Metaphors are representations. They represent an idea but are not the idea itself.

We use visual metaphors in design to create a familiar experience for people by focusing on ideas and objects they understand. The metaphor associates two objects that appear unrelated at first but unconsciously, the mind makes the association almost immediately. So people stop and take a second look. You get more than 4.7 seconds with this creative strategy.

The strength of a successful visual metaphor is that it dramatizes the underlying benefit/risk thus encourages customers to create positive thoughts about a product and/or service. The smarter the metaphor – the more memorable the campaign.

The “tortoise and the hare” concept (below) works as an effective metaphor because it says to the customer, slow but steady will not help me succeed in my world. Good use of simple imagery helps reinforce this idea upon impact.

The “apples to apples” comparison (below) is an effective metaphor because when a product is perceived as a commodity with no apparent differences, it allows the customer to think, maybe there are differences. It is easy for people to understand and universally understood.

Smart advertisers use metaphors instead of outright claims because in a world of media overload it allows people to avoid advertising.

To sum up, metaphors are beneficial because they allow customers to:

- use their imagination;

- make positive associations with a product/service;

- come up with positive and sometimes misleading associations themselves – associations that are not written, just implied.

And guess what? People are less likely to argue against associations they come up with themselves, and more likely to remember and act on them!

From swish to smile.

The swish inspired by the Nike “swoosh” has been a visual element used in logos for about 20 years now, and it seems it has finally seen its day. Make way for the rise of the “happy and friendly” smile!

And then a frown can turn it upside down.

What happens when we turn that smile upside down? We get a symbolic frown with an underlying subliminal message just the opposite of “happy and friendly”. When using an arc consider the intended meaning. Most often it is best to keep the upturn smiling. Just as in how we prefer seeing a graph travel an upward trend, even when the meaning is negative. Once again, perception and how we synthesize information is our ally.

Happy, fun, vibrant, fresh, friendly….

Another common visual element is the use of vibrant, bright colors representing youthful, happy and fun. The more vibrant color palettes easily help the brand visual stand out.

Color blends lend a unique variety of color yielding a distinctive look. Some of these logos were obviously meant to be used in full color only and will just not visually translate without the full array.

Often, it can be the most subtle visual elements that change an intended meaning.

What kind of messages is your brand identity communicating?

Four seconds!

That’s the amount of time you have to engage a prospects attention as they walk by your booth.

How do you achieve this? Show-stopping graphics are a great place to start.

Here are 10 Successful Strategies for Seizing Visual Impact.

1  A picture is worth a thousand words

Use photographic images. Images that evoke emotion engage people. Read post on visual images. Customers like to see people like themselves.

2  Showcase your corporate identity prominently

Your booth should be visible and legible from down an aisle on the showroom floor. A large booth header is always preferred and easily identifies your company from a distance.

3   Be recognizable

Your fonts need to be legible and an appropriate size so they will be readable at a quick glance and from a distance. Choose your fonts wisely. Some fonts are just not legible and are difficult to read, even at large sizes.

4  Message placement is key.
Use the upper half of the booth graphic for the most important message. When people are inside the booth area (assuming we are talking about a 10 x 10 ft booth) the bottom 3-4 ft is often not viewable from even a short distance.

5  Color helps your message stand out

Cool colors (blue and green) appear slick and professional. Warm colors (red and yellow) attract more attention, yet can be too strong if used inappropriately. It is most important to stay within your company’s color identity.

6  Build your visual brand

Use graphic elements from your existing marketing pieces. Consistency and continuity is the key to successful branding!

Read about visual synchronicity.

7  Convey benefits, not features

Give prospects a good reason to stop. What are you selling? Differentiate yourself from your competitors. Design your graphics to promote the benefits of your company products or services, not the features. Think like your prospect, “What’s in it for me?”

8  Be inviting, be memorable

Create a clean, warm environment people want to step into. Try not to box in too much of your space with tables or displays. Create an easy-in and easy-out.

