Technical Schools Vs. College

I was listening to a conversation between two sets of parents not too long ago and they were talking about higher education for their children. They were debating Vocational Technical Schools and 2 or 4 year colleges.

One parent was saying that college was not as necessary anymore and that the wold needs more welders, construction, mechanics and manual labor workers than it needs business majors.

The other argued that in order for the construction worker to have a business they needed a business degree to be successful. They would also need accountants and financial planners to save for the long term. These jobs require college education.

I thought both sides had a point, but I also though both might be a little short sighted.

When I was in high school, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I was already a farmer/rancher and could have continued to do that and been able to make a living. That’s not really what I wanted to do. My mom and dad wanted me to be a veterinarian and I went to a year at OSU didn't want to be a Vet, and didn’t like college so I left college and didn’t have any direction.

I decided at that point, I would enroll in a Vo Tech school. I took classes in residential wiring and construction. Then got a job as a journeyman electrician. I was proud of my accomplishments and had a great job that paid a pretty good salary. Then the bottom dropped out of the Oil industry and it affected everyone. Work was still there, but new construction dropped to nothing and I decided I needed options.

Close by my home town was a Junior College. I went to check it out and ended up enrolling. I still didn’t know what I wanted to do. but I thought by the time I got the general education out of the way, I’d figure it out. I did, and went on to get a degree in Fine Art and then Visual and Graphic Design at a 4 year college.

I’ve worked for almost 30 years in the Advertising and Graphic Design industry and have had my own business for over 16 years. I have been lucky that I’ve been able to do what I love and make a living. However I also am comforted by the fact that I have always had manual skills that I can fall back on if I needed (it also helps around the house).

My advice is, think about letting your kids do both. Put some time into Vocational Technical schools to learn a trade, then go to college and continue education. Both are worthwhile, both can provide you with skills and employment for the rest of your life.

Both give your kids options, they don't have to pick one or the other, they can do both! You can’t prepare them for life any better than that!

© 2020 Michael Burke

The importance of planning and setting daily goals!

Good day! I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy.

Most of us are having to stay home and work right now, so it's more important than ever to have a clear set of goals to help plan your day.

Some, have had a home office for years and have a routine to make their day productive. However, with our families at home with us, we are having to switch things up a bit.

If you don't already, I would suggest setting a long term set of goals and a daily set of goals.

Most successful people already know and understand the importance of setting goals, but I've found in the last few weeks my goals have had to change a little.

Some people call them lists, some call them daily goals but the end result is the same. The following examples are how I set up my daily tasks. While at home with my son right now, I'm teaching him to do this as well.

A.    I have a journal that I work in and at the first of the year I write down my long term goals for the year. I can go back to the front of the journal at any time and make sure my daily goals are getting me closer to my long term goals.

B.    Every night I try right down the date and my goals for the next day. I could say list, but goals mentally tells me its a challenge and not a chore. By doing it at night, it means I don't have to take time out of my morning, I can sit down and get started first thing.

C.    I try to right down at least 10 goals for my day. Don't worry if you can only think of 8, that's fine. If you have 12 that's fine. I've found for me, 10 is a manageable number. The following is a sample of a normal set of daily goals. Except the coffee, they can be done in any order.

1. Get up and have coffee. ( No goal is too small. I try to make my daily goals manageable)
2. Check and respond to e-mail
3. Network
4. Finish any work I didn't get done the day before (this is a goal that will vary from day to day)
5. Get any billable projects that need to be done today (this also will vary from day to day)
6. Get 30 min of exercise ( can be as simple as going for a walk, just something that gives you a mental break)
7. Invoicing
8. Clean office space
9. Write goals for tomorrow
10. Tell my family I love them!

These are a simple sample of daily goals I use almost every day. They change up from time to time, but they are totally customizable and when I check them off, I feel a sense of accomplishment which helps with stress.

Now, with the current situation in place I have my family at home and that creates a whole new set of challenges.

My son now has to do virtual classroom, so I have become teacher, lunch monitor and recess monitor (making sure he doesn't recess all day!). My wife is also working from home and needs the dining room as an office to do calls and virtual meetings. All of this changes my work dynamic.

