Do I Have to Include LLC in My Logo Design?
We get asked this question a lot during our logo design process. It’s right next to why does my logo color look different on my website? You can find the answer to the second question here. For advice on that initial question of whether your logo needs an LLC included in its design, we asked the experts. According to the lawyers we asked, the short answer is maybe. Because, as part of your company’s entity formation, you are required to include the LLC in all of your forward-facing client correspondence. This includes your marketing pieces. As Leslie Elkins, Co-owner of Kramer. Elkins & Watt, LLC says, “The only requirement for a logo […]
Common Questions About Logo Design
Should you list LLC on your logo? Who owns the rights? How should you use it and how many versions should you ask for? We’ve compiled some of the most common questions we get asked about the logo design process with answers!
Case Study: Find A Wrench Website
This month’s Tingalls case study highlights Find A Wrench website. View what we’ve designed, how the process works and the results
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 […]
Tingalls 7 Rules for Logo Design
At Tingalls, we have developed a reputation for being amongst the very best in Wisconsin logo design. However, while lots of clients tend to assume our success with branding has to do with an innate sense of artistic talent and creativity, that’s only part of the equation. In fact, we always try to adhere to seven firm rules about logos, and advise the business owners we work with to do the same. Here are seven things you need to remember if you want to end up with a logo that’s stunning, unique, and memorable.. #1 Keep Things Simple Often, clients have a lot of things they want to “say” with […]
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, […]
Why Your Best Website Design Company Isn’t a Website Design Company
Although we post a lot of material on our blog about website design and development, the fact is we do a lot of other graphic design and marketing work, as well. And, if you’re serious about growing your business, you should work with a creative team that has lots of different specialties and capabilities—all under one roof. In other words, your best website design company probably isn’t a website design company at all … it’s a creative team like Tingalls Graphic Design that starts with your brand and messaging strategy first, then applies that to your website design and not the other way around. To understand why, you only have […]
Why the Best Logos Are the Simplest
Sometimes, when clients come to us for logo design, they ask that lots of different elements be incorporated into their visual identity. Their enthusiasm is understandable, but we always like to remind them that the best logos are the simplest. Less is definitely more when it comes to logo design. The reason is pretty simple: A logo is all about showing identity and personality. Its job is to generate an instant impression. When a logo is simple, it only takes a fraction of a second for a viewer to understand. It’s more memorable because it conveys instant meaning. When you lose simplicity, you introduce clutter and confusion. People have to […]
Why Logos Should Never Start with Clipart
There aren’t a lot of hard and fast rules when it comes to designing logos. But, there is one piece of advice we could give to every designer and client in the world: You should never start designing a logo from a piece of clipart. Why do we have such strong feelings on this matter? Let’s explain… Great Logos Are About Creativity A logo has to be original, and should be created specifically for a certain business or organization. That’s essentially the opposite of what you get from a piece of clipart. Our logo design process begins with a thorough intake of our client’s background, their target audience and what […]
Best of Design Blogs
Continuing our end-of-year blog round-up, this week’s topic is design. We’ve pulled together our most popular blogs about design. These blogs cover topics from package design to logo colors. Check ‘em out and see if we haven’t answered your design questions. Packaging Design If you manufacture any sort of product, you know how important packaging design is. Regardless of your industry, there is a bevy of competing products. So how do you get your product recognized and ahead of the competition? Read more… 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 […]
Packaging Design
If you manufacture any sort of product, you know how important packaging design is. Regardless of your industry, there is a bevy of competing products. So how do you get your product recognized and ahead of the competition? Color Colors not only affect your mood, but they make a statement. We automatically and involuntarily associate certain colors with sensations and emotions. There is a sub-text of concept that comes with each color (red means stop or danger). The human mind likes associations, and as vision is one of more powerful and most relied on senses, the use of color logically can be used to influence people. There are vast tomes […]
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 […]
What is a brand?
What is a brand? Marketing experts have struggled to wring every nuance from the word, for nearly a hundred years. Should your brand be re-booted?
A Tingling Sensation: Project Success
It’s not your Spidey-Sense tingling, you’re feeling Project Success. It’s what we at Tingalls Graphic Design call “The Awesome Index.” At Tingalls we deal with awesome all day, so we’re not willy-nilly with the term Project Success. It’s a direct result of our creative process.
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.
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 […]
How Sketching with a Pencil Can Improve Graphic Design
Do you sketch with a pencil and pad or on your computer? In our digital world, more and more people are opting for sketching apps, but is something being lost in the process? The answer to this question depends on many factors, including your preferred art tools, as well as if you’re working on your own or with a group of designers. We recently ran across an article on the YouTheDesigner blog that inspired us to share some of our design process on our own blog. At Tingalls, our graphic design team uses both pencil & digital sketching to create our clients’ designs — but we always begin with our […]
Color Psychology in Logo Design
Our minds are inherently programmed to respond to color. It shapes our thoughts and emotions. And according to studies, color affects more than mood – it has the ability to change our buying habits. Save