9  Online integration

Include your web address in your design for people who might want to learn quietly before approaching. This is definately the least important message to convey on a booth graphic since your audience is right there with you. Use it as a sign-off in the bottom third of the graphic.

10  Big picture

Your booth design should be general enough to last a long time. Remember, it is only a backdrop and the overall big picture meant to pique a propects interest. It isn’t meant to tell the entire story.

The rest is up to you and your company ambassadors to create the conversations that lead to sales!

As a follow-up to our BP logo post last month, Greenpeace has chosen the new BP logo from more than 25,000 votes online. Read their post here.

And the winner is….

Are you using easily identifiable visual communications that connect uniquely and quickly back to your company? Are you paying attention to the way your visual brand is used across mediums? Do your website, Twitter account and Facebook profile use the same overall visual features so viewers know it is your company they are experiencing?

How can you build a memorable visual brand appropriate for print, web, trade shows, signage and social media?

We call it visual synchronicity… the recognition that develops when common visual elements are used across all media consistently and simultaneously.

The 5 keys to visual synchronicity:

Logo • Color • Typography • Imagery • Composition

1 | Logo/Logotype

Your company’s visual shorthand. It speaks to who you are and what you stand for. Make it visually apparent and use it consistently across all media.

Read “What Makes A Really Good Logo.”

Read “A Simple Visual Solution For Your Complex Brand.”

2 | Color

A color palette expresses your brand meaningfully and helps keep your visual brand consistent.

Below is an example of a color palette developed from this one image.
You can see how colors within the image are picked up to create a compatible palette. If a marketing tool were to be developed using these colors, the visual elements would clearly connect with each other. Synchronicity.

3 | Typography

Develop the use of appropriate typestyles. Choose fonts that use the positioning and personality attributes you want associated with your company.

A good visual branding rule of thumb is: two typestyles for your brand, one for your logo and headlines and another for basic content copy. Synchronicity.

4 | Imagery

Develop brand images that speak to your customer. A set of images, either custom or stock, can be developed that use the same style, color, tone and emotion. In other words, they all look like they belong together. Synchronicity.

Multiple images can be digitally combined into photo composites creating unique signature images for your company, such as this one below. The image composite on the left is composed using the 3 images on the right.

5 | Composition

Good design will connect your many different communication initiatives.
Synchronicity. What’s effective for a brochure won’t (and shouldn’t) work for a web page. E-newsletters have different requirements and opportunities than brochures or a microsite but they still need a commonality. A good design approach and framework will tie them all together and point directly to your company.
Using synchronicity… the common variable for visual communications.

Color attracts attention.

There is no doubt about it, the eye always looks at the most vibrant element in the space. A good logo not only needs to be simple… it also needs the effective use of color. This doesn’t mean you need a large variation of color. It just means the color needs to be appropriate, pleasing and complementary to the brand.

Prudential’s “Logo Evolution” of The Rock® is a perfect example of the simplifying of a logo. What began as a detailed illustration in 1870 has now evolved to its most simplistic form, displaying more of a symbolic visual icon. As mentioned in the last post, simplicity is one of the keys to a great logo. And great logos gain recognition.

This first got my attention when viewing Prudential’s “Logo Evolution” TV Ad. It succinctly displays how the “Rock” logo has evolved visuallly. The concept being, although the company’s iconic “Rock” has changed, the company itself, has not. The ad appropriately ends with their branding, We are The Rock® you can rely on.

See the TV Ad here.

The full breadth of “Rock” logos is cleverly titled on their website, “America’s Most Valuable Rock Collection”.

One of the visual elements that stands out for me with this icon is the white space on the right of the Rock that leads the eye right to the “P” in Prudential (highlighted in yellow on the logo shown below). Notice the company name is in good proportion to its icon. When scaled up or down, both elements remain clear and recognizable.

These are the sort of fine nuances that a well-trained designer adds to build an outstanding design.

