2011 is almost over and all of us at Incitrio have really enjoyed working with you this past year. We had the opportunity to work on some really amazing projects. And, while it’s hard to pick just a few, we managed to narrow down our Top 5 Favorite Projects of 2011. They’re in no particular order. (Hey, it was hard enough to pick just 5!)
The Social Express™ > Custom WordPress Ecommerce Website Design and Programming
We are extremely proud of the work we did for The Social Express, an innovative software for children with autism, Asperger’s, and other social learning challenges. We designed and programmed a fully functional WordPress website with fully integrated ecommerce functionality. Within three weeks of launching the website, there were over 1,000 downloads of the lite version (an average of 75 downloads a day), 1,000 unique visitors, and a bounce rate under 40%. The best part? Visitors spent an average of 1½–2 minutes on the site. Not only is the site engaging, but with minimal online marketing, it’s already generating 4 sales per day.
Visit the site at: http://thesocialexpress.com/
CRS Financial Management Solutions > Transmedia Design and Programming
Have you ever felt that your company is complicated and your process is challenging for people to understand? You’re not alone. Many companies face the same issue, including CRS Financial Management Solutions. Founder and CEO Marilyn Magett was producing amazing results for her clients, but offered so many services for such varied scenarious that potential clients had difficulty appreciating how she could help them. Incitrio created a transmedia video that combined a motion graphic, an interview with Ms. Magett, and testimonials from three clients to create a 24 hours a day/7 days a week sales asset. The video explains CRS’ offerings in a visually appealing, straightforward manner, leading to better pre-qualification and higher conversion.
Watch the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1BhaeUuFmA
Jewish Federation of San Diego County > Branding and Design
The Jewish Federation of San Diego County came to Incitrio to rebrand the organization and set the stage for the 2011-2012 campaign. The organization has strong roots in the community and needed collateral that told their story in a more compelling manner. They were a joy to work with, and we loved designing and writing their Program and Impact stories as well as thier Case for Giving brochure. The collateral will be an integral part of their 2012 fundraising and outreach efforts.
See an example PDF here: (I will upload one to wordpress so it can be downloaded)
Nulu Languages > Website UX and SAAS UI Design
Some websites need that extra something special because they offer a unique experience. Nulu Languages is just such a site. Nulu Languages is an online software designed to help foreign language teachers and students connect and learn in new, more effective ways. Incitrio designed the user experience section of the Nulu website, everything before the user logs in. And, the SAAS UI Design, everything after the login. Post login, students can read articles and respond, review flashcards, and discuss content with their fellow classmates. Teachers can assign readings and monitor students’ progress. And, administrators can manage multiple classes, teachers, and language ****.Throughout the design process, the Incitrio team also participated in the software ideation process to suggest feature enhancements and functionality benefits. Pre-login, the site acts as a visual sales power, educating the prospective client as to the benefit of this new way of language learning. The site officially launches at the beginning of 2012 and already has several thousand students registered.
View an example PDF here: (I will upload one to wordpress so it can be downloaded)
City Heights Partnership for Children > Branding, Naming, and Design
The City Heights Partnership for Children is a collective impact created to combine the forces of many powerful organizations and leverage their impact on the City Heights neighborhood of San Diego. Incitrio performed a series of focus groups with key audiences culminating in a brand positioning strategy, name, and, ultimately, a logo that over 150 people agreed upon. No small feat! The name and logo represents the core values of empowerment, collaboration, nurturing, and trust. It is our sincere hope that this initiative will pave the way for future collective impact initiatives in other similarly impacted neighborhoods.
View the logo here: http://cityheightslife.com/?attachment_id=711
2011 is almost over and all of us at Incitrio have really enjoyed working with you this past year. We had the opportunity to work on some really amazing projects. And, while it’s hard to pick just a few, we managed to narrow down our Top 5 Favorite Projects of 2011. They’re in no particular order. (Hey, it was hard enough to pick just 5!)
