Here at Roundpeg, we have an interesting way of interviewing potential employees. Along with the usual “boring interview questions” we also ask a series of our own random “fun questions” which have no right or wrong answer. One of these questions requires the person to choose between words, pictures and numbers. We get very few people who choose numbers (Lorraine is still waiting to find a soul mate),  some who choose words, but the vast majority choose pictures. People like to visualize things because often words can’t do justice to the product, idea, scenario etc.

This is something I always consider as I start any new project, but I think it is especially important in web design. The majority of sites we design to sell a product or service include at least one photograph on the home page. Often I’m asked to find stock photos for a client because it is more affordable than hiring a professional photographer.

The idea of using stock photography used to make a lot of designers (including me) cringe. When I thought of stock photography, words which came came to mind were “cheesy” “cliche” and “unprofessional,” which are obviously not words anyone wants associated with their website. These days, however, there are actually some really great stock photography sites (like istock.com) , with thousands of photos to choose from. The quality on stock sites has significantly increased as well, which makes it much easier to find photos that are just as good as what the client would have gotten from hiring a photographer, at a fraction of the cost.

The negative side of stock photography is the fact that the pictures weren’t taken for a specific purpose or project.  As a result, they often need to be edited in some way, whether it be changing the orientation, cropping, color editing etc. As the designer it is my job to figure out the best way to make the photograph work with the design of the site, and most importantly, stay on brand.

While it may seem like a simple task, cropping is probably the most important and effective way to improve a photograph and allow it to fit in with the rest of the elements on the website. Sometimes a photo needs to be cropped simply to fit within the confinements of a layout, and other times cropping is a good way to shift focus from one area of a photo to another. Altering the brightness/contrast levels and the saturation are some other simple ways to greatly improve your photos.  These tactics also allow us to overlay calls to action and other messages on top of the photo.

While stock photography may not be for everyone, it is often the quickest and most cost effective option. My suggestion to anyone considering stock photos for their website is to choose your photo carefully, and consider the way it will fit in the space. Once you have a photo you like, spend a little extra time tweaking it in Photoshop and it will feel more personal and not so much like “cliche stock photography.”

When you hear the name American Eagle Basketball Goals you probably envision something in red, white and blue with a heavy Serif font to give it a traditional feel.  But this product is anything but traditional and so one of Jenna’s challenges was to give them a logo which would make them stand out as well.  Her other challenge was to give them something which would look equally good on top of a web page or on the product itself.

The design process started as she searched for images of an eagle.  The one she selected is strong, but not a literal image of an eagle with arms outstretched that seem to wrap around the image of the ball.  While she did retain a fairly traditional blue, there was no place for red in this design.  Instead she selected a shade of orange which is similar to the actual color of a basketball.   The clear contrast of the colors is striking on their website and in print.

The font choices are also somewhat unexpected. Instead of a very heavy serif font, Jenna selected Go Long  for the words American Eagle.  The very straight line looks like the lines of a basketball goal.  The word Goals is turned on it’s side to frame the logo.  And the choice of Christopher Hand font gives a fun, playful feel to the design.

The website is complete and the logo looks great on the page.  We can’t wait to see how this logo will look on their new goals.

This logo was designed by the team at Roundpeg, an Indianapolis graphic design firm.

We often think about protecting our own brands with trademarks.  In today’s blog post Attorney, Dick Troll talks about protecting yourself from what he calls “Trademark Bullies”

Running a business is exhilarating, frustrating, challenging, exhausting or perhaps most accurately ALL OF THE ABOVE. Every day in business means a day of decisions.

One of the most important decisions every business must make is:What do we call ourselves? Or “What should we call our new super widget?” All too often these decisions are made without considering all the variables. And frankly, most of the time it doesn’t matter. The company name is fine. The name for the new widget is fine.

But sometimes, it can be a nightmare. Just ask the owner of the BEARCAT restaurant in nearby Cincinnati. Been in business for many years. Loyal supporter of UC. But that did not stop the University from demanding that he change his name.

Most business owners would identify themselves as an entrepreneur. Well be careful how you use the term because the owner of the registered trademark ENTREPRENEUR has been making life miserable for his own potential customers. Go figure. These David against Goliath battles have long been part of the commercial landscape. But it seems that today large brand owners can be persuaded to use bullying tactics even when they don’t have a legal leg to stand on.

