Logos and Slogans Archives - Jeanne Burrows-Johnson's Word Empowering Blog

PROMOTION IN QUARANTINE

Cost-Effective Promotion to Advance Your Brand!

The year 2020 came, threatened to conquer the world, and departed. No one I know was left unaffected personally, or professionally. Fortunately, there are signs that conditions in American politics and economics are improving. Sadly, global health is not. For the time being, quarantine from the pandemic remains a necessity, at least for those of us who are older. And even if we venture forth, safety precautions must be observed that preclude much personal interaction. The following blog addresses promotion for authors, but the principles are applicable for marketing many products and services.

REFINING OUR BRANDS
As we move forward in this year, re-examining our status and brand as creative professionals is vital. One of my challenges as an author centers on labelling the genre in which I work. My informative books embrace elements of classic literary fiction. And although the genre of “mysteries” obviously defines the core of my Natalie Seachrist Hawaiian Mysteries, the issue of selecting an appropriate sub-genre is difficult. Some, such as “police procedural” can be eliminated immediately, as my protagonist is a semi-retired journalist. Since my books do not feature profanity, sex, or overt violence, the term “cozy” is generally applied to my books.

Unfortunately, that sub-genre often connotes a simplistic tale with little substance. So, what sub-genre incorporates the protagonist’s breadth of visions, the emphasis on history, detailed multi-culturalism, depth in character relationships, and passages of stylistic prose? Suspense? Paranormal? Historical fiction? Romance? At this point, the general category of “mysteries” remains most appropriate. It’s nice to observe that in Hawai`i, my work is placed in the Hawaiiana section of libraries and bookstores.

MOVING YOUR BRAND FORWARD
Once you have examined and possibly refined the elements of your brand, it is time to determine how you can best promote it in the current and as well as prospective marketplace. You might begin by asking how you normally present yourself in marketing and promotional projects. Do you strongly feature yourself? Perhaps, if you are an author, your protagonist the key element. Like me, the environment in which your stories take place may be dominant.

EXAMINING OUR OPPORTUNITIES
When cost is not an issue, there are myriad advertising options. I’m lucky that much of the promotion of my books is taken care of by my publisher. However, in this tight literary market, I am expected to undertake many aspects of promotion. With three titles in the NS series, I sometimes team with Geoff Habiger of Artemesia Publishing in marketing projects.

As sales and promotion via brick-and-mortar stores and events have been reduced by the pandemic, opportunities afforded by the Internet are increasingly impactful! As I observed in my last blog in the summer of 2020, the success of this type of marketing can be amplified by entrepreneurs of every type. The primary challenge is selecting among the prospects that are appropriate for maximizing outreach to our target audience. The following are some of the cost-effective avenues from which I choose.

~ Book Reviews. Whenever a new book is published, I [or my publisher] submit it for reviews. Traditionally, some of the venues for doing so have more stature than others…either because of the longevity of their existence, their current popularity. For nearly 90 years, Kirkus Reviews have been the hallmark of respected review of published material. While the cost of their services may be considerable, they have remained the most respected in their field. In addition to providing reviews, they offer opportunities to promote publications highlighting text from their reviews of the material. The above ad will soon appear in the Kirkus eMail Newsletter which is directed at a substantial list of subscription recipients.

~ Professional Associations. There are many local, regional, national, and international groups that authors and other creative professionals may choose to join. Some are more appropriate due to the genre in which one works. Which are best for you? Those that are prestigious or least expensive? What opportunities do they provide to their members: educational programming to expand their members’ knowledge and proficiency; invitations for the public to examine member websites and social media pages; the ability for members to directly post links to their websites, social media, podcasts, or other On-line presence? Another important consideration is whether an organization participates in events to meet current and potential clientele?

~ Contests and Awards. National, regional, and state organizations abound with the chance to enter author and artist creations for evaluation and award. Unfortunately, I do not write short stories, which are often the basis for writers’ contests. I have learned that there are opportunities for submitting initial pages of my books. Not long ago, my publisher and I entered two of my books in a book-to-film contest. This meant that we were able to split the cost which benefitted both of us. While we did not win, we did receive useful evaluations. What I learned from the experience is that my work is unlikely to appear on the big screen, it may be appropriate for small screen stand-alone or serial presentation.