My daily goals have had to adapt to the new situation. Here is how my day goes now.

1. Get up and have coffee (that will never change!)
2. Make sure my son gets to work on school and be available to answer questions or give any instruction as needed. This could take an hour and a half to two hours out of my day.
3. e-mail
4. Network
5. finish work that is undone and do any new work that needs to happen (many times individual projects will become separate goals)
6. Take at least 30 min to do something active with my son
7. Read a book
8. Update my LinkedIn page
9. Write my blog.
10. Tell my family I love them! (this will always be on my goals list)

My goals list has always been moveable and the difference now is it has to be very flexible and I need to remind myself that some of the goals just wont happen. I have to take into account the kid needing snacks and drinks (he's still figuring out he can do that on his own) and every so often I hear "MICHAEL" which always seems to require me to get up and go where ever my wife is to find out what she needs!

Even in the unusual circumstances we find ourselves in, I still manage to write down a list of goals that help make my day manageable and as profitable as it can be.

Making goals you can check, helps keep you mentally fit and helps keep better track of your day. Making your goals flexible is important  if you want to accomplish anything especially with your family at home and if you want to keep your sanity!

Stay safe and be well.
Michael Burke




© Copyright 2020 Michael Burke

That will do!

That will do, or that's good enough. I dislike both of those phrases and I hear them far too often these days.

Perhaps I have a little OCD when it comes to design, but I feel its my job to give you the absolute best designed piece that I possibly can!

That means when I design something for you I take the best photography, illustrations, and content and put it all together into a design that best communicates whatever product or service you are trying to sell.

Sometimes it's expensive and sometimes less expensive, it depends on many different factors.

Far too often I get photography or illustrations that someone took on their smart phone or pulled off the internet (which is copyright violation, it you didn't take it or create it) and asks me to use it on the cover of their brochure or on their website. I usually have to tell them its poor light, quality or resolution, and the comment I get back is; "that's good enough" or "that will do".

Good enough, should never be good enough for your business! Imagine having the contractor only put three walls on your house and saying, that's good enough or trying to do your job with both your hands and feet tied. You might be able to do it, but it will be incredibly difficult to get it done and take double or even triple the time.

It is our job to give you a product that communicates the best way possible. We have an expertise, I assume that is why you hired us. As the saying goes; you wouldn't hire a mechanic to do your brain surgery!

When you tell us, "that will do", you do your business a disservice. What we want to hear is, "That's the best designed piece our company has ever had!" and then of course hire us to do it again!

I want to say thank you to all of my clients! I appreciate your business and all the time you've stuck with me!

Michael Burke




© 2020 Michael Burke/Gotham Advertising and Design

When to recognize opportunity and take action

When do you know when it’s time to take a chance and take action on an opportunity? It doesn’t matter what the decision, whether it’s time to get a new car or to buy a house, or taking a new job, making a decision to take action can be tough and scary.

By nature, I’m a huge procrastinator. I always accomplish a task but its usually on my terms. I meet all my deadlines, but somehow I convince myself it was always my idea to get them done on time. So taking action isn't always my strongest area.

However the major decisions I’m my life have usually been when something has been put in my path and I decided to take advantage and take the path offered. Sometimes this can be scary, and recognizing an opportunity is tricky.

For example.

I used to be a plumber. It was a good job with a decent income and I did okay. I went to work at 7:30 am and came home at 5:00 pm. Anyone who has every been a plumber can tell you, new construction is great, service work stinks…figuratively and literally.

I had been working as a plumber for about five years when we had a really cold winter. I had to drive about 30 miles in the country to fix a water leak in the freezing cold, under a house. When I finished I was wet, cold and miserable, thinking there has to be something better. I was driving down the interstate and there was a sign for a Junior college. To this day, I don’t know what made me do it, but I took the exit and went to the college to check it out. Two weeks later I was enrolled for the next semester.

I finished college there then went on to get my 4 year degree and never had to work in the plumbing business again.

I don’t know why I pulled off the highway, but something in my brain recognized that sign as an opportunity and I took it. That decision to take action changed my life forever.