The Worldwide Logo Design Annual (WOLDA) showcases the 2009 edition which includes 192 logo winners selected from nearly 2000 entries. See a few I have chosen to display below. You can see all the selections here.

These are all really great logos. Why?
Here is a quick litmus test for a good logo.

Is it simple?
Will it work in black & white as well as color? Simplicity builds recognition. Simple shapes are more easily identified.

Is it memorable?
Does it stimulate recall? Does it facilitate recognition?

Is it significant?
Does it use positive and negative space effectively and meaningfully.

Is it appropriate?
Does the visual representation have meaning and significance to your company?  Does it convey a high degree of professionalism and the appropriate personality?
The vision behind the visual speaks volumes about the company.
As said by Paul Rand, “A logo derives its meaning and usefulness from the quality of that which it symbolizes.”

Is it distinctive and original?
Does it differentiate you from your competitors? Does the color evoke emotion by communicating certain attributes? Does it attract attention?

Is it versatile?
Is it adaptable to all graphic media? Does it work well large in size as well as small?
Will it work well on a business card as well as a billboard?

Check yours and see how it holds up to these 6 attributes. Could it communicate better?

How do we strive to ensure the success of a design project?

We want our clients to focus in on what they want and how they want it. What do clients want?

Design Briefs can hold the answer.

• They set up clear business objectives.
• They help define expected outcomes of the intended project.

The designers role?

The Design Brief is not meant to achieve the aesthetics of design but to synthesize the information conveyed and give the opportunity to ask questions for clarification.

Put on your listening ears!

Asking questions and allowing the client to speak about their company and their perceptions results in valuable information gathering. Listen carefully.

Questions that can lead to discussion build a valuable Design Brief.

> Learn about <the company>, how it perceives itself and its competition

Tell us about <the company> brand.

Give us five words that best describe your company.

Tell us about your competition.

Tell us what makes <the company> different? What is the value-added?

Tell us briefly (define briefly) why your customers purchase your product/service.

Tell us why your customers should purchase your product/service.

> Define your target market

Please identify and group your target market(s)?

> Marketing

What have you done that works and why?

What have you done that did not work and why?

> Set up expectations

What is your expected outcome for this project?

> Set up parameters & possible limitations

Develop some questions relevant to the current project such as:

Do you want to sell more products/services or generate awareness?

Is there available photography or are we providing images?

Who is providing the copy?

Depending on the project, how is this being used?

> Set up critical timelines

One of the most important steps in setting up expectations is to define when the project is needed.

> Samples

It can be helpful for the client to provide the designer as much information as possible and possibly share examples that convey their likes and dislikes. By reviewing these the designer can usually discern commonalities that will make a difference.

Using the Design Brief

Finally, we find it most productive if we are able to meet or conference with the client after they have received the brief and have had a chance to work through their thoughts. For some, this process will be difficult and will work better with dialog, so it depends on who the key players are as to how you approach it. Some clients will have this down requiring very little dialog, but the opportunity to probe a bit deeper can prove effective in gaining valuable insights.

If developed well, the Design Brief will allow everyone to have a clear understanding of the project and its goal. Once written up, share the Design Brief with the client so they can read through it and add/dispute any key points.

The Design Brief process tells the client, we hear you, we understand you and we want you to be successful. And who doesn’t want that?

Greenpeace UK is holding a BP rebranding contest. They speak for many who watch as BP hides behind their “nice green logo”.  Enter yourself. Get more information here.

Greenpeace displayed their own version (see flag at left) briefly at BP’s corporate headquarters in London.

Take a look at the 972 entries (as of this posting) here.

Most of these are humorous and not so humorous illustrations, conceptually translating the BP irony. Most are drawings or artwork not particularly suitable to be used as a logo.

I have selected a few below which I think could feasibly qualify as a new BP logo.

I admit, I did not go through them all, so in all likelihood, there are many more that would work as well. This is a small sampling of my choosing.

These speak for themselves.