~ Websites for Authors and Readers. There are many websites in which both readers and authors can participate…free but often requiring becoming a member. In addition to providing space for book covers, descriptions, reviews, and links to facilitate sales, some websites [both public and via membership] invite authors to submit articles and blogs for the benefit of both authors and readers. I periodically offer commentary to Hometown Reads [Coloration for Authors and Public Speaking to Enhance Branding] and Authors Den [where you’ll find articles and poetry in addition to information on my books]. Such sites sometimes offer opportunities to sell books at a discounted rate during special promotions. They may also provide low-cost advertising events.

~ Book and Art Shows and Fairs. This may be the most expensive form of promotion in today’s suggestions…but far less than long-term advertising. A quick check on the Internet will yield lists of book fairs across the country…and the globe. Local and regional websites of media outlets offer event calendars for book and art shows. Depending on where you live, such events may have been suspended for the time being, but virtual events may still be open for your participation.

Wishing you the best in your creative endeavors,
Jeanne Burrows-Johnson, author, consultant, and motivational speaker

For further discussion of branding and marketing see:
Rainbows of Color, May 2015
Winning Logos & Slogans, October 2015
Harmonizing Branding Elements, August 2016
Book Promotion and Evolving Art, January 2017

To learn more about the award-winning Natalie Seachrist Hawaiian Mysteries, including Murders of Conveyance [Winner, Fiction Adventure-Drama, 2019 New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards] and other projects, please drop in at my author’s website JeanneBurrows-Johnson.com . You’ll even find Island Recipes that might inspire your culinary creativity.

For more ideas to strengthen your Wordpower^© and branding, please visit: Imaginings Wordpower and Design Consultation.

Follow Me:
Amazon, Arizona Authors Association, Apple Books
Audible, Authors Den, Barnes and Noble, Blogarama, Book Bub
Cozy Mysteries-Unlimited, Facebook, Good Reads, Hometown Reads

Book sellers may contact book distributors such as:
Baker & Taylor, Follett, IPG, Ingram, Mackin, Midpoint, TitleWave

Harmonizing Branding Elements

INTRODUCING YOURSELF IN PERSON AND IN PRINT

In these blogs, I usually focus on a specific element of the art and science of writing. However, today I’m writing a farewell letter to Mary B, a professional acquaintance who is embarking on a new phase of life in a distant locale and may need to enhance the means by which she introduces herself to a new community.

USING YOUR FIVE SENSES
Regardless of your career or avocation, you’ll need to introduce and re-introduce yourself to colleagues and the general public periodically. I’ve found that using the five senses can be a useful tool in shaping your branding, including self-introduction. Effective wordsmithing requires empowering your words fully! And although you may not be able to directly access some senses in speech or print, drawing upon the essence of each sense can help you shape material that will fulfill your readers and listeners expectations.

As you think about how you will develop this coordinated approach to enhancing your brand I suggest you ensure the design elements you incorporate reflect your personal life as well. How do you perceive and appreciate the five senses of sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste? How you answer these questions reflects some of the most challenging design dilemmas for writers.

~ VISION
This is the most obvious sense to address in materials presented in print or electronic form. Color, form, and the perception of texture should all be addressed in this sphere of the words and images you create to introduce yourself. To begin, you might open your closet and look at the color palette on which you base your wardrobe. There are many schools of color theory that focus on varying principles for determining the colors most suited to your hair and skin. The more refined ones also consider your personality. But regardless of whether you wish to embark on a program of personal style analysis, simply focusing on coloration you find attractive should aid you in this project.

