Category Archives: Branding

How Graphic Design Helps Your Business Succeed

Unique and memorable graphic design helps your business succeed by establishing your business in the market. Using a professional is crucial to that success Continue reading →

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Posted in Branding, Graphic Design

Re-Branding – a Case Study

This month’s case study follows a nonprofit in their quest for a brand that encapsulated not only their current vision but the future of their mission. Continue reading →

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Posted in Branding

Effective Non-Profit Design: 7 Things to Consider

In our 20+ years as a leading Wisconsin graphic design firm, we have had the privilege to work with a number of amazing nonprofit organizations. Through those experiences we have learned that doing design for charitable groups is a little bit different than working with for-profit businesses. The same rules of visual presentation apply, of course, but the goals and applications are a bit different. To put it another way, non-profits have to think about design in a unique way. If you’re thinking about revamping the visuals, marketing, or website for your non-profit organization, here are seven things you should consider… #1 Begin With a Cohesive Brand Strategy It’s important … Continue reading →

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Posted in Branding, Nonprofit Graphic Design

Why Your Business Needs a Logo Branding Guide

Does your company have a logo branding guide? If you’re scratching your head, probably not. A branding guide is basically what it says, it’s a manual with specific “rules” for how your company logo is to be used. While some of the items included in the guide may seem trivial or small beans, the guide makes sure everyone is on the same page as it pertains to logo reproduction, color, sizing, font usage and more. Consistent branding is a must for companies because it builds brand credibility in the eyes of your consumers. Your company has probably, collectively, spent a lot of time and energy coming up with the perfect … Continue reading →

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Posted in Branding, Logo Design

5 Ways You Can Be Your Own Brand Ambassador

What is the value of brand storytelling? A connection with your consumer possesses infinite value. You are your own brand. Own it. Wear it inside out, turned backward, or tied around your head but never take it off. How did you come to this idea that you were going to offer the world your unique product or service? Understanding what your brand can do for others and by laying it all out there can provide consumers with the knowledge they need to consume your product or service. Web design and graphic design are simple yet effective ways to get your brand off the ground. How is a product different? Connect … Continue reading →

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Posted in Branding, Marketing your brand

Choosing Colors and Fonts That Fit Your Brand

How do you choose the right colors and fonts for your logo, website, and other branding pieces? A lot of business owners will tell you they simply choose “what they like,” and that’s not a bad starting point. But, if you really want to establish and maintain an identity that’s going to help you connect with customers over many years, there are a few things you should consider before making a final decision… Go for emotion first – Every color elicits a different kind of emotion or response. Some are softer and cooler, while others feel more hot and engaging. Think about the tone you want to set (professional, exciting, … Continue reading →

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Posted in All about Color, Branding, Color in Marketing, Fonts & Fontography, Logo Design

Why Brand Consistency Matters

For a lot of business owners, branding can seem like a vague topic that involves market research, focus groups, and the kinds of conversations people have in Fortune 500 boardrooms. But what they might not realize is that branding is just as important—or maybe even more important—for smaller companies. In particular, small businesses need brands that are consistent from one communication or campaign to the next. The reason is simple: If branding isn’t consistent, then customers won’t necessarily recognize that a communication is coming from your business right away. And, given that smaller companies have fewer chances to make an impression than bigger ones, they have to make each point … Continue reading →

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Posted in Branding, Small Business Marketing

Love Your Logo

The history of logos is long and varied and somewhat out of the scope of this piece, but take just a moment to think about the word “brand.” The term your brand comes from ranchers who branded their cattle – a mark of ownership or representation of a product. Did you know? Carolyn Davidson, who designed Nike’s swoosh in 1971 was originally paid $35 for her work. The brand was a simple mark, widely spaced characters that were typically the owner’s initials.Leaping back further in time, to medieval Europe, the personal brand was elaborate, but also printed much larger for quicker identification. Heraldry, an individual’s personal standard, varied greatly, but … Continue reading →

