For more detail on the subject of company logos - follow me here. I talk about the true need for a great identity and why so many 'contest' and 'fast logo' sites don't work for a genuine business brand.

Many times, in an effort to stay on top of the logo, branding and marketing game, we forget to use the psychology of triggering the human emotion in sales of our products and business services. Consumer's behavior is often consistent with their previous decisions. Therefore, if a customer says "yes" to an offer, make another offer that relates to the first.
• Determine the nature of the product so you can relate it to your prospect. Find which characteristics of your product have caught the prospect's interest.
• If your product has a flaw, don't avoid it. Bring the flaw into the open right away. This will make the negative feature less negative. Then concentrate on the benefits.
• Tell prospects a story concerning the product you are selling; this establishes a relationship while focusing their attention.
• Make them feel special. Offer an exclusive product to make your prospective customer feel like they will be the owner of something only a select few can have.
• Simplicity is key. The easier it is for a potential customer to make a choice, the more likely they are going to make it.
• Live up to your promises. Be as specific as you can in your copy. Be an authority on your product; this will further establish you as a credible source.
• Get customers actively involved in the buying process. Talk to them as if they already owned the product.

The following employment information about graphic artists, comes from the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
A Graphic Designer — or graphic artist — plans, analyzes, and creates visual solutions to communications problems. They decide the most effective way of getting a message across in print, electronic, and film media using a variety of methods such as color, type, illustration, photography, animation, and various print and layout techniques. A Graphic Artist develops the overall layout and production design of magazines, newspapers, journals, corporate reports, and other publications. The Graphic Artist also produces promotional displays, packaging, and marketing brochures for products and services, design distinctive logos for products and businesses, and develop signs and signage systems—called environmental graphics—for business and government. An increasing number of Graphic Artists also are developing material for Internet Web pages, interactive media, and multimedia projects. A Graphic Artist also may produce the credits that appear before and after television programs and movies.

Graphic artists create designs using print, electronic, and film media.

A Graphic Artist prepares sketches or layouts—by hand or with the aid of a computer—to illustrate the vision for the design. They select colors, sound, artwork, photography, animation, style of type, and other visual elements for the design. Designers also select the size and arrangement of the different elements on the page or screen. Designers then present the completed design to their clients or art or creative director for approval. In printing and publishing firms, A Graphic Artist also may assist the printers by selecting the type of paper and ink for the publication and reviewing the mock-up design for errors before final publication.

When a graphic artist sets out to design a logo or organize a magazine ad, ink, paper, and a lot of imagination were all the items necessary. However, in today's computer generated world, graphic artists are now working with computer design software to complete the work.

The first step in developing a new graphic design is to determine the needs of the client, the message the design should portray, and its appeal to customers or users. A Graphic Artist considers cognitive, cultural, physical, and social factors in planning and executing designs for the target audience. Designers gather relevant information by meeting with clients, creative or art directors and by performing their own research. Identifying the needs of consumers is becoming increasingly important for A Graphic Artist as the scope of their work continues to focus on creating corporate communication strategies in addition to technical design and layout work.

"Graphic Artist" is a broad category that includes artists and designers who use a wide range of tools to design promotional displays, marketing brochures, logos, commercials, annual reports, and other graphics products for clients.

Graphic artists also develop the overall design and layout of magazines, newspapers, journals, and other publications, usually working under the supervision of a design director or art director.

Graphic artists and commercial desktop publishers produce much of the same material. Often, though, the term "graphic art" is used to describe the more artistic aspects of the field, while the term "desktop publisher" often refers more to the mechanics of producing books, newsletters and other materials.



A Recent Marc Dorsett Graphic Artist Newsletter:

This is a reprint from Jamie Kiley - well worth reading...

If you're in the market for a new website, one of the first things you'll need to do is hire a web designer. As in any field, there are good web designer and bad web designers, and it's important to know how to determine which is which. Here are 5 tips to get you started:1. Don't judge a designer's skill solely on graphic design skills.Just like you can't judge a book by its cover, you can't judge a web designer based on his or her graphic design skills alone. While graphic design is important, attractive images are not the most significant determinant of good design. In fact, they are a comparatively small part of what makes a good website.Instead of focusing completely on visual image, concentrate on evaluating a designer's other skills. Evaluate the designer's portfolio by asking these sample questions:

• Does this designer design with usability in mind? In other words, is the site designed for form or for function?
  
  Does the designer have good organizational abilities? Look for organization of the entire site as a whole, as well as the organization of individual page layouts.
  
  Does the designer employ good navigation techniques? Try out some of the sites in his or her portfolio and carefully examine how easy it is for you to navigate around the site and find specific pieces of information.
  
  Instead of using graphics just for the sake of pizzazz, does the designer use graphics purposefully to organize the page and to direct a visitor's attention to important points?
  
  All sites should motivate a visitor to do something, whether it is buying a product, filling out a quote request form, signing up for a newsletter, etc. Does the designer do a good job of visually showing visitors how to take action?
  
  
• Does the designer design sites that are easy to use?
  
  
• Instead of asking, "Does this site look good?" ask, "Would this site make me want to buy a product if I was in that site's target market?"

2. Talk with references.Don't just peruse the sites in a designer's portfolio. Get in contact with some of the designer's past clients and question them on the specifics of their experience. Ask how long it took to complete their website, as well as how easy it was to work with the designer.Also, be sure to ask how effective the client's website has been. How many visitors do they get? By how much have their sales increased? How well has the site accomplished the client's intended goals?3. Have a basic knowledge of good web design techniques.It helps significantly in evaluating a prospective web designer if you know at least the basics of good web design. This way, you'll be in a better position to judge good techniques from the not-so-good.Before you get ready to hire a designer, spend some time browsing the web and the shelves of your local bookstore. If possible, try to get a feel for the basics of usability and online marketing. Also, glean information from a variety of different sources. The experts many times disagree, and it's helpful to hear from a variety of perspectives and understand why they hold particular positions.4. Don't blindly go for the lowest bidder.Remember, it's not just about getting a website; you'll need a website that will actually perform. Price and quality of web design almost always have a direct relationship, so you'll get what you pay for. Designers who are overly inexpensive ordinarily lack experience, are difficult to work with, don't understand much about online marketing, or don't truly have a grasp of good web design techniques. A website from such a designer won't be beneficial.5. Look for a designer who asks good questions.Astute designers should probe you for specific answers to such questions as:

• What is your primary goal? By what standard will you measure the success of your site? Who is your target audience?
• What are the primary benefits of your product or service?

Look for a designer who obviously understands marketing, not just graphic design.

Back to ye old drawing board before it falls over :)

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