I’ve found three simple exercises for summarizing the elements of form that appeal to each of us. First, look at several fonts [both seraphed and non-seraphed] and especially the ampersands they include. Do you prefer straight lines? Or are you attracted to classic curlicues? Also consider the types of bullets you might employ. The simplest choice is between circles and squares. Which of these—or other shapes—harmonize with the fonts you prefer? Finally, walk through concrete or virtual museums and/or art galleries, concentrating on the styles employed (rather than subject matter) that appeal to your sensory experience. What attracts and impacts you the most as you pass from realism to modernism and science fiction animè and manga? Is it the color choice of the artist? Perhaps it is the overall rich palette of images? Or is it something as mundane as their distinctive logo or slogan used to describe their work in their marketing materials?

At this point, I hope you see an emerging pattern in what appeals to you. With a notebook or electronic file at hand, begin noting the self-promoting elements that can enhance your opportunities for introducing yourself personally, through the media and in your marketing.

~ SOUND
Think about the normal, enhanced and softened sounds that you prefer in music and other people’s voices. How do these tonal ranges and vocal qualities compare to your own speaking voice? Unless you are challenged vocally, the qualities of your own voice may be ideal for creating audio promotions for yourself. If you’re a writer, this may lead you to record audio editions of your creative works…and perhaps that will prove to be the high point of your artistic vision.

~ TOUCH, SMELL, AND TASTE
When your creative process appeals to the senses of touch, smell and taste, you may stir the memories of the people you wish to attract. By featuring these senses, you can present the qualities experienced when someone meets you in person. This might include the touch of your handshake, the brightness of your smile as you lean forward to kiss someone’s cheek, or suggest a hint of your signature safe fragrance [from the vanilla, spice, or fruit of a natural soap or cream].

~ ELEMENTS OF STYLE
As you consideration these issues, do you find you’re drawn to design elements that are classical European or Asian? Perhaps you’re attracted to a distinctive design school or art movement such as Cubism, Art Nouveau or Art Déco? Is there a regional aspect to your preferences, such as the Cowboy West or Fiesta Mexicana? Everything you’ve learned about your personal tastes should help you write a list summarizing aspects of your sensory perception that you’ll utilize in your own self-promoting elements.

~ BRANDING AND MARKETING MATERIALS
With these stylistic choices in mind, you are ready to embark on shaping and gathering the branding and marketing materials that will distinguish your authoring strategies as the epitome of the art of communication! Of course, by the time you begin this part of your self-enhancing campaign, you will have chosen: A palette of distinctive colors; a signature font, bullet, and even the frame with which to accent your text; ideas for a logo or other images to distinguish you; a set presentation of your name (and perhaps your initials) for professional purposes. In addition, no matter how many elements I could list, there will be additional ones that come to mind as you progress through your evolving branding journey!

With these aspects of design at the ready, you can embark on the never-ending refinement of necessary branding and marketing tools:

~ Bios of numerous lengths
~ Résumés of varying focus and size
~ Single sentence to page-long self-introductions
~ Sample broadcast, electronic, and print media releases
~ One or more photos that let your personality shine forth
~ Letters of introduction showing your individuality and skills
~ Scripts and handouts for talks and seminars highlighting your perspective
~ Synopses and cover letters for works you’ll promote now and in the future

~ EXPRESSING YOU
Have I tired you out with the number of choices you face when needing to introduce yourself? I hope not. I hope I’ve merely reminded you of the many characteristics that express you in life. You are a unique and wonderful person with many gifts to share within your personal and professional worlds!

Wishing you the best in your creative endeavors,
Jeanne Burrows-Johnson, author, consultant, and motivational speaker

Further discussion of art is available at the following blogs:
Authors Design Dilemmas 1, April 2015
Confronted by a Fantasia of Fonts, May 2015
Rainbows of Color, May 2015
Winning Logos & Slogans, October 2015
Quality Book Production, February 2016
Harmonizing Branding Elements, August 2016
Book Promotion and Evolving Art, January 2017
Balancing Text and Space, February 2018
Successful Cover Art, December 2018

For more ideas to strengthen your Wordpower^© and branding, please visit: Imaginings Wordpower and Design Consultation.

