logo benefits from being the least complicated style yet the most flexible of all the other logo types. Symbolic/Iconic logos should be able to stand on their own without the company name association. This type of logo should only be utilized by large or international companies where language could play a huge role in consumers not being able to recognize the brand.

symbolic logos
Example 1: Here are 3 companies that recently dropped the word mark portion of their logo and now utilizes only the symbol/icon component. Out of the top 100 companies worldwide 6% of them uses this type of logo.

According to a study administered by Tastyplacement.com, only 6% of the top 100 companies in the world implements this type of logo. In other words, startups and other new business ventures should likely stay away from relying on a simple image to define their brand. However, I believe that every business should gradually move towards developing a symbolic/iconic logo because to me it represents a level of awareness that comes with overall success.

2. Word Mark

The second type of logo is known as a word mark. Roughly 37% of the top 100 companies worldwide are represented by this type of logo (via Tastyplacement.com). These logos consist of a type font which is styled or manipulated to convey the identity of a business. Even without being styled or manipulated, fonts tend to give off their own impressions. For example:

● Italic – motion, change, timely, continuous

● Bold – strength, power, stability, security

● Script – formal, refined, elegance, prestige

● Hand Written – friendly, playful, happy, childish

Word Mark Logos - Branding
Example 2: This graphic showcases 3 word mark logos which uses typefaces that are uniquely styled. Some word mark logos may even include a simple graphic element in the design.

Word mark logos are ideal for new startup businesses because it helps customers familiarize themselves with both the brand name and, ideally, a bit of the brand culture or personality.

3. Letter Mark

Letter mark logos are very similar to word mark logos in that they are created using typefaces; however, there is greater focus on just using first letter, initials, or an abbreviation of a company’s name to convey their brand identity. Unlike word marks that may contain a simple graphic for clarity, letter marks tend to be exclusively typographic.

Letter Mark Logos - Branding
Example 3: Letter mark logos are typically typographic using either the first letter, or an abbreviated version of a company's name. This type of logo is utilized by 37% of the top 100 companies globally.

This type of logo is best suited for companies with longer or hard to pronounce names. Companies with names that sound or appear generic can also benefit from letter mark logos as a means of differentiation. As an example, if a friend of yours told you that he was watching a show on “Home Box Office,” you probably wouldn’t have a clue what he was talking about. You may think he was speaking about some new cable network, but “Home Box Office” is none other than the vastly-popular cable channel HBO.

4. Combination Mark

Combination Mark Logos - Branding
Example 4: Combination mark logos offers the most flexibility because they consist of both a symbol and a word, or letter mark. These elements can be presented together or individually when representing a company. 56% of the top 100 businesses globally uses this type of logo.

Logos that integrates both a symbol/icon with text (word marks) are known as combination mark logos. According to Tastyplacement.com, 56% of the top 100 companies globally uses this type of logo style. A couple of benefits with developing a combination mark logo for your company are:

  • Having both a symbol and a word mark to represent your company gives you an additional level of flexibility on how your brand appears to customers. As your business grows and changes, parts of the mark can be altered, combined, or separated, but always retain a level of consistency. Many businesses today are following this trend.
  • Combination mark logos are also easier to register as a trademark than stand alone symbol/icon type logos. Many symbol/icon logos can appear similar without uniquely styled text (word marks) associated with them.

5. Emblem

Emblem logos can be considered combination marks to a degree. They are similar because they both include a symbol and text; however, unlike combination marks, emblem style logos are more integrated and enclosed to appear as one single graphic.

Emblem Logos - Branding
Example 5: A large portion of the automobile industry is represented by this type of logo. Emblem logos are also very popular in sports and the beer industry.

Because of this, emblem style logos cannot be presented as separate identity pieces like a combination mark logo, which gives them very little flexibility, especially in print applications or when resizing. This type of logo is very popular in the automobile industry as well as in the sporting world. Emblem style logos tend to resemble a badge or an official seal.

For the last example I decided to showcase DaBrian Marketing Group. Our logo would be classified as a combination mark because it consists of a word mark, a symbol, and a tagline. This type of logo is ideal for our company because we are a small and only made up of 9 employees. We are not well known outside of our coverage area therefore the combination mark logo serves us best.

Different Logo Types - Reading, PA

Are you looking to design a new logo or take your current one in a new direction? Join the discussion in the comments!

Designing a Logo? Here Are 5 Basic Design Principles to Follow

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Introduction

When starting a business it is very important to establish some sort of identity or visual presence. This is normally accomplished by the development or creation of a logo to represent your business. Your logo should speak to your audience with little or no explanation needed to justify its meaning. With that being said, there are 5 basic design principles that many designers follow that, more often than not, will ultimately determine the success of your new identity piece. In this blog we will go over these basic principles as well as provide some good examples of each.

