Branding | Webdesigner Depot

23 Nov
Branding and the importance of consistent design
Branding, Marketing, Reputation
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When you start working with clients you have to understand that the work you produce is not just about how good or bad a design is. It has a lot to do with the way the design fits into the wider spectrum of things.
Does this design fall in line with the overall theme of the company?
Does this design ‘say’ what the company tries to say?
In some instances and with some clients, you don’t even have to make a ‘great’ design, however, you are expected to make something that would be well received by the company and their audience.
Being aware of this is being aware of the branding of a company. Read more
29 Sep
25+ free unique business card PSDs
Branding, Business Cards, Templates
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As designers, we sometimes deal with clients who may be on a budget but want a super cool business card, and want it quick. As designers, we might even be that client.
A business card is often viewed as the first image a person has about your business and the work you do; once they see your business card they start developing ideas about the business and you. You want to have something that makes you look professional and different.
Creating a unique business card really allows your business to stand out amongst the rest. I mean think about it—how many times have you seen an “entrepreneur” use the same old template from an online printer? Often, huh? How do you feel about that person’s company and their quality?
Well, don’t be that person. And don’t let your clients or your friends be that person. Today, we have gathered up a bunch of unique business card PSDs to help you in your process. And the best part is that they are FREE. So perhaps you need a quick fix or you just need a template to jolt your creativity. Whatever it is, enjoy and download some of these great PSDs! Read more
27 Sep
Advertising as we know it is DEAD
Advertising, Branding, Marketing
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As an undergraduate of my university’s advertising program, every year, I’d have some sort of Super Bowl function that was centered around watching the commercials. After all, as an ad student, this was kind of a big deal and would be absolutely relevant to the next week of classes.
We would laugh at, be upset with, and critique most of the million dollar spots. Even though I was more interested in designing and directing print ads, I figured it couldn’t hurt to contribute to an upcoming topic and knock back a few brews.
Either way, once the final quarter ended and the winners celebrated by dumping Gatorade on their coach, I always felt unsatisfied. I know football isn’t my sport of choice, but most times the commercials were lackluster (and the half-time shows have been the pits). Most times I found myself making excuses for the commercials; “oh, that’s great for their target audience” or “oh, it was only a 15 second spot.”
Then it hit me one day after discussing the commercials with my baby-boomer mom. We were just talking about a pretty terrible commercial when she responded, “Yea, y’know commercials just ain’t what they used to be.”
While she probably said it flippantly, today, she is absolutely right—advertising as we know it just isn’t the same, and it’s truly on it’s last breath. Here’s my take on why…
Read more
23 Aug
5 ways to spruce up a logo (with examples)
Branding, Graphic Design, Logos
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Logos are often considered the image of a product or service and is thought of as the center of all branding endeavors. If you are trying to be a legitimate company, you’ve probably had someone (or yourself) create a logo.
We don’t always get logo design right. And sometimes it’s just time for a newer, trendier logo. We may see it a couple months or years later and decide that it’s time to redesign or update what we have.
Redesigning a logo can be just as hard as creating a new one. Some questions you may ask yourself are: How much do you want to change it? What elements should be kept? And will the redesign still be recognizable as your brand?
Once you go through your list of questions and figure out what’s necessary, here are five ideas you can use to spruce up your logo design. Read more
1 Aug
Strengthening behavioral cues in UX web design with Gestalt principles
Branding, Web Design, Websites
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Step with me, if you will, into my humble DeLorean, and travel back in history to that time you fell asleep in your design theory course.
You didn’t need Gestalt theories, you thought. You already knew how to make a killer logo. You had more important things to do, like daydream about becoming Sagmeister’s next protegee.
I hate to break it to you, but those fundamentals of perceptive organization go way beyond just making a pretty picture.
In fact, they are the keystones of the cognitive-emotional-behavioral process, and understanding their practical application enables us to engineer more powerful user experiences.
Read more
7 Jun
How to Design Your Business Card
Branding, Design, How to
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As web designers and developers, we often overlook printed marketing materials.
But on occasion, they can come in very handy: at conferences, when we meet face-to-face with clients, or when we happen to run into someone we might want to do business with. Having business cards is a great way to promote yourself in the physical world.
Of course, since web design is a creative field, you’ll want your business card to serve as a sort of mini portfolio that displays your skills. You should put the same time and energy into designing your business cards that you put into designing a website.
And the skills necessary to design a business card can be easily adapted from those that are required to design a website. Read on for more information about how to design your business cards. Read more
1 Oct
The Art of Branding Yourself and Your Freelancing Business
Branding, Business, Freelancing
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Just as it is for big corporations, successful branding is essential to the success of a freelancing business and to just one self-employed web worker.
It is often times overlooked, most likely because many don’t realize the large benefits that can come from it.
The first thing we think of when we think “brand identity” is a good logo.
A good logo can do wonders for a self-employed freelancer, but branding identity goes far beyond that, into entire website development, content, business cards, and even into offline scenarios.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at ways to define a brand for something as unique as a freelancing business, and what one needs to do to get started on the right track to a successful brand. Read more
15 Sep
The Evolution of Apple Ads
Apple, Branding, Marketing
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Apple first started advertising its products in the late 1970s.
The 80s showed a wide variety of ads, some of which served to convince consumers that they should purchase a computer, and specifically an Apple.
These ads were text-heavy and light on images, as were many computer and technology ads from that era.
Apple ads really came into their heyday during the 1990s, with the “Think Different” campaign, which became very popular as they featured a number of famous people.
Here’s a stunning compilation of some of Apple’s most notable advertisements from the 70s until the present day, including a few videos ads. Read more
29 Jun
12 Essential Rules to Follow When Designing a Logo
Branding, Design, Logos
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The logo is the face of any brand — the very first impression — so its design is extremely important.
When executed correctly, a logo is a powerful asset to your client’s brand.
However, creating an effective visual representation of a brand requires much more than just graphic design.
Like any line of work that involves a set of specific skills, logo design requires plenty of practice and experience for it to be successful; knowledge is definitely power for any graphic designer.
For this reason, we have outlined 12 essential rules to follow in order to design an effective logo. Read more
19 May
50 Excellent Circular Logos
Branding, Design, Logos
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A graphic symbol is often used as part of logo design in order to convey a particular idea or concept in an effective and eye catching way.
The shapes of these graphic symbols vary a lot, but one of the most commonly used shapes is the circle.
Circular logos have been some of the most popular trends in logo design. A circle is timeless, simple and memorable.
In this article we’ll take a look at 50 excellent circular logos. These logos make use of the circle in many creative ways, sometimes containing typefaces, symbols and images as seen in the examples below. Read more
18 May
9 Tips For Brand Building With Web Design
Branding, Web Design
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First of all, what is a brand? A brand is a symbol. Symbols are designs which represent something else, and a brand is meant to package all of the associations, experiences and characteristics into an abstract construct.
This construct can be evoked using consistent imagery, sounds, phrases and logos with which people come into contact.
Brands are very important as they help you win customers and they also help you to keep them.
They do this by awakening the associations and experiences you previously had with the brand, or have seen through advertising, when you come into contact with the brand at key stages. For example, when deciding what product to purchase out of a selection of similar items.
Here are 9 tips to help you to build a brand with web design. Read more