We often wonder what yellow means in India or red means in China and look for resources to help us understand the meaning of color in different cultures.

David McCandless produced this wonderful infographic for the book, Information is Beautiful outlining the meanings of colors in different cultures. What I love about this infographic is that it demonstrates the similarities and disparities of meanings across cultures. Color meaning is not a cut-and-dry formula that designers plug into a solution. Instead, it is deeply embedded in cultural meaning and designers need to understand a culture before we can speak to it either symbolically or directly. At a glance, McCandless’ poster lets us trace the color of cruelty in America and see it is similar to the color of beauty in the same culture. And that is why color has such rich symbolism.

Like

Unlike

It’s no wonder that big brands often have strong color palettes. But what happens when those big brands — or any size brand for that matter — have a line extension? The question becomes: Should a new color be added to the brand’s palette and, if so, how do you introduce your customers to it?

The short answer is: Stop! (imagine screeching brake sounds now).

The long answer is: Proceed, but with caution. This is more than a design decision. Adding color to the palette requires an evaluation of the brand architecture to determine what makes the most sense. And if your company determines that adding color to a brand’s palette is a good idea, it also needs to take a strategic approach to migrating the new color into your brand’s collateral, website, etc. This is where a good marketing communications plan can make all the difference in the world.

Color plays an important role in branding (logo, collateral and everything) — after all, 80 percent of visual information is related to color. Don’t underestimate its value by making the decision flippantly.

Like

Unlike

If you’ve been a subscriber to our newsletter since the beginning, you’ve now received nearly 20 issues over the course of almost two years. With this issue, you may have noticed that we’ve named our newsletter Red Letter. In doing so, we hope to evoke our brand color (warm red), point to our branded “G” and also play off the popular expression “a red letter day,” which refers to any day that is of special significance.

As an integral part of our brand, Red Letter will continue to work hard to regularly publish information that we believe is relevant to your workday challenges. We’ve heard lots of great feedback and we are always open to your comments, your suggestions for future topics and the general enthusiasm you’ve shared with us.

Please continue to tell us what you think!

Like

Unlike

Have you Googled a company, TiVoed a television program or Photoshopped a picture recently? If so, you’re guilty of genericide, or using a company’s name or product in a generic sense — specifically, in each of these examples, as a verb.

At first glance, this may seem like a good thing. After all, isn’t that just what a company wants? To own a word that is instantly recognized and commonly used throughout the world?

Not exactly.

Google, fearing the loss of its trademark, discourages using its name as a verb, especially when it pertains to using other search engines to find information on the Web. Michael Krantz, a blogger for Google wrote: “While we’re pleased that so many people think of us when they think of searching the Web, let’s face it, we do have a product to protect, so we’d like to make clear that you should please only use ‘Google’ when you’re actually referring to Google Inc. and our services.” He went on to cite examples of correct and incorrect usage of the word.

Problem is, not everybody uses words as they’re supposed to be used (think of all the English teachers who’d be out of jobs). The Oxford English Dictionary and the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary recognized the popularity of google and added it to their latest additions, keeping it lowercase when referring to the action and uppercase when referring to the company.

Oddly enough, Google founder Larry Page is credited/blamed for first using google as a verb in 1988. He wrote: “Have fun and keep googling!” on a mailing list.

P.S. Do you know the origin of the the word google? According to Forbes.com, the word is “a misspelling of the word ‘googol’ which refers to 10 to the power of 100 (the number followed by one-hundred zeros), and the moniker reflects the company’s quixotic quest to organize the limitless amount of information on the Web.”

Like

Unlike

How would you rather spend your marketing budget?
a.) inspiring your target audiences to purchase your product
b.) convincing people not to use your brand name as a generic

No, that’s not a trick question. The truth is, if you’re not careful about selecting a name for your company, product or service — or if you’re not diligent about using it properly — you could find yourself in a situation where you are spending your marketing budget like LEGO Company once did: “Please call our interlocking plastic building blocks ‘LEGO blocks’ or ‘toys’ and not ‘LEGOs.’”

True, many companies find themselves in this situation when they are dominating the market share and may wonder, “What’s wrong with that? I mean, millions of people are using the product and now we have millions of spokespeople saying, ‘pass the Kleenex’ every day.’”

