Surprise can be a wonderfully potent element of any business’ marketing arsenal.

When Chad Kimm, owner of Crema Roasting in Bozeman, Montana, stopped by our studio last week, it was completely unexpected.

Chad and I have chatted on Twitter over the last year, and I’ve enjoyed many cups of their fresh roasted coffee since. See, I was actually introduced to Crema Roasting through social media. While I had probably seen bags on several local grocer’s shelves, I had never actually purchased a bag of Crema beans.

Chad exposed me to his product by engaging me and surprising me on Twitter by becoming one of my followers. Instead of simply passively listening to what I had to say (and vice-versa) he continued to foster the conversation.

Needless to say, the next time I was shopping I noticed the Crema Roasting coffee tucked in amongst the Folgers, Maxwell House and other national brands at Town and Country Foods. Actually, I was actively looking for Crema Coffee, wanting to try it for myself – even if all I wanted was to learn what the fuss was all about.

That was the power of Chad’s first surprise. Getting me to try his product.

The next surprise, albeit a more passive one, came when I realized just how incredible his coffee was! Being exposed to his product changed my mind about what a good cup of coffee actually was. From experiencing the aroma of grinding fresh beans and brewing a pot through to sipping a steaming hot cup of joe – I was surprised to learn that great coffee doesn’t come in a big, red, plastic jug. Elementary, I know, but surprising your customers with quality is incredibly influential. When was the last time a product surprised you?

I made a couple of off-hand Tweets about how much I enjoyed Crema Coffee. As any other designer or office-worker can attest, we can hardly function without caffeine! Now, two surprises were enough to ensure that I never went back to mass-produced coffee. But Chad reinforced every experience I’ve had with his brand with a personal touch.

After Manifest had moved into our new studio, Chad visited with two bags of beans in hand. He wasn’t looking to sell anything. He didn’t have an ulterior motive. All he wanted to do was let us know that he appreciated our comments about Crema and that he was listening to his customers.

He surprised us by taking the time to explain why a cup of Crema is different. Chad surprised us by telling us about other Montana roasters that he respects. He surprised us with his depth of coffee knowledge and his passion for what he does. By engaging with customers using the tools at his disposal he forged a simple relationship with people who will actively tell others about Crema.

Much has been written about how a brand is an experience. A brand is not just a logo, not just a television commercial or a beautiful website. So today, I submit the following question for your consideration:

When was the last time you surprised your customers?

Horsepower has been a part of automotive terminology since the beginning of the automobile era, therefore I find it surprising that only a handful of automotive manufacturers have chosen to use an image of a horse as a design element of their logo or emblem. Horses have long been viewed as a universal symbol of speed, strength, power and prestige… qualities that I assumed would be quite useful in the competitive automotive field. So while doing research for a few horse logos I have designed, I was extremely shocked to come across scarcely a half dozen examples of horse logos in the entire automobile manufacturing industry. With that in mind, I hope you enjoy the six examples of automotive horse logos I was able compile for your viewing pleasure… and if I left out a few please let me know!

1. Ferrari

The Ferrari emblem is probably one of the sexiest horse logos ever designed!

2. Porsche

The Porsche emblem is one of the most recognized horse logos in the auto industry!

3: Ford Mustang

The Mustang emblem is the most famous horse logo in Ford's history.

4. Ford Bronco

The Ford Bronco Sport was the first SUV to incorporate a horse into it's logo design.

5. Ford Maverick

This horse decal/emblem adorned select Ford Maverick cars in the early 1970s.

6. Ford Pinto

The Ford Pinto emblem is just one of many horse logos in the history of Ford Motor Company.

Which one is your favorite?

I know there are only a few to choose from, but let us know which one you consider the best automotive horse logo. Also, if you know of an automobile manufacturer that I may have left out, please let me know!

This logo was made for a company that specializes in translating foreign languages. The mark was designed to be an interwoven ‘D’ that resembled a Celtic knot and specific attention was paid to the overall flow of the typeface.

Services provided

• Customer consultation to identify needs and branding strategies
• Creation of custom logo
• Delivery of work in several formats including black-and-white and web versions.