The Social Express™ > Custom WordPress Ecommerce Website Design and Programming
We are extremely proud of the work we did for The Social Express, an innovative software for children with autism, Asperger’s, and other social learning challenges. We designed and programmed a fully functional WordPress website with fully integrated ecommerce functionality. Within three weeks of launching the website, there were over 1,000 downloads of the lite version (an average of 75 downloads a day), 1,000 unique visitors, and a bounce rate under 40%. The best part? Visitors spent an average of 1½–2 minutes on the site. Not only is the site engaging, but with minimal online marketing, it’s already generating 4 sales per day.
Visit the site at: http://thesocialexpress.com/
CRS Financial Management Solutions > Transmedia Design and Programming
Have you ever felt that your company is complicated and your process is challenging for people to understand? You’re not alone. Many companies face the same issue, including CRS Financial Management Solutions. Founder and CEO Marilyn Magett was producing amazing results for her clients, but offered so many services for such varied scenarious that potential clients had difficulty appreciating how she could help them. Incitrio created a transmedia video that combined a motion graphic, an interview with Ms. Magett, and testimonials from three clients to create a 24 hours a day/7 days a week sales asset. The video explains CRS’ offerings in a visually appealing, straightforward manner, leading to better pre-qualification and higher conversion.
Watch the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1BhaeUuFmA
Jewish Federation of San Diego County > Branding and Design
The Jewish Federation of San Diego County came to Incitrio to rebrand the organization and set the stage for the 2011-2012 campaign. The organization has strong roots in the community and needed collateral that told their story in a more compelling manner. They were a joy to work with, and we loved designing and writing their Program and Impact stories as well as thier Case for Giving brochure. The collateral will be an integral part of their 2012 fundraising and outreach efforts.
See an example PDF here: http://www.incitrio.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/JFS-100_GivingBrochure_v.10.3_FINAL_LR.pdf
Nulu Languages > Website UX and SAAS UI Design
Some websites need that extra something special because they offer a unique experience. Nulu Languages is just such a site. Nulu Languages is an online software designed to help foreign language teachers and students connect and learn in new, more effective ways. Incitrio designed the user experience section of the Nulu website, everything before the user logs in. And, the SAAS UI Design, everything after the login. Post login, students can read articles and respond, review flashcards, and discuss content with their fellow classmates. Teachers can assign readings and monitor students’ progress. And, administrators can manage multiple classes, teachers, and languages.Throughout the design process, the Incitrio team also participated in the software ideation process to suggest feature enhancements and functionality benefits. Pre-login, the site acts as a visual sales power, educating the prospective client as to the benefit of this new way of language learning. The site officially launches at the beginning of 2012 and already has several thousand students registered.
View an example PDF here: http://www.incitrio.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/NULU-Website-.pdf
City Heights Partnership for Children > Branding, Naming, and Design
The City Heights Partnership for Children is a collective impact created to combine the forces of many powerful organizations and leverage their impact on the City Heights neighborhood of San Diego. Incitrio performed a series of focus groups with key audiences culminating in a brand positioning strategy, name, and, ultimately, a logo that over 150 people agreed upon. No small feat! The name and logo represents the core values of empowerment, collaboration, nurturing, and trust. It is our sincere hope that this initiative will pave the way for future collective impact initiatives in other similarly impacted neighborhoods.
View the logo here: http://cityheightslife.com/?attachment_id=711
December 28th, 2011
When one thinks of today’s hottest and most successful companies, one of the first things that come to mind is their logo. A company logo can say a lot about a company. In 3 seconds or less, it can tell you where the company was, where it is, and where it is headed. Communicating these company-specific attributes in such a short period of time is not an easy task. It takes asking the right questions, finding out who is the target audience, and it requires the study of all past branding efforts.
If done successfully, a logo can become ingrained in the minds of your market, being easily recognized no matter the size, or upon the background in which it is placed. A successful logo will set the intended tone of your company, and will communicate the most important aspects of your brand quickly and efficiently. Unfortunately, many companies who have never considered the benefits of a professional logo, or who have relied on a stock image and refer to it as their “logo,” have potentially lost out on years of positive branding opportunities. These lost branding opportunities add up to a significant loss of company value when one understands this philosophy: Your brand is only as strong as your clients say it is.