Follow Me:
Amazon, Arizona Authors Association, Apple Books
Audible, Authors Den, Barnes and Noble, Blogarama, Book Bub
Cozy Mysteries-Unlimited, Facebook, Good Reads, Hometown Reads

Book sellers may contact book distributors such as:
Baker & Taylor, Follett, IPG, Ingram, Mackin, Midpoint, TitleWave

WINNING LOGOS & SLOGANS…

emmas for AuthorsRich Palettes of Words & Images for Authors & Artists!

While logos and slogans are usually associated with corporations, they can facilitate communication with the public and be key branding elements for any business endeavor, regardless of size or tax status. And, yes, that includes professional writers wishing to facilitate communication with their readers, listeners, and/or viewers. The memorable branding messages of successful authors truly echo the rich palette of words and images used by Fortune 500 companies!

PICTURE A SUCCESSFUL LOGO OR SLOGAN
What comes to mind when you think of a successful logo or slogan? Perhaps the first is the iconic image of a cola company that has been in business for over one hundred and twenty-five years. There have been many artists who have brought their own creative process to the company. But while its logo has changed in minor ways, the bright color palette, signature font, and swirls of one type or another have remained ever present.

In contrast, its slogans and other commercial text for their signature product have been altered periodically. This is not surprising since marketing styles and considerable linguistic evolution have occurred within the same decades. But with each change, the artistic vision of the company has been consistent—to provide a pleasurable sensory experience to the product’s target market.
Tips
ELEMENTS OF A SUCCESSFUL LOGO OR SLOGAN
In addition to any artistic icon, the choice of color and fonts utilized in shaping the outward image of a viable brand must be memorable. They must also be appropriate to the product or service, as well as the demographics of the target market. However, since a business can select a specific slice of their market to target, the style of two businesses within a particular industry can vary considerably.

Consider snack foods intended for children. Generally, bright, happy colors, images, and simple easy-to-read—or even cartoonish—text fonts are appealing to that market. But when the ingredients are organic, the use of colors associated with nature is the norm. In addition, with growing concerns for the environment, recycled and/or recyclable packaging is becoming preferable…at least to parents.

When you know the demographics of your target market, your first decision in establishing your brand may be deciding whether to use your personal or business name without an accompanying image. This may be appropriate if your name distinguishes your business from others that offer parallel products and/or services. However, the use of an artistic design element not only clarifies what you do, but demonstrates the style in which you operate. Thus, a black, profiled outline of a woman with luxurious hair, standing in high heels against a deep plum color may convey an ideal image for an upscale salon or spa. If the figure of a man in a tuxedo were added, an iconic image for a ballroom dancing studio would emerge.

DYNAMIC TEXT IN LOGO DESIGN
Let’s now consider how we might design a logo for a company we’ll call Inner City Painting. Beyond the simple use of text, one could use an upturned paint brush with a splash of paint for each of the i’s in the text. At the next level of complexity, a simple line drawing of a home or a string of commercial buildings could declare the firm’s niche market.

Aside from clean, non-seraphed text, three primary colors might convey a no-frills provider of basic painting services. Conversely, sweeping art strokes, an elegant font, and an exotic color palette would suggest a more artistic enterprise. [See DESIGN DILEMMAS FOR AUTHORS, Part 3: COLOR, May 30, 2015, regarding the use of standardized colors to ensure uniform coloration in both print and electronic publishing.]

Several years ago, I was working with a local printer whose family had been in the industry in a large city for several decades. Although the familial entity no longer existed, the branding artwork remained. It depicted a happy cartoon character inviting the public through their doors. The style of the figure, his attire and shoes all pointed to another era, but the idea of a friendly chap greeting customers was still a viable concept—especially in this age of impersonal mega-corporations. With the help of a graphic artist, the image of your friendly neighborhood printer was updated and served to introduce the firm to a new generation of clients seeking full-service printing design and production.

THE IMPORTANCE OF LOGOS IN BRANDING
Equally important to an effective branding program is the choice of a slogan, for both individuals and organizations. Notice that I am using the single noun, S L O G A N. Too often I find promotional decision makers attracted to complex images and multiple descriptive phrases. This simply muddies the waters and presents a jumbled NON-MEMORABLE image to the public.