I simply love logo design… it is a passion of mine, and with each new logo I create, I love it even more. Over the last several months I have created many logos for Montana businesses. Some of them are for actual customers, some of them are for friends/family, a few of them are just exercises in design and I also have a number of them available for sale as well. I wanted to post and share these designs for the sake of discussion, and to provide inspiration for myself and the valued readers of this blog.

This post is just a recent sampling of my professional logo design portfolio. You can view a great selection of logos I have designed by visiting the following sites:

LogoPond: http://logopond.com/members/profile/showcase/18675

Brandstack: http://brandstack.com/users/profile/SuperDave4eva

LogoGala: http://www.logogala.com/designer/details/david-howlett/

Creattica: http://creattica.com/creatives/david-howlett-manifest-creative/1598

As you read you will notice that several of these logos are available for purchase. If you are interested in purchasing one of these logos, please let me know and we’ll work something out. So without further ado, I happily present to you this latest batch of logos… enjoy!

Decipher Translation Services

This logo was made for a company that specializes in translating foreign languages. The mark was designed to be an interwoven ‘D’ that resembled a Celtic knot and specific attention was paid to the overall flow of the typeface.

CoreGroup (for sale)

I designed this logo after a similar concept got turned down, but I really liked how the ‘c’ and ‘g’ fit together… so I decided to stick with it. I’m glad I stuck with it too… because this is one of my most popular logos at LogoPond and Brandstack. This is a great general purpose logo, and could be used well for a number of different industries. This professional brand is currently for sale and if you’re interested in it, please mention you saw it on this blog… and I’ll be happy to knock a few bucks off of it.

TakeVacation.biz

This logo was designed for a friend of mine for his travel business. He needed a logo that instantly portrayed “tropical vacation”, and palm trees fit the bill perfectly. Check out the logo in use on his website, and while your at it plan a trip… a tropical vacation is just what you need!

One Step Up

I created this logo for a preschool that helps children with physical disabilities and/or other special needs adjust and integrate into the regular school system. This was a fun logo to design, and everyone involved was very happy with the finished result. You can see the logo in use at the One Step Up website.

RaceKart (for sale)

This is a mock-logo that I designed as a fun side project for an area of interest that I have… go kart racing. This logo is currently for sale, and would be perfect for a racing kart manufacturer, race track, racing club or a myriad of other uses in the go kart racing scene.

Chasin’ Tail

This logo is proudly displayed on a fishing boat and was designed as a gift for a good friend of mine. This is a custom vector illustration of a fly fishing lure that ended up looking amazingly realistic. It looks great on the back of his boat, and he gets a lot of comments from his friends and fishing buddies!

Tight Line Adventures

Speaking of fishing, check out this custom logo that I created for a professional guide and outfitter based in Dillon, Montana. This logo is one of my personal favorites, and features a bunch of custom designed illustrative elements. The client actually gave me one of the best testimonials I have ever received – “The logo looks really great, and everyone I show it too just raves about it. I love it and after looking at tons of other fishing logos…this one kicks the crap out of all of them. You did an excellent job and I’m very excited to market my business with this logo!” – Justin Hartman

Fire Bird

This is another logo that I designed on a whim. Ok, I’ll admit it… I have a thing for tribal flames. One day I was wondering how the phoenix would look all done in tribal flames, so I went to work and this is the result. I think it looks pretty cool as a logo, and my friends think the illustration would make for a bad-ass tattoo!

Common Ground

A friend of ours runs a landscaping and grounds maintenance company and wanted some tweaking done to his original logo that my business partner Philip created for him years ago. We came up with this simple brand that was very close to the original, but more elegant and refined to help reflect how his company has grown and matured.

Super 8 Hotel

As a logo designer, sometimes you simply have to have a little fun… that was my motivation for designing this logo. I think this really puts the “Super” into this logo for a well known chain of hotels. I had a lot of fun designing this, and who knows… maybe someday a head honcho at Super 8 will see it and chuckle!

Snow (for sale)

On a particularly snowy day in Bozeman, I got the inspiration for this playful logo. I really like the use of snow to create the white space that makes this logo work. This “cool” logo is for sale, and could work well for a number of different industries… especially here in Montana.