This philosophy is why a unique symbol that relates to your market is important. It is suppose to represent everything about your company, and is your seal of authority. It is the face of your company when no customer representative or sales person is around. It must not only look good, but most also tell a story. For companies who have employed an unprofessional logo for many years, a logo redesign is necessary to capture the attention of new clients, while maintaining the recognition necessary to avoid confusing current clients.
A professional logo will generally share similar characteristics:
- It will be impactful
- It will be easily recognized
- It will be easy to read at any size
- It will be memorable
Logo Redesign Process
The Value of a Professional Logo
A strong brand can double the value of a business specifically because of the intrinsic value between your brand and your clients. Can you imagine if Nike stopped using their famous logo on all of their products? Stocks would plummet as high school kids and athletes around the world would abandon Nike for the next best competitor. A change in logo would lead to confusion causing many people to think twice before buying a Nike product, and would keep many from buying simply because of the fact that many people buy Nike products for the logo alone. For these people, the Nike logo is more than just a simple stroke, it is a symbol of status, of athletic prowess, and a symbol of fashion. The perception of the company is very strong not only because of their millions spent in marketing, but because their brand is also committed to constant improvement. By improving their products each season, testing, and modifying accordingly; Nike has successfully positioned itself as the premiere sports apparel company in the entire world. Customer loyalty is through the roof because they love the way Nike shoes feel and they like the way they look. Year after year, customers return because they know that the company is committed to excellence in design, in quality, and in athletic fashion. Athletes buy their shoes because they know that Nike has spent many years researching the best ways to design and manufacture athletic shoes. They trust their feet to only the best. In addition, the shoes look fast, making the athlete feel fast. It is only natural that the Nike logo would look fast too. Like a wing in flight, the ultra sleek swish looks almost weightless. Even this logo, as simple as it is, tells a story about the company and about the people wearing it.
Your Logo and Your Brand Experience
A logo cannot do the job alone. It takes a repetitive positive experience with a company and the repeated visual experience with the logo to build value. If you have been working with a logo that does not cater to your market, you have likely had to work really hard elsewhere to pass along your message to your client base. Wouldn’t it be nice to let your logo express this message for you? Companies who feel they have a great product or service have the most to gain from a logo redesign. Implementing a new logo within a framework geared around a positive customer experience will only provide positive results. In this situation, a logo that builds on your past efforts and that caters to your existing client base will prevent confusion and will help you to gain a higher level of recognition in the competitive marketplace. A new logo redesign will give you the base on which to build your marketing platform. It will give you the direction you need and will allow you to make sure you are sending the right message. You will also gain the confidence to place your logo on any surface, knowing it will look good, and that it will stand out.
Professional Logo – The Official Company Representative
When properly designed, a logo can last a lifetime. It is one of the most important and most necessary steps when creating a company or when updating your company brand. It is unfortunate that many business owners still do not recognize the importance of a professional logo, rather choosing a cheap alternative, not understanding the long term value it will add to their everyday business. In today’s economy, presentation still matters. You do not send your sales team to an important meeting wearing mis-matching clothes or outdated attire, so why shouldn’t you treat your company the same way? It’s time to ditch that old logo, only taking from it what works, and using it to create a new one. Get a great logo redesign from a creative logo design company that understands your needs and the needs of your market. Find a company who asks the right questions in order to provide you with an industry leading logo design.
If you own a website, find out whether you can benefit from a logo redesign. Contact Incitrio at 858.202.1822 for a free brand analysis. We are a San Diego marketing agency focused on short and long term client success through integrated marketing, website design, advertising, email marketing, search engine optimization, social media, and CSS programming. Visit our testimonials page to take a look at what some of our happy clients are saying about us and visit our portfolio page to check out some of our award winning logo designs.
The logo redesign process
June 6th, 2011
