You may ask, "Why?" If my business provides exceptional service 
and quality products; if we stand by our products and services 
and provide our customers with our best; then why do we need to 
worry about our business image?

In the past, when someone made the decision to go into business 
for themselves, there was seldom a question of whether they 
would succeed. Many business people had no business plans, 
had done no market research or even understood good management 
skills. They just opened their doors and grew. Today, our 
marketplace is much different. Competition is fierce. Businesses 
must compete daily in order to stand out from the crowd, to be 
unique and to achieve brand recognition for their products and 
loyalty from their customers. It is not enough to know your 
business; you must be perceived to be successful, to provide 
the best product or service, and to stand by your product. Not 
only must you know your business, you must have an image--a 
"persona," that reflects this.

Many businesses get so caught up in the every day promoting and 
marketing of their products or services that they often neglect 
one very important item: a quality, consistent business image. 
Today, with so many businesses competing for the ever-shrinking 
consumer dollar, a professional image that stands out more than 
your competitor's becomes even more essential. It is important 
to be recognized in a consistently positive manner.

Because you may only get one chance to create a positive first 
impression, you want it to be the very best one.


Where do you Start?

Working with a graphic design professional will ensure that you 
achieve a successful image. All of your marketing and corporate 
materials will be consistent and reflect your success.


Start with a Logo

Careful consideration must go into a logo design in order to 
achieve the look you want. The type of business, profession and 
product will guide you in various directions. It is important 
to share your business expectations and market focus with your 
designer so she or he can better design an effective logo.

Deciding on a designer is important--someone who can relate to 
your business and to your competition, and someone who takes 
the time to find out about your business. A good designer asks 
a lot of questions before beginning the design process and 
should give you several good designs to choose from.

Good designers will keep in mind the ever-increasing uses for 
your logo. It must be adaptable for use not only on cards and 
letterhead, but on signage and perhaps the Internet. Your logo 
must be able to grow with your company.

Remember, your logo is the image you present to the world - be 
sure it's an impressive one.


Fonts, Ink Colors, and Paper Choices

Various fonts (type) are also used to reflect your image. 
Simplicity and professionalism are the key.

The next consideration is your choice of ink colors and paper 
choices for producing your stationery packages. Take note of the 
correspondence that you receive daily in the mail. Corporate 
professionals tend to use conservative and strong colors of 
ink. Blue and dark gray are the most popular choices for 
this group. But with more women in the boardrooms and young 
entrepreneurs in the technological and computer fields, colors 
are changing--becoming brighter and more adventurous. Popular 
color trends are desert colors--rust, green and indigo, for 
example. Trends to recycled papers are the result of our 
environmental focus. Today, the recycling process is so advanced 
that most quality papers are recycled in varying percentages of 
recycled content. The speckled fiber look is not as popular as 
it once was; even many high-end papers have recycled content.


Business Cards

Business cards are often the first and last impression that you 
give a customer; so it is imperative that yours be the best it 
can be. A quality business card and logo reflects favorably on 
you. It shows that you have taken the time to properly market 
your products, and states, "We're important." even before you 
say a word. It reflects the quality of work that you do. In 
other words, "ordinary card, ordinary work; great card, great 
work." A quality card will give you the competitive edge, 
especially if your card and that of your competitors' are 
in the hands of a customer trying to make a decision.


Conclusion

Your image should reflect who you are. What image do you wish 
to project? And maintaining consistency with all your printed 
materials (logos, business cards, letterhead, invoices, 
brochures, advertisements and signage), as well as your web site 
design, will reinforce your credibility and professionalism, and 
enable you to build consumer confidence in your business.

With a great product, a successful business "persona" and a 
quality, consistent business package, your company is off to 
a positive start. Success is just around the corner.