Suncrave (for sale)

Well you can’t have a logo featuring snow, without also designing one for summer… so here you go! This is a mock logo that would be great for a clothing company specializing in beach wear! Admittedly, this one could use some work and probably seems a bit unfinished… something I’ll work next time I’m feeling sunny!

Red Rise (for sale)

Here is another logo featuring the sun, but in this instance it happens to be the rising sun of Japan. This logo is very modern and precise, perfect for a technology company or an entertainment studio. It is also up for grabs and awaiting a buyer.

JR’s Truck Repair

JR is a great local mechanic who needed a nice logo to help grow his new business. Although he has some of the best rates in town (call him at 406-595-0415), he needed a logo that had a very professional appearance and also depicted his mechanical ability. He loved the results!

Dance of Love (for sale)

This is a fine example of how a simple idea can turn into a really cool illustration. I wanted to make a heart out of the negative space between two dancers, something I think I executed very well. I do have some beef with this logo though… as it has been for sale for quite a while now!

Green Tree Service (for sale)

Here is another logo designed just for the fun of it. I love the way the leaves are made from the negative space in the lettering. The typeface was also completely custom created for a look you won’t find anywhere else. This one is also for sale, and ready just in time for the summer season!

Which logo is your favorite?

Well that is all I have for now. Please leave me your comments below and be sure to share these logos with your friends if you enjoyed them. Also if you are in the market for award-winning graphic design, please contact me so we can get to work setting up your FREE consultation.

Thanks for looking, and I hope you enjoyed the post!

Cheers!

A few months go I was contacted by Justin Hartman of Tight Line Adventures, in Dillon MT who was interested in a new logo design. While communicating with Justin, it became very clear that Justin had put considerable thought into what he wanted for his brand identity. Below is an excerpt from one of his early messages:

“…I think the name and meaning of the business needs to be depicted in the logo somehow. ‘Tight Line’ in fishing terms means keeping a tight line connection between the rod and the fish…hence “Tight Line”. I was thinking that it may look good placed in the lettering somehow. A rod with a tight line? Lettering with a tight line? Something like that. Be creative with it and play around with the ideas. But I think it is necessary to play along with the “Tight Line” language.”

Justin also was hoping for a logo that had illustrative elements that could stand alone during his marketing efforts. It wasn’t long before I had come up with a rough logo design based on Justin’s input, along with a fair amount of creative tweaking of my own accord. The final logo design was essentially three custom graphic elements, (1) a drift boat with guide and fisherman, (2) a distinctive typeface, and (3) a trout stylized in the shape of an ‘e’.

Here is the finished logo design:

With the logo finalized, Justin was very eager to put it into use, so we got right to work designing the core elements of his identity – this included business cards, letterhead, and envelopes. By separating a few of the the graphic design elements of the logo, we were able to design an identity package that had great continuity and really emphasized the brand.

Justin’s finished identity package:

Soon after Justin’s identity package was finished, we also began designing his website and advertising brochure. These items both used the interchanging elements from the logo and identity to keep the look and feel of the marketing materials consistent. You can check out the Tight Line Adventures website at http://www.tightlinemontana.com, and you can have a look at his photo-filled brochure below:

At this point Tight Line Adventures had a very professional and well rounded marketing and branding platform, but Justin still had other plans. As a Montana outfitter and guide, Justin was well aware that his clientele often would purchase apparel (hats, shirts, jackets, etc.) as part of their Montana fly fishing experience. Knowing this, Justin choose to have his logo embroidered and screen printed on various clothing items to sell to customers, and to provide to his guides for further promotion.

Talk about branding power, these photos say it all!

Big fish and even bigger smiles!

Justin Hartman holding Jessica's freshly caught fish.

Another big trout with the angler wearing some Tight Line Adventures swag!

Not one to miss an advertising opportunity, Justin also had us design his logo and information into vinyl decals that he had installed on his vehicle’s rear window. When taking clients on drift boat trips down the river, Justin’s truck often sits at fishing access sites for hours at a time. Having the Tight Line Adventures logo on his truck allows him to advertise to the very customers he would like to attract, at areas they are already frequenting. It also looks sharp where ever he chooses to travel, and is a rolling advertisement for his services.

Window decals can be a great way to advertise your business.

