It's that time of year again! Everyone is sharing their top content, and we're no different. Whether you saw each of these posts the first time around, or this is the first time you've run across them, we hope they'll provide a little bit of inspiration as you close out the year. Enjoy!
How to Run a Successful Logo Design Process
“Branding is about more than just a logo!”
If you’ve hung around any brand experts recently, you’ve probably heard them utter this cliché. Guilty as charged.
The statement is a cliché because it’s true. At the same time, every great brand needs a great logo. It may be more appropriate to say, “Branding is about more than just a logo, but in order for a brand to succeed, their logo does need to be strong and memorable.”
Great logos aren’t just about a brilliantly designed mark but also the meaning that is infused into that mark. Think about the Tesla, BMW, and Toyota logos. Can you picture each logo? What words do you think of when you see each one? What emotions does each one evoke?
The Web Design Opportunity Gap
Web design is all about tradeoffs.
Yes, you want to create a site that is modern, unique, and pleasant to stare at. One that spurs action in visitors. But you also need to hit certain benchmarks for load times, accessibility, basic—and familiar—functionality, and so on.
This makes the web presence for healthcare companies, in particular, a big lift creatively. These companies are brands, but their websites need to speak to two separate—and occasionally at-odds—groups. There are the providers—the doctors and other healthcare professionals—and there are the payers—the insurance and networks.
Because of this, healthcare websites usually follow a familiar formula both in functionality and aesthetics.
What are you really selling?
A few years ago — pre-pandemic (years are meaningless at this point)— I sat down with a new client as we embarked on a rebrand. This particular client had a long history of success but had just gone through an acquisition and wanted to think a bit more in depth about their brand.
In that first meeting, what they said caught me off guard. They said: “In our space it’s impossible to differentiate. Everyone does the same thing.”
This sentiment is common, especially in industries like technology (that are dominated by a few large companies who dictate the rules to everyone else) and healthcare (which is highly regulated and competitive).
In fact, I hear this sentiment at the beginning of most brand conversations. It couldn’t be further from the truth.
Hip to be Square: 5 Great B2B Tech Creative Campaigns
I don’t know about you, but when I think of B2B marketing, the first thing that comes to mind is golf.
Specifically, ad after ad during PGA broadcasts touting obscure financial institutions or infrastructure companies. Things that, like golf itself, we generally identify with stuffiness and squareness.
Even in the tech industry, where brand names lacking vowels count as cool, B2B marketing has traditionally paled in comparison to its B2C brethren. Apple and Google are exciting, their marketing campaigns innovative, glossy, and memorable.
But the truth is, there is plenty of creative—and even innovative—marketing being done for traditionally “boring” tech companies.
3 Imperatives for B2B Marketing Leaders as we Kick Off 2023
As 2023 dawns, uncertainty is in the air. Just like for most of 2022, the economy is sending conflicting signals with inflation beginning to fade, but with interest rates high and many economic indicators signifying that a slowdown could be on the horizon.
At the same time, the new year is a time of hope, opportunity, and excitement. We’re all looking toward the future, imagining what we might be able to accomplish with a smart strategy, a good team, and some stick-to-it-ness when it comes to execution.
I choose to embrace the potential of the new year over the uncertainty of the economy. I hope you will too. But even as we do this, we can’t do so with naivete or rose-colored glasses. We’re going to have to navigate real headwinds in the coming months, and doing that requires clear eyes and a focus on the right things.
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