You’ve all seen it lately while flipping through magazines or strolling down the grocery store aisles … package redesigns. Pepsi, Tropicana, Gatorade, Johnson’s Baby and now you can add LoK to the growing list of package updates.

So why do companies update their packaging? We all know that a redesign can do big wonders if they get it right, however, in other cases, results can be terrible and shaking. Take Tropicana, after spending $35 million on new packaging, Tropicana went back to the drawing board when sales dropped by 20% when the updated packaging hit the retail market.

After much research, the LoK partners decided they were going to proceed with an update of their packaging but they were determined not to change it enough as to not confuse the loyal consumers. The company is growing fast and with 2 international shows on the horizon, now was the time to do the update. When they approached me about updating their packing and marketing materials, I began using and understand the products. I used the products for over 6 months, had numerous conversations with the founder Cammi Merriam, and flew to California for many brain storming meetings. Over and over I heard how this company is the industry’s leader of hair color protection with their dry shampoo, along with how many saw the product and wasn’t sure how to pronounce the name. When you look up the word “lock” in the dictionary, here’s what you will find .

Lock ¹ /lɒk/ [lok] –noun 1. a device for securing a door, gate, lid, drawer, or … your hair color

So, now you can see where the name came from, how to pronounce it and what it does.

It was decided to add a “lock” on the packaging in hopes for the consumer to understand the purpose of the product better and make it easier for the newer consumer to pronounce the name. I designed a simple yet more abstract lock and encompassed it with the company theme. Lock in Your Hair Color. The new look was well received by the LoK team and the focus groups formed to review the new packaging concept. The artwork recently went to print and I’m excited to see the completed pieces. Along with the updated packaging, I’ll be redoing their website and other marketing materials so stay tuned for more LoK designs.

It may be the era of digital technology, but I still consider one of the most important ways to keep your name in front of current and potential customers is the traditional business card. Lately I have been spending a lot of time deeply immersed in the high-tech world of virtual networking, but feel it’s important not to overlook some of the “old school” networking tools. Your business card is still one of the most powerful marketing tools you can have.

I think of a business card as a way of turning what may have been a brief first meeting into a potential long-standing business relationship. Whether you have a small business or you’re an employee of a large organization, your business card communicates your professionalism. Your business card will help your customer or colleague to remember you even after you leave.

So what do you with such precious and small amount of real estate? A good business card should clean and easy to read. Since space is at a premium, it should only have relevant contact information in a legible font. Be careful with background photos or images because they may make your information harder to read. The design of your card should convey the essence of your company and the quality of design of your business card should distinguish you from your competitors.

Use the business card, but don’t rely on it – if you don’t make a memorable impression on your own, the card itself isn’t going to help you much.

Brand designs need to do more than just look good; they need to be effective! The logos, marketing materials and websites that I create for you have the job of stimulating and sustaining growth in your small business, as well as helping you communicate and connect with your best possible customers.

Uniquely designed materials make an impression on your target market and ensures that you will get noticed. You’ll want your materials to be kept and passed along instead of a glance and a toss into the recycle bin. A good design tells a story of who you are and what you do and also makes you stand out from your competition which increases your number of incoming prospects because you are not only visible, you are memorable.

I can help you determine what form of marketing will be most helpful for your business. It may be a printed brochure, a postcard mailer, an online blog or even a quick email campaign. From there I’ll create designs and marketing materials to help you reach your goals.

Contact me today to review your business needs and increase your bottom line!

Since I do a lot of skin care private labels, I have the opportunity to try out a lot of really great skin care products. Here is one product worth looking into:

5 Second Wrinkle Eraser™
Your nskin  5 Second Wrinkle Eraser utilizes our 3 proprietary complexes: DermaTight-6 ™, MyoFreez ™ and CollaFill ™  to deliver a clinically proven ingredient which freezes micro-facial muscles in your face. To date this ingredient has been marketed as “Botox” without the needles. Visit nSkin Website

Recently, some of the world’s best-known companies have revamped their images through a radical redesign of their packaging or company brand. Pepsi, Dove, and Kleenex, just to name a few, have recently revamped their packaging. In the past couple of months I have received an overwhelming amount of inquiries from clients regarding a re-brand for their business. It’s the sign of the times, the economy we are in, and the desire for my clients to stand out from the competition.

Many companies aim to re-brand themselves: revamping their image and attracting a new or wider audience, primarily by calling in design experts to modify their overall look. Floridino’s recently decided to give their brand a face lift, bringing it to a more stylish and contemporary brand.

The decision to re-brand is about much more than a change of logo, and should not be taken lightly – it can mean making changes to the very heart and soul of a company. For more information on branding read my branding article.

Here is a logo I recently designed for a local boutique. Savvy Boutique is a great boutique which carries cutting edge fashion for women and men. I have a number of pieces – all of them have been great quality and I have received many compliments on them! They do traveling shows (Next one is June 4 at Floridino’s – 590 N Alma School Rd. Chandler) You can also book a private showing as they bring the boutique to you. We are working on the website right now so stay tuned for that launch. You can find them on twitter or on facebook.

Here is a recent website we designed and developed. It’s a flash website and it has some really classy features. Check it out here! The next step will be to add a shopping area for their cell phone line.

Recently I was asked to do a logo for Chandler Business Alliance. They are a group of local business representatives and owners committed to development of local businesses in the Greater Chandler Area. The main focus of the logo needed to show what the group was all about. Their tagline says it all: Building the Bridge Between Business and the Community. They asked me to use a bridge in the design and to design it with a business feel to the logo. Here was the chosen logo. The response I received was very positive and they were very excited to have a professional look to their group.

The members are very active in the community and give back to local non-profit organizations. They are all committed to the development of local business and non profit entities in the greater Chandler area. Recently they held a very successful food drive. Take a moment to check out their website and consider going to a meeting! Give back to the community!

Many small businesses still don’t have a website, and those that do are not utilizing them as effectively as they should. Some just don’t see the value in a website that goes beyond a simple display of the business’s contact details. Some just think having an online presence is better than nothing at all. This way of thinking is all too common among small business owners. Sure, contact information is essential, but so isn’t information about the business and its history? And what about client testimonials? These all build credibility in the minds of consumers.

Does your website give a good first impression or does it scare potential customers away? I often get asked, “Do I really need a professional website even if I’m a smaller company?” to which I always respond, “YES, if you are a business professional, you need to look like one. Period.” I believe you should make sure your website gives off a great first impression or the potential client may just hit the back button and move on to your competitor’s site.

A professionally designed website with valuable content will help your customers take your business seriously. It’s important to remember that most potential customers and clients are unaware of your small business status until they take a look at your online presence. You must have a professional-looking site if you want to be taken seriously. If your website is of bad quality, whose to say your product or services are not of bad quality too? Since many consumers now search for information online prior to making a purchase, your site may be the first chance you have at making a good impression on a potential buyer. Don’t let that chance pass you by …

This font has been criticized by designers, computer users, and even comics fans for years. In the past month, I have had 3 clients use this font for business documents. Since it has come up a few times in the recent weeks, I decided to have a design discussion recently with one of these clients, I was asked, “So… Why do you not like Comic Sans?” Here is the lowdown of why I as a designer do not like to use this font.

This font was designed for use in informal documents, which of course includes comics. It’s just too playful and cartoony for professional use. When used in a business document, it ends up looking cheap and unprofessional.

Another reason, it’s very overused – especially in PowerPoint presentations. It’s even used on websites now. One of the reasons it is overused is because it’s shipped with every PC. Comic Sans was released in the early 90′s by Microsoft and has been included with every operating system since the introduction of Windows 95.

I don’t think Comic Sans is a bad typeface, really. It is very popular with children and students as well as elementary teachers, and I can live with that. Also, I know some (bad) designers who have used it, and of course non-designers all around the globe have used it. I don’t blame them; people are unable to make good design decisions because they have had no typographic schooling. If your design piece is comics or other humorous material then we can talk, if not, please do me a favor and put the font aside.