Tight Line Adventures is a fine example of what to do when it comes to identity and branding. I think any business can take a page from Justin’s playbook – use your identity and branding when ever and where ever possible. Look for advertising and marketing opportunities and capitalize on them, only then will you realize the true value and potential that branding can have on your business.

If you enjoyed this post, please leave a comment below and share it with your friends. Also, if you have any questions about logo design, identity, branding, advertising or common sense marketing, please give Manifest Creative a call at 406-585-9406. We would to hear from you, and discuss how we can help your business as well!

From time to time, I help my Twitter friends out by designing a custom background for their Twitter page. While this is mostly a hobby, I do enjoy it as a creative exercise. If you’re interested in having us design your background, start by checking out a few Twitter profiles we’ve branded (see below), then contact me via Twitter or give us a call!

If you have a smidgen of Photoshop experience, and a basic knowledge of monitor resolutions, you can design your branded Twitter page yourself. To help you along the way, I’m posting the Twitter Photoshop template that we begin with. Here’s a small, JPEG preview to give you the general idea. You can download the ZIP file below!

This Photoshop template defines the header area, the safest areas for your content, and swatches to help you further customize your profile. Guides and different resolutions will help you to visualize how your background will look on the Twitter.com website.

Download the Photoshop Twitter background template

Download Twitter Photoshop Template (ZIP file, 0.80 MB)

Twitter profiles that Manifest Creative has designed

If you’re interested in having Manifest Creative design your custom branded Twitter profile, give us a call, or follow @manifestphil on Twitter!

• @MontanaBusiness
• @MichelleMontana
• @DomainScript
• @BSTC
• @jmangan
• @BigSkyMont
• @BozemanMT

More Twitter Design Resources

• Twitter Background Design How-To and Best Practices
• How to design perfect Twitter background
• 13 Tutorials & Resources for a Perfect Twitter Background
• Twitter Backgrounds Gallery
• 100+ Remarkably Beautiful Twitter Icons And Buttons
• Stock.Xchang – Good resource for free stock images

Did you find this template helpful?

Consider Tweeting this post, or bookmarking on your favorite social website!

Twitter background design questions?

Leave us a comment below and we’ll do our best to help out in a timely manner.

Throughout time as craftsmen and skilled artisans made or sold their respective goods or services, it has been customary for the trades-person to either sign or brand their work. As time went on and competition between similar products or services became more fierce, the need to separate oneself from competitors became increasingly important. It became apparent that establishing a unique look to a name or brand provided a means for consumers to quickly identify with a particular supplier, and thus pick it out from it’s competitors. This “look” or “brand” is now commonly referred to as one of the most important four letter words in business lingo… the logo.

Author’s note: This article is part of the “Making a Name For Yourself” series.

So here we sit in the 21st century, and as far as the logo is concerned not that much has changed. Modern businesses still have the need to brand their products and services, and it all begins with the design of an effective logo. These days we very seldom see a brand that has actually been burned or stamped into a product. However, it is still quite difficult to look around and not see some sort of logo somewhere.

Today major corporations are known to spend millions of dollars establishing their logo and building brand awareness as a major part of their corporate identity. These logo things are everywhere; on our clothes, on our vehicles, on signs and billboards and even in our bathrooms and showers! They appear in all shapes, sizes and colors… you can’t avoid them, and there is seemingly no escape from them.

This onslaught is perhaps the best reminder that any business; be it small or large, must have an eye catching and easily recognizable logo. A strong and recognizeable business image is more important now than ever before. In fact, with the average American viewing more than 3,000 advertising messages per day, having a distinguishable logo is one of the most critical investments any business will make.

With all of the importance bestowed upon the humble logo, we decided that it would be a good idea to break down the key elements that together create a great logo. We will also outline some of the common mistakes and pitfalls when designing one.

Start with a Sketch

Grab a pencil, some paper, and a large eraser and then go to work! Sketching your ideas out on paper will help you visualize the logo and take the concept from an idea into a shape. It will inspire and provide you an excellent opportunity to brainstorm. It also helps to provide direction for your graphic designer and will help to weed out ideas that are less desirable.