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Posted in Branding, Logo Design

Branding Trends

Tingalls Graphic Design is super-excited to be the first agency in Madison to offer to latest in branding trends – The Rock. Continue reading →

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Posted in Advertising, Branding, Creativity, Tips, Tradeshow Marketing

Brand Re-Boot

Last week we talked about what a brand is and how your corporate culture and mission statement protect and promote that brand. In short, your brand is your promise to the world, your pitch to strangers and your company’s values. Sometimes that’s not enough to save a brand. How do you know if your brand is failing? Here are a few tips: Continue reading →

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Posted in Advertising, Branding, Corporate Culture

The Creative Hurricane – Our Logo Design Process

When you think brainstorming, you probably think of a stuffy room, some paper, a handful of people and maybe some Mountain Dew. That’s cool. Maybe it’s not your specialty. But here at Tingalls, creative is our bread and butter. Continue reading →

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Posted in About Tingalls, Branding, Corporate Culture, Creativity, Logo Design, Tips

Where’s your blog?

It’s 2015 and the New Year is a great time to make some resolutions about your website, arguably your most effective marketing tool. You’ve been thinking a blog for a while now, but is it really worth the effort? The answer to that is a resounding yes! Continue reading →

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Posted in Advertising, Blogging, Branding, Copywriting, Search Engine Optimization, Small Business Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Tips

Creative Corner: How to Draw Custom Letters in Illustrator

Our talented designers here at Tingalls Graphic Design are always making something creative. Whether it’s on their Mac, a sketchpad or the back of a napkin, their ability to create beautiful art is astounding. One theme that often gets discussed is fonts and custom letters. One issue with custom, hand-drawn letters is that there can be inconsistencies in a family of letters. But a super-cool technique that we found at Lynda.com eradicates this problem, while offering an interesting marriage of tech and old-school lettering. Here’s a link to a video by a gentleman named Deke McClelland, who details how the technique works. He details work originally drafted out with a … Continue reading →

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Posted in Branding, Creativity, Graphic Design, Logo Design

Is Your Website Design Aimed at High-Context or Low-context Customers?

The answer to this question can be a deciding factor in whether your website design is creating raving fans, or increasing your website’s bounce rate (the amount of people that leave your site in under 30 seconds). The theory of high-context and low-context cultures is a concept that was coined by Edward Hall in his 1976 book Beyond Culture. Now you might be thinking, back in 1976 there weren’t even personal computers, let alone an Internet, so how can an almost 40-year-old book have any relevance when it comes to websites? Good question. The answer lies in the underlying principals of Hall’s theory, which supposes that the culture of a … Continue reading →

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Posted in Branding, Small Business Marketing, Tips, Website Design

Has Pantone’s Color of the Year Affected Your Branding?

Now that we’re well into 2014, how do you feel about Radiant Orchid as the Pantone color of the year? Is it something you’ve used in your designs and branding, or is this the first time you’re hearing about it? I asked some of the Tingalls team how they feel about the color, and if it’s influenced how they design and think. Overall, they felt that although it’s interesting to see what color Pantone picks each year and how they apply it, it has very little affect on their work. “All of our designs are very client driven. We tend to brand for our customers in a more timeless way … Continue reading →

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Posted in All about Color, Branding, Color in Marketing, Small Business Marketing

Are You Running Your Business with Passion?

How much of your business is affected by outside forces, rather than by internal passion? I’m not talking about listening and responding to customers — this is a cornerstone of any successful business. What I’m talking about is our ability to be true to who we are as a company — even if that means potential rejection. Back in the mid 1990s, Apple was allowing Mac clones to be produced by third party manufacturers. When Steve Jobs returned to the company in 1997, he put that to an end. Steve wanted Apple computers to be made only by Apple. And he wanted them crafted with his vision in mind — … Continue reading →

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Posted in Branding, Print Design, Small Business Marketing, Website Design