1. Make it appropriate or relevant to your audience

Understanding your target audience and/or customers is probably the most important step in creating an effective or successful logo design. Not knowing or having this information may cause you to struggle with the development of your logo. It may even create a big disconnect between you and your target audience. By defining who your audience or customers are, you are then able to keep all the elements within the logo design relevant to them. Some examples of logos that clearly define who’s being targeted are the ones currently representing Gerber, Pantene Pro-V, and Rolex.

Relative logo design examples
Example 1: In the example above there are 3 logos shown that clearly define their target audience. As we all know Gerber markets towards new mothers, Pantene Pro-V markets towards women, while Rolex markets towards the rich and famous.

2. Most successful logos are “simple” in design

After you have defined your target audience, you can then move on to developing and designing your logo. This leads to our next principle, which is to keep the design or idea as simple as possible. It is best to apply the saying “less is more” to this principle. This phrase was actually first popularized by German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and I believe that this saying has more value or meaning in logo design than any other aspect of creative design. A logo that is too elaborately designed or made up of too many elements generally tends to create issues with things such as resizing, adding color, and most importantly readability. As a major rule, it is best to design the logo in black and white or grayscale before implementing colors. A well-designed logo in black and white usually translates well in color. Some logos that work well in black and white, as well as color are IBM, Nike, and Mercedes Benz.

Simple logo design examples
Example 2: It is a common practice to design a logo in black and white before implementing color. It is very possible that your logo may be successful enough where you do not have to add any color to make it relevant. That choice will be left up to you.

3. Your logo should be memorable

For a logo to be memorable, it should be visually pleasing and easy to remember. A good test to see if your logo has that memorable factor is by removing components or elements from the logo to see if it is still recognizable. Throughout history, many companies have eliminated parts or pieces of their identity without losing any relevancy. There are some key aspects to remember that can help make your logo a memorable one. First, stay away from concepts that mimic logos already in existence. Your logo design should be unique, yet relevant to the audience it’s trying to capture. Second, you should choose a font that best represents your business. Choosing a font can be considered the most crucial step in logo design. According to imjustcreative.com, fonts are the life and soul of the logo. Time spent choosing a font should not be underestimated. Make sure that you choose a font that delivers the right message because choosing the wrong font can be disastrous for you and your logo design. Third, stay away from design trends or social trends when designing a logo because as we know, trends do have a tendency to come and go. Follow them too closely and your logo could meet the same fate. In the examples below, I removed key elements or parts of logos to see if they are still recognizable.

Memorable logo design examples
Example 3: Here are 3 logos with key elements or major parts removed. See how quickly and accurately you can identify these brands.

4. Will your logo stand the test of time?

As time passes by, your logo or identity should remain relevant and appropriate to your audience with little or no changes at all. Simply put, the least amount of changes you make to your logo over time the better it is for you and your company. Logos that have that timeless factor or element to them tend to have little or no changes to their design over time, or the changes can be so miniscule that it is almost impossible to tell the difference between the previous and new design. According to brandprofiles.com, your logo should remain relevant 10-20 years down the road. Therefore, redesigning or rebranding your company’s identity or brand isn’t considered a good practice. Simply put, it is all about longevity. Some good examples of this would be the Google, Coca-Cola, and Reebok logos.

Timeless logo design examples
Example 4: In this example you can see that Reebok has changed or made slight alterations to their logo since 1895 (10 to be exact). Until the 2008-present version of the logo, they all closely resemble each other to some degree.

5. It must be versatile and flexible

Another key aspect of a successfully designed logo is its ability to be scaled at different sizes without losing quality or readability. Logos should also display well in one color or against different color backgrounds. They should also have the ability to be implemented across various media and within a variety of contexts. Creating a logo in vector format is the most common and recommended practice by designers as a whole. Vector files can be created in programs such as Adobe Illustrator and Inkscape and will give you the most versatility and flexibility when creating or implementing a logo for different media types.

Versatile/Flexible logo design examples
Example 5: This example shows an identity package with a variety of media. As you can see, the logo is implemented differently depending on the type of media it is on. Here you can see the variation of sizes and color.

Conclusion

Now that we have covered the 5 basic principles of logo design, it may be in your best interest to audit your company’s current logo, or a logo that you have been developing to see if the design reflects any or all of these principles. You may also want to critique some busy or complex logo designs to see what the designer could have done differently to make the logos more relevant or ideal to its audience. When looking at and critiquing these logos, keep in mind that some of them may still be considered good designs though they do not follow the 5 basic logo design principles.

Have a question or a tip I didn’t mention? Please add yours in the comments below!