When you’ve got a good sketch, or least a good idea, then it is time to go digital and see your logo really take form!

Print vs. Web

In today’s marketplace, a logo must be easily recognized on various forms of print materials, as well as on a TV or computer screen. The general rule is to design the logo for print applications first, and then to adapt the print logo to meet the needs of multimedia. This is particularly important, because what may look great on the web can often get muddied and difficult to discern when printed out.

Keep it Simple

Think about some of the most popular logos throughout history. What is a common tie they all share? The answer is simplicity… and it’s a beautiful thing. Often when designing logos, designers get carried away with intricate designs that look stunning when viewed at five or more inches wide and with the millions of colors that today’s computer monitors are capable of displaying. Generally, this leads to problems down the road.

What really needs to be taken into consideration is how that logo will look when it is forced to change and adhere to certain reproduction standards. Does the logo degrade if it is shrunk down considerably? Is the logo still effective when reduced to black and white or gray scale coloring? If the main focus of a logo cannot be recognized at less than an inch wide, or if the brand is indiscernible when it’s colors are converted, then it is rendered essentially useless to your business.

Size Does Matter

A great logo should be easily recognized whether it is printed extremely small – like perhaps on the body of ballpoint pen, or excessively large – like on a billboard or semi-truck trailer. The success of any logo can be greatly attributed to it’s ability to be scalable to nearly any size, thus enabling it to be adjusted to fit to a wide variety of applications. If the logo’s design limits how small or large it can be, that in turn retards the logo’s ability to be effective over a broad range of possible mediums.

Size, as it refers to resolution, is also very critical when it comes to logo design. Usually the size of a logo’s resolution is measured in DPI (Dots Per Inch). When using a logo on printed materials the printer will generally insist that your logo be a minimum of 300 DPI to ensure a high quality print. On the other hand, the same logo can be used on the web with just 72 DPI; which is fine for viewing on a monitor, but is far from ideal for high quality printing. Click here for more information concerning DPI.

Proper File Formatting

Even a well designed logo is useless if it can’t be used, displayed, stored, transferred and edited. This is why all logos should be either designed as, or converted into vector format. Even logos that are hand drawn should be scanned and converted to vector format before the logo is actually considered complete. There are several distinct advantages of doing this, such as the logo being scalable, movable and editable without losing the quality of the image.

Essentially there are two choices of formatting. The optimal choice in logo design being vector graphics and the latter being raster graphics. This article is not the place to outline the properties and advantages of either format, but such information is readily available.

When saving the logo, remember to save it as several different file types. Be sure to properly edit and save as an EPS, PDF, TIFF, JPEG and GIF. This will ensure that the logo can be used across a wide variety of platforms and programs. For more information on various graphic file formats click here.

What’s Your Type?

Some of most common and respected logos are simply unique or distinct typefaces with slight graphic alterations. Most logo designs begin life as a particular font or typeface, and this is where a majority of designers derive their creativity from.

When a suitable typeface is found, then it is a matter of seeing how the spacing and arrangements of letters come into play. Sometimes certain letters in a logo may be rotated or skewed to produce a desired effect, or perhaps a single letter or series of letters might be typed in a contrasting color.

When choosing a typeface, keep in mind that certain fonts can give off a softer, more feminine feel; while others offer a sharper, more masculine tone. When used effectively, the good use of typography can work wonders in creating a custom logo. A truly exceptional logo begins conveying a sense of what a company or product is, even prior to the product actually being experienced!

Icons are Ideal

Although many popular logos don’t employ any graphic or icon, there are an equal or possibly even greater number of logos that do. Using a distinctive graphic element or symbol can sometimes be more recognizable than the accompanying letters that make up the logo. Examples of these powerful elements are the Macintosh Apple, the Nike “Swoosh” and the Chevrolet Bow-tie.

If using a icon or graphic as part of a logo, the graphic should also somehow tie into to the product it is being used to represent. This is not necessarily true in all cases, but as a general rule it is a good idea. After all, even though the proprietor of a cat litter company may be head over heels in love with an icon of a dog… it just doesn’t make sense to include that dog icon as part of the cat litter logo!