So what can you do? In the old days not much. David would quickly settle with Goliath. On terms that only Goliath liked. But some brave businesses have used the power of social media to push back. They publish the sometimes-hilarious letters sent by over the top brand owners. They plead their case on Facebook and Twitter. Suddenly the big brand owner is on the defensive. Bombarded by bad publicity and irate customers some big brand owners have conceded defeat. Is it a perfect strategy? Nope. However, sometimes it can be very effective.

BTW if your business is planning to capitalize on the big, big game that will be held in our town next February, better steer very clear of the term SUPER BOWL The NFL will not be amused.

Today’s blog post is by Dick Troll of the THE LAW OFFICE OF JOHN RICHARD TROLL, LLC. When asked to provide a bio he sent the following:

My old blah, blah, blah says, partner,  vice-president, copyright, trademark, software, internet, licensing.  And sure I can still play by the old rules.  But the Internet has changed everything.

My new blah, blah, blah, says   linchpin lawyer, third wave lawyer, overcome the resistance, do the work, manage the disruption

317-730-5896   |    jtroll@trollaw.com

The EAC had been using a stodgy, brown and black text treatment. As the organization changed, this old-fashioned logo no longer described who they were.

We freshened the logo with bright, energetic colors, and used the arrow to represent upwards motion to reflect the EAC’s role in propelling entrepreneurs forward.

Carpenter’s Rule wanted their design focused around the core value of their business, which is the strict precision of their work. We created the company’s name, too, and wanted to highlight what they considered the most important aspects of their business. We emphasized this using the ruler graphic and a bold font.

Recently, a coworker told me a story about how a potential client actually made the following statement:

Honestly, it’s not like people have any emotional connection to the brands they buy. Why should I care about this?

Really?

Think about the brands you buy. What device do you listen to music on? What kind of shoes do you wear? What kind of car do you drive? In this society, we’re all brand ambassadors. And the most highly regarded brands are the ones who value the emotional connection they foster with customers.

The goal of any business is to turn random strangers into raging fans. Creating brand evangelists doesn’t just aid customer retention, it bolsters your referral marketing. For instance, I love Nike SHOX sneakers. They’re incredibly comfortable, and let’s be honest, I feel faster when I wear them. Not only am I a consistent Nike shoe customer, but I recommend the shoes to my friends. So what’s my value to Nike? It certainly adds up to more than a few pairs of sneakers. And because Nike understands the value of that relationship, they strengthen it with special discounts and services that go above and beyond my expectations.

Business owners should all view they’re brand and business the same way. Customers are not just logically tied to buying decisions, there is a strong emotional appeal behind every purchase.

As a web design firm in Indianapolis we spend a lot of time looking at websites. The most effective websites are created when brands realize they have an obligation to create an emotional connection with consumers. Business owners who understand this typically have a clearer vision of what they want they’re marketing to accomplish and a better road map for how to get there.

What are you doing to create and maintain emotional connections with your customers?

Want to turn Random Strangers into Raving Fans? Join us for a group working session on how to create lasting relationships with both prospects and customers.

When Jennifer, the owner of To the Nines came to us for a logo, she was hoping for something simple and elegant. She wanted to avoid, the fussy, flowery designs with ornate script, which most wedding planners select.

She asked us to find a way to say wedding, with a modern edge. Taking the challenge, we came up with a design which incorporated a champagne flute into the lettering. We gave a sleek, modern feel, by choosing a clean simple font and non traditional colors.

When United Spa and Barber opened up shop, we were given the task of creating a site that drew customers in to their new brick and mortar store. This ethnic barber shop located in Shelbyville specializes in haircuts, styling, and salon services for all types of hair.

Since we normally work with tech or consulting-type companies, working with a store with an impending grand opening was a refreshing change of pace. We created a website, http://www.unitedspaandbarber.com, which was both beautiful and functional, allowing customers to schedule appointments online.

Roundpeg, an Indianapolis web design company, creates websites across several industries. For more examples, click here.

Amy Barnes is the owner of Life Options, a relationship and individual life coaching and counseling office located in Indianapolis. She asked us to design the logo for her primarily female practice,which conveyed both a sense of calm and strength.

We selected purple, a strong feminine color to convey the feel of confidence Amy helps her patients find. We chose a calm, fresh shade of green to represent peace and calm.  Since Amy is inspired by eastern meditation we used a font that resembled bamboo, resulting in a professional and beautiful logo for her business.

Hittle Snow needed a logo that would go well with the Hittle Landscaping logo but at the same time would set them apart from other landscaping businesses. Hittle also asked for a logo that would look great on their company uniforms. We wanted to stay true to the nature of the business, so we used a wintery blue and gray color palette. Click here to view Hittle Snow Removal’s website.