Consider artist John Smith. He might present himself as: John James Smith, portraitist. In this case, his middle name separates the artist from other men named John Smith and the word portraitist specifies his specialty. Additional, qualifying words and phrases can offer further information that will attract appropriate clients to him. The following is a simple representation of Mr. Smith and his classic painting:

Portraits in Oil Offered by
John James Smith, M.F.A.

Another issue to consider in textual aspects of branding is punctuation. Instead of shifting font or using italics, some promotional decision makers complicate a design by ending slogans with punctuation. I suggest saving punctuation for actual sentences and paragraphs of descriptive text. I find that the shortest path to memorability lies in simplifying your words and design elements.

ENSURE SIMPLICITY
Designing branding elements in popular dimensions you are most likely to see in print ensures simplicity and that means ease in utilization in multiple projects. That means that although your graphic artist may be thrilled to present you with an 8.5 x 11 inch design, have them offer you samples in the sizes of dimes, nickels, quarters and silver dollars. When you do this, you will quickly see that extraneous strokes and other details are lost in such dimensions and can even prove distracting to the message you are trying to convey with a business card or advertisement. The size of fonts used for your name and any slogan will naturally have to be proportional to the size of the icon being presented.

With the publication of Prospect For Murder, the first Natalie Seachrist Hawaiian Mystery set in Honolulu, I have been sorting through old files. In examining the progression of my own branding, I see that for over a decade, I simply used my name and a few bulleted words to describe my work. In 1995, I launched use of the word Imaginings in my business name while completing edits for an article I co-authored for Broker World Magazine. Since I was moving from Honolulu to Tucson, it was part of an authoring strategy for introducing myself to a new locale for my physical business, as well as potential regional, national or even international audiences. [You might find it interesting to note that at that time I was sometimes told that there was no such word as imaginings.]

Through the years, I have offered clients several products and services to enhance their physical environs, as well as their promotional representations. While previously using merely a textual presentation of myself, a couple of years ago I decided to design an iconic image that would represent several elements of my career: Commercial writing, design consultation, and floral art. I knew that utilizing a pen would clearly represent the largest area of my work. As I sometimes provided faux painting of accent walls to commercial clients, it seemed natural to also include an artist’s brush. Finally, as I have offered floral designs to both friends and clients, some form of floral image was indicated.

My logo has evolved over time is used in myriad ways. Some variations have been necessitated by hardcopy printing vs. electronic presentations: Boldness and detail; portrait and landscape formats; framed and unframed; isolated or with text. Despite these differences, the use of gold, blue and plum colors have been consistent–except when a solid gold background is required. I’m glad to say that my icon is becoming recognized…

With my writing shifting from commercial writing to fiction, my personal name may become more recognizable. Nevertheless, I like the elements of this image that sums up my work to date. However, I think it’s time for the hand of a graphics professional to finalize my signature icon, so that I can empower my image as well as my words as an author.

Wishing you the best in your creative endeavors,
Jeanne Burrows-Johnson, author, consultant, and motivational speaker

Discussion of art is available at the following blog posts:
Authors Design Dilemmas 1, April 2015
Confronted by a Fantasia of Fonts, May 2015
Rainbows of Color, May 2015
Winning Logos & Slogans, October 2015
Quality Book Production, February 2016
Harmonizing Branding Elements, August 2016
Book Promotion and Evolving Art, January 2017
Balancing Text and Space, February 2018
Successful Cover Art, December 2018

For more ideas to strengthen your Wordpower^© and branding, please visit: Imaginings Wordpower and Design Consultation.

Follow Me On:
Amazon, Arizona Authors Association, Apple Books,
Audible, Authors Den, Barnes and Noble, Blogarama, Book Bub,
Cozy Mysteries-Unlimited, Facebook, Good Reads, Hometown Reads

Book sellers may contact book distributors such as:
Baker & Taylor, Follett, IPG, Ingram, Mackin, Midpoint, TitleWave