Just as with all the other elements we’ve described in this logo development article, it is all about simplicity. The most popular and time-tested logos in the world have the simplest and most easily recognizable shapes… do you really think this is a mere coincidence?

Color Is Key

The use of color in a logo can be profound, yet can be wasted if the logo can’t be identified when converted to black and white or even gray scale. When designing with multiple colors it is important to realize the usefulness of contrast and the impacts it can have on the overall design. Having good contrast also helps when the logo must be reproduced without the use of color.

When using colors, it is helpful to be at least somewhat educated in color theory as well. This is important because certain colors evoke subliminal feelings, emotions and meanings in some consumers. It should be noted that some businesses pay special attention to the importance of color, and have extremely rigid specifications on just what color a particular logo can be.

Again we emphasize the importance of keeping the use of color simple as well. At the very most, a logo’s color palette should be kept to five colors or less.

Timeless Beauty

For any logo to defy Father Time, some forethought must go into it at the very beginning. As with anything else, it is entirely possible for a logo to go out of style. It is extremely important to avoid getting caught up in trendy fonts or overly stylistic design. Think long-term and ask the following questions: Is the logo you have today going to be effective ten or even twenty years from now? Will your logo require massive revisions or possibly even an entire redesign to stay in-line with the times? Can you afford to revise all your marketing materials if your logo goes out of style?

Test & Roll-Out

When you think you’ve got your logo complete, think again. Make sure you show it to friends, family, co-workers, and complete strangers. Ask for open and honest feedback, and use that feedback to make adjustments. When it comes to making those changes, remember to use the collective response of your entire study group and to not make severe adjustments based solely on the opinions of one or two individuals. Also, try to not let your feelings get involved, in other words don’t let pride get in the way.

After all the changes have been made and the logo is finalized it is time do one last thing… celebrate! Take some pride in your achievement and put your new logo on everything! I suggest that you write a press release and send it to all the local publications. If it is applicable get some vehicle decals made, or perhaps even order some stickers and pass them out. After all, you have a brand new exciting logo to show off to the world… so get started!

Other posts in the “Making a Name For Yourself” series:
• Logo Development and Strategy
• Business Card Basics
• Letterhead & Envelopes
• Brand Building for Beginners

In the field of graphic design, identity is a term that often gets thrown around loosely, and as designers we assume that everyone just automatically knows what we are talking about. Well as I recently found out, that is sometimes not the case. Let me explain…

The other day I was in the middle of exchanging business cards with a prospective client. After inspecting my bright orange card for awhile, she looked at me inquisitively and asked, “Your card lists one of your services as Business Identity. What is Business Identity… and just how does it relate to my business?”

Well that question got me thinking, and so over the next few weeks Manifest Creative will be diving into the subject of identity, the many facets that can help define it relating to business in the modern marketplace. In this series we will inspect the many pieces and parts that collectively make up the identity of a business or entity. Let’s begin…

If you were to go to dictionary.com you would find the first definition of the word identity to be exactly as follows:

i·den·ti·ty –noun, plural -ties.

1. the state or fact of remaining the same one or ones, as under varying aspects or conditions: The identity of the fingerprints on the gun with those on file provided evidence that he was the killer.

Now that is all good and proper, but for the everyday person I find the above definition lacking, perhaps even a bit vague. To sum it up in laymen’s terms, identity is simply the defining characteristics by which something or someone is recognized.

When it comes to establishing a Business Identity, these defining characteristics can be made up of any number of things including custom logos or symbols, the use of a particular typeface, a specific color scheme, a radio jingle, a recognizable voice, or even the recognition a mascot or celebrity can provide.

As graphic designers, we use the term identity to pertain to specific materials that help a business make a great first impression – and better yet, a memorable one. A basic identity package usually includes developing a logo design and then applying the logo to custom business cards, letterhead and envelopes… these are the staple materials for nearly every business.

One of the key factors in establishing an identity is continuity throughout all marketing materials. In other words, making sure that all your visual materials share a similar look and feel. This in turn is one of the first steps of branding, and the foundation of how you market your business.

That is all for this installment of the Business Identity blog… In upcoming installments we will continue our in-depth look at identity, and dissect each of the individual parts of an identity package. Check back soon as we investigate each part and share the features, options and advantages of them in detail.