When I started Jr. college, I majored in criminal justice. I was going to be a Highway Patrolman and I thought it would be a great career for me. A friend of mine had seen me on campus sketching one day and convinced me to take an art class with her. I needed an elective so I thought wow, I should really do this! The class was commercial art and I loved it so much, I switched my major to design and found my passion in life. I’ve been a designer for over 20 years and love it as much today as the day I created my first logo.

The important thing is to learn not only to recognize an opportunity, but having the courage to take action on it.

Around 13 years ago, opportunity was, again placed into my path. The advertising agency I had worked for about 10 years was closing it’s doors. I was one of the first 7 people hired (at one time the agency has 30 employees in our office) and I was one of the last 4 people to walk out the door.

The company offered to let me purchase much of my equipment, computers, scanners, etc. for a reasonable price and I took them up on the opportunity. This small investment allowed my to go into business for myself and I’ve had my own small Advertising and Design business for over 12 years. Again, I recognized an opportunity and took action.

Now I’m not trying to impress anyone with anything I have accomplished. My business is successful but not making me rich, and I have passed on a few opportunities that could have made me money and I’ve kicked myself for not taking the right action. No one can be right every time.

You have to learn to recognize opportunities when they greet you and not be frightened to take action on them! What happens if you fail? Most time you’re no worse for wear. If I hadn’t taken the exit for the college, I would have still been a plumber, it was a good job and I would have continued to be good at it. However because I took action on many of the opportunities life placed in my path, I found my ultimate passion in life.

Don’t be afraid to take action. The decision is often hard and terrifying, but I think, if asked, most people would hate to look back and say, “If only”!

A Re-visitation to Good Logo Design

Hi everyone!

I have been asked quite a few times in recent months, how do I hire a good logo designer? My standard answer is...you hire me! But there is more to it than just taking someone's word that they will do a good job for you. They may have a plethora of experience or their portfolio may look outstanding, but if they don't have the total package, can they really do your company justice? Read below and judge for yourself.

The following is my very first blog post and it's just as relevant today as it was in 2009 when I first posted it.

Thanks,
Michael
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Good Logo Design


In the years I have been in the advertising and design business, I have seen hundreds of logos. Some of them very good and some very bad; there’s an obvious difference between the two. The good ones define the company and support the brand. The bad ones don’t.

It sounds simple, doesn’t it? It’s not.

Good logo design is more than having your company name in a cool type font, or maybe a nifty little graphic illustration. A good logo designer starts off with research.

If you hire someone to design your logo and they don’t ask any questions about your company, run for your life.

When designing a logo, a designer should find out as much about your business as he or she can. It is not unusual for the designer to ask in depth about your business plan, marketing plan, and your product or service. Sometimes, this seems like the designer is digging into your privacy, but it is important to have as much information as possible so the design can work best for your company. After all, the designer is creating the visual identity that defines it.

Think about it, THE VISUAL IDENTITY THAT DEFINES YOUR COMPANY. That’s pretty strong stuff. The logo is the first thing most people see before they even meet you. It’s on your stationery, business cards, note pads, envelopes, products (if you sell a product), store fronts, and the list goes on and on.

Your logo often introduces your company to your customers. Now ask yourself, do you want someone who doesn’t want to know information about your business goals and aspirations to design the image that represents your company to your customers and potential customers? Or do you want a designer who cares enough to ask the right questions and provides you with a well researched and thought out design?

Along with a business plan and marketing plan, logo design should be one of the top three things you do when you start a business.

Steps that should be taken when designing your company logo.


• Initial meeting – An introduction and chance to meet the personality behind the business. It is important to meet the principals in the business because their personalities can help to define the parameters of the design.


• Research - Research is one of the most important, and most often ignored, parts of the logo design process. The designer needs to find out as much information about your business as he or she can. There is no such thing as too much information. The design firm should know almost as much about your business as you do. Research also includes doing copyright and trademark searches. This search should be done by a copyright and trademark attorney. If you don’t have an attorney, the designer should be able to provide you with a name (if the designer can’t give you a name you should worry, they should have someone that they use regularly). This trademark search is for the safety of your business. The search makes sure that no one else is using your name or mark. Finding out this information is extremely important because you don’t want to spend your hard-earned money on a logo design, thousands of dollars on corporate identity packages and signage, only to find out that some other business has the same business name and similar logo design and that they had it first, forcing you to spend more time and money re-designing and re-implementing your logo. Some companies spend over a million dollars a year just defending their trademark, so research is important.


• Design - The designers will sit down and go over all the information they have accumulated from the meetings and research, and start to come up with ideas. Designers don’t just start picking typefaces and drawing illustrations with no direction or purpose. A good designer will have a good reason for every part of a logo design. Designers are problem solvers and should provide several different designs for you to look at.


• Client input - After providing you with several designs, the designer will ask for your input. He or she will find out what you like and don’t like about the logo designs presented. This is a process that will help fine-tune the design and provide you with the logo that fits your business best.


• Final artwork - After all the research and meetings, it all comes down to the implementation of the final logo design. It is uniquely yours and will be tailored to your business.

Once you have a good logo design in place, it will make the branding and marketing of your business much more effective.

Logo designs are not inexpensive. A good logo design takes time. With the proper research and input from the client, the logo design will be some of the best money you spend. If you want to know how good logo design instantly identifies your business, think of these business names and see what pops into your head when you read them. McDonald’s™, Dodge™, HR Block™, Starbucks™, Best Buy™. These are the types of identifiable logo designs that are well thought out, researched, implemented, and effective, and none of these companies cut costs on their corporate identity design, and spend a lot of money pursuing people who infringe on their identity.

Finally, a good, extensively researched and designed logo supports your brand and makes your company immediately identifiable to your customers and potential customers. It also makes more effective implementation of all marketing materials. A well designed, professional logo is the public face of your business. It represents your company in all aspects of your daily business; the design should be solid, researched, immediately identifiable and knock their socks off!


© copyright 2014 Michael Burke

When Clients should listen.

When I started in the Advertising business, it was towards the end of the "Mad Men" era. Three martini lunches, taking clients out to expensive dinners and flying them to tropical getaways in order to maintain their business. Those days, for the most part, are long gone! Yes we still cater to our clients, but meetings happen more often in the office or a coffee shop than a hotel bar. Instant contact with smart phones and mobile devices mean that many meetings don't even happen in person. Since everyone's schedule is busy, meetings have to be more efficient and time conscious.

I addition, the Agency / Client relationship has changed. In the 60's through the late 80's the Agency was the expert on marketing and branding and the client was more inclined to do what the Agency proposed for their business, because, after all the Agency was the expert!

Now days the relationship is a little different. I have observed that as clients have become more educated, the paradigm has morphed. Clients now are more vocal, and many have hired marketing specialists, or they themselves majored in marketing in order work hand-in-hand with agencies to come up with solutions to better spend their advertising dollars.

I believe the change overall has been for the better. The relationship between client and agency has become more of a partnership, where each partner cares about the brand, marketing, design of the business and wants to make sure the best possible solution is the the one that makes it to the public.

There are occasions, however where the client still needs to defer to the agency (or design studio). I'm a Creative Director of a small design shop. I have also worked for two of the largest advertising agencies in the southwest. For over 20 years I've met and listened to many clients, given input to help them create advertising solutions to help sell and expand their business and developed long partnerships and in some cases life long friendships with them. The following are three areas I've discovered, where clients still need to listen to their agency:

1. Photography- There are two areas that need to be addressed in photography used in ads and web. The first is professional photography. Everyone has a camera these days and the camera companies have given us many automatic settings that allow us to take really good images. But, let me just say that having a good camera doesn't make you a good photographer. Professional photographers train to do what they do. They understand composition and they have worked with professional designers and know what the designer needs in a photo for an ad, brochure or poster. They understand lighting and they make sure that things in the background don't look like they're growing out of someone's head. Second, is they know how much PPI (pixels per inch) is needed when they shoot. This is incredibly important if the images are to be used in print instead of on the web or on video (see my previous blog on ppi, dpi and spi). Hire a professional photographer, it will make your life easier in the long run and your company will have a polished image that will better sell your product or service.

2. Design- whether its a logo, brochure or the side of a truck, graphic designers have the ability to cut through all the garbage out there to give your brand