Sounds ideal. In truth, when a trademark is so popular that it becomes genericized, the legal protection of that trademark is at risk and rights to that trademark could be lost.

Every naming project is different and the need to worry about generification may or may not be at the top of your criteria list. Regardless, developing an appropriate name that can be protected will always be an important criteria at Go East. We do a top line search to eliminate any potential concerns, but we always insist that our clients work with their trademark attorneys for a thorough check. A few tricks to protect against genericide include incorporating a generic descriptor with the brand name: Kleenex facial tissues, and/or using the word “brand” with the name: Band-Aid brand.

Avoiding the potential of generification of a brand name is just one of many reasons why working with an experienced marketing communications agency is the right thing to do when it comes to naming.

Like

Unlike

When we purchased Century Graphics, we thought very little about the name because our clients knew us and what we did. Besides, it was much easier to leave well enough alone. As new business owners, we had other things on our minds.

A few years later, we decided we needed to re-evaluate who we were as a company and determine a new vision for who we wanted to be. As I’ve mentioned before, the people you hire help define the future. And, like many other companies, we realized we were already down a new road and the services we were providing to our clients had extended beyond what our name implied. In fact, in many cases our name had become a detriment to our business direction and it was holding us back.

The mental process of deciding to change what had been a safe and sure thing was not easy. We were reluctant to give up a part of our culture and history. “What will our current clients think?” was first of mind. However, it was clear that we already had our current clients … it was searching for the best and brightest new clients that we now needed to think about.

As a communications and design agency that invigorates brands through smart, inspired, creative solutions, we needed a name that evoked a sense of wonder and not only stood out from the crowd but was memorable. And so Go East was born. Yes, we were east of the Cities and, yes, we wanted our clients to go in a different direction (not “West, young man”), but what we wanted most was a name that fit not only who were were, but who we planned to become. Considering our future, rapidly changing technology and the changing needs of our clients, Go East works on so many levels.

We were (and still are) very excited about our name change. Redesigning our marketing materials and creating a new message and voice that was in alignment with our business strategy was an exciting process. Our employees are proud of who we’ve become and understood their role in making the vision come alive. It was almost as exciting as our beginning … except it wasn’t about buying a business, it was about re-introducing ourselves and bringing our new identity to life.

What do you think of when you see or hear “Go East”? We’d love to hear from you.

Like

Unlike

It seems every time I turn around I’m reading or hearing something about how “everything” is going online or mobile. It appears that if your brand is not online or mobile – in an engaging way – you’re losing out. Well, this may have some truth to it, but that doesn’t mean print solutions aren’t still valid.

Consider this:

• 70% of companies have renewed a relationship with a customer using direct mail
• Consumers receiving a printed catalog are two times more likely to purchase online than those who don’t receive a catalog
• 75% of consumers say they’ve made a purchase as a result of direct mail
• Worried about seeming wasteful? In 2007, 45.2 million tons of paper were recovered from recycling – that’s 57% of all paper and paperboard products

At Go East when we’re working on a project – to be distributed online or  via “old-fashioned” paper – we work hard to balance print and interactive strategies. Campaigns need to be integrated, but not redundant. They need to be impactful and they need to be targeted.

Don’t abandon one for the other or you won’t be able to capitalize on the biggest opportunities!

Like

Unlike

As a project manager at Go East, I wear a lot of hats. I say that figuratively, which is a good thing since I hate actually wearing a hat and wearing several hats at once is just plain weird.

Does that sound silly? Of course it is. One of the things I love about Go East is that we can be silly once in awhile. We are encouraged to have fun and keep in touch with the playful part of our brains. Creativity is not limited to art directors and designers; it’s asked of every employee. And as a freelance musician and a person who enjoys the arts, I embrace opportunities to stretch beyond the duties of a traditional project manager.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am an avid coffee drinker. There is a mug at the end of my right hand so often, it’s almost like an appendage. It’s literally part of who I am. (ed. Enough with the literal vs. figurative thing — too much.)

Being able to indulge in my over-caffeinated lifestyle at work may be a small thing, but it makes me feel comfortable knowing I can bring that part of my personality to the workplace.

To me, “living the brand” means that I can be myself while staying true to the brand personality of Go East. Some words that come to mind are these: passionate, focused, driven, intelligent, curious, connected. And hats. Lots of silly hats.

1 person likes this post.

Unlike