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The goal of our Cash for Web Clunker program is to make it easy for business owners to get that new 2010 model website. By now all business owners realize that their website is the vital to their success. And our aim is to reduce the economic barrier that might have created a roadblock in the past.

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For more details call me at 212 -679-1212 or go to http://www.csdesignworks.com/discountonwebdesign.html

The trick is trying to relate the item with what you want to promote. Branded Kool-Aid packets, clocks, towels or even Magic Eight Balls can all be used to promote your business if it relates to either your company or a special event you’re marketing. Fox Searchlight gave away branded hamburger phones to promote the movie “Juno” and now even the unbranded hamburger phones are selling. As long as you make the item fun and useful, they can continue to use it and they see your company’s logo when they do.

After you know what you want to use, figure out how best to distribute it. Conferences and trade shows are good places for distribution. You can also get a mailing list going of clients and potential clients and mail you promotional item.

Promotional gifts are fun and easy to do. Almost anything can be used to promote your start-up. Plus it’s free! And who doesn’t enjoy a free gift?

I recently hooked up with an old college mate in LinkedIn who has his own design agency. His website was designed in Flash. The site was gorgeous, well designed, clean, simple, great typography and showcased his product offering elegantly. BUT, there was not a hint of optimization to be found.

I recently went to a well-known SEO guru’s website who must get a gazillion hits per month and was visually-offended by the lack of design on his site. Design was such an afterthought on this site that any respectable designer would puke. BUT, the content was amazing and is now bookmarked on my computer.

So who is more successful? The beautifully-designed website or the beautifully-optimized website? Can design and SEO co-exist?

It is in this designers opinion YES.

Content is king in this day and age. And good content is a balance between quantity and quality. Quantity is beneficial to robots (search engines) and Quality is beneficial to humans. And good design, especially good typography, assists the reader in reading your great content.

Good design orchestrates the entire process. It navigates the reader, it speaks. For example, if you we’re having a human conversation and spoke in a monotone manner how would you be perceived regardless of your content. On the other hand, if you ever listened to a dynamic speaker like Tony Robins, you will notice that his delivery is anything but monotone. The variations in his delivery reinforce his message. He raises his voice, he lowers his voice, he weaves and bobs, he pauses. This is all to reinforce his message. This does not mean the monotone guy has nothing important to say, it means that Tony Robins or a Tony Robins-like delivery resonates better.

So effective design and SEO are inextricably linked. And isn’t the point of great content to be read. Imagine the best of both worlds where you have great content, optimized with killer SEO married with great design. AWESOME.

Those templates and clip art-font combos are easy to purchase, by you and then anyone after you, as many people as they can sell ‘em to. A hundred companies could pretty much have your same logo. That’s hardly what we call a custom logo. Here’s the thing: ideas for a business may not be as unique as you think, but your brand can be.

We designers are aware that the digital tools we use to create unique designs are available to all, and historically, pretty darn affordable. And as we become more computer literate as a society, more people are going to try their hand at setting up a blog and designing their own business card. I applaud that DIY spirit. And I wonder, if more people understand what it takes to build a website, will they appreciate a custom-designed website more? Or will they assume that because they did it with a template, what’s the big deal?

Right, back to templates. One can download a template for anything – brochure, newsletter, website, etc. Okay, but what happens when you need to change part of it? These templates are customizable, you say. Well, to an extent… but as we know from working with a few ourselves (in order to educate ourselves), minor changes might be possible, but the more unique you want it, the bigger your headache. May as well start from scratch.

And what about those cheap logo design offers? $19 I saw! (With that offer, there’s no changes, what you get is what you get.) One site I found had a step-by-step do it yourself option where you chose a clip art symbol – and they encourage you to copy from the examples – and then pick a font, then colors. Custom logos made easy, right?

Sure, but you aren’t able to make any changes to the drawing, or the lettering. And those are the things that make a logo truly unique and special. Also, there’s millions of colors, and often a surprising combination makes great impact. This is the sort of custom branding that designers are very good at: creating one-of-a-kind symbols and illustrations unique to your company, expressive color combinations, tweaking type for better expression of your brand. And that’s exactly what you won’t get for $19.

Ditto goes for websites. Except, “ditto” is what you won’t get when you work with a designer to create a custom website for your business. Whether branding a new business or rebranding an existing company, it’s well worth it to work with a designer who can listen to your needs, learn about your company, and deliver unique, original, eye-catching designs for custom logos, new business websites, company collateral, whatever. Your brand needs to stand out from the competition to succeed. That’s just the way the cookie crumbles.

“Even in these tough economic times, we think there will be a proliferation of new startups,” says Nick Chiechi, President of Manhattan-based CS Designworks. The firm has launched the Entrepreneur Resource Center to help.

The Entrepreneur Resource Center provides relevant and useful content for new businesses in three key areas: 1) Getting Started – all about logistics, 2) Establishing a Brand – creating a professional visual presence, 3) Getting the Word Out – how to promote a new business. The Entrepreneur Resource Center has organized all of the above in one easy-to-use place. In addition, The ERC has great links, ask an expert, fun polls and a blog called BizBlog.

The Entrepreneur Resource Center is also hoping to grow the portal with contributions from the business community at large. “We are specifically seeking to expand the BizBlog section with some great stories from business owners or experts. People want to know what it really took to get your business off the ground, so we’re asking established business owners to share the early day war stories, the sleepless nights and the early victories,” says Chiechi. “We hope to ascertain a diverse base of content contributors. The web is all about finding opportunity in places not anticipated and we feel this is a great platform.”

CS Designworks will be promoting the ERC through SEO, social media, PR and blog posts. The potential for robust traffic is great, so if the site catches on, potential leads, contacts and new business could result as other benefits.

For more information, contact Nick Chiechi at nick@csdesignworks.com, Michael Soha at mike@csdesignworks.com.
Telephone 212-679-1212. CS Designworks, 12 East 33rd Street, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10016.

So what’s involved in “branding” and why is it so important at the beginning? To start with, think about your business name. Deciding on a name can be the one of the toughest business decisions you’ll ever make, but the time investment will be worth it because it will be used constantly and consistently with all of your communications.

For example, many starting a new business simply use their own name, which works especially well if you already have a lot of contacts, and thus name recognition, in the industry. This also works well if you are a consultant or other sort of sole proprietor.

Similarly, some incorporate their surname into the company name: “The Wilson Group.” Okay, this might sound cool, but if you are totally brand new, I have no clue what you do. Maybe something more along the lines of “Wilson Marketing Solutions” would give me a hint. Not that clever doesn’t count – it can be very memorable. Just don’t be so clever that the rest of us don’t get it.

Another consideration with the name is what’s referred to as “brand position.” Basically, to which market(s) are you trying to appeal? For example, “Doug’s Grill” is very friendly. However, if the price range at said grill is, let’s say, for “special occasions” and the owner’s intent is to seem like they’ve been around longer (or they intend to be!) in the community, a name along the lines of “The Landmark Grille” might do more for the new restaurant. It sounds important, as if it sets the standard in these parts.

Once you’ve put a lot of thought into the all important name, the logo is next. This component of your brand is extremely important, as all the visual representations of your brand will stem from it. Not to add any pressure, of course. But think about how much recognition a consistently applied logo garners. (There’s so much to say about logos, we could go on and on, and will in the future.) Think of your logo as the cornerstone of your brand: all other visuals will build on it and relate to it.

And that last part is key: consistently applying the branding to all your materials, any collateral you hand out, any coupons, any uniforms, your website. Whatever it is, the branding should always be there, treated the same, sharing the same message. When you are new, and need to get recognition as quickly as possible, strong, well-thought out branding – your business name with a well-executed logo, supporting visuals and consistent verbal messaging – will go a long way. And isn’t that what friends are for?

No business card? (This is a very foreign idea to graphic designers!) “Trying to be environmental, save paper,” the fellow explained. Uh, okay… Website then? You MUST have a website… right? Nope. Now, in this day and age that’s pretty unacceptable. Okay, well, give us your email address then. Guess what, no email either! That’s okay for my grandmother, but how can you function in business without email???

This company had nothing. Nada. No business cards, no website, just a cell phone number. (Isn’t that how drug dealers operate?) Every time we discovered some other piece of basic business stationery or a digital trace of his company that was missing, the man became less real. He sort of vanished before our very eyes.

Maybe he couldn’t afford it, you say. Okay, I’ll give you that on a fancy, huge, dynamic website (options there too!). But there are many options for acquiring affordable company stationery. And it’s true that with email and online operations, there is less need nowadays for printed letterhead, but a business card is something affordable and easy to carry around (and give out!) that will remind your contacts of your business after you’ve parted. A business card legitimizes your company, advertises its capabilities, and shows people how� they can find you, literally or virtually. That’s a lot for 3.5 x 2 inches!

As it was with this man and his “company,” without company stationery, you pretty much don’t exist. There was no proof that he did what he said he did. No example of his operations. It was inexcusable and needless to say, we lost any interest in working with him. (What guy? Where’d he go?). I mean, even con artists get cards printed! It’s inexcusable because with digital printing, there are many possibilities for having company stationery created afforadably. Now, I mentioned having a website as necessary too – but that’s a tale for another day.

Last year, Tropicana decided to re-brand their struggling product. So they went out, changed their logo, changed their image (the clever orange with a stripped straw image), and changed their packaging. So what happened? They had to change it back. People where so turned down by the new look, they where questioning if it was the same orange juice. They where confused by the new labeling system and even the new round cap (which I kinda liked) got some back-lash. Another problem they had was that they didn’t advertise the new look to their customers, letting them know about the change. And a complete overhaul is never a good thing with a brand with so much history.

Interesting enough, Pepsi (who is run by the same people as Tropicana) decided it was time to re-brand as well. But instead of completely changing what worked so well for them over the years, they took what they had and updated it. They kept their look consistent with what was there before, but made it fresh to attract new younger customers. What also helped was that they put out an ad campaign, letting people know of the change. Their transition toward the new look went a lot more smoothly.

Design can make a big difference in the way a company is viewed. And by these examples, it can be the deciding factor in how a company moves forward (a little marketing doesn’t hurt either). Whether you’re starting up, or moving forward, building a brand can help your business succeed, as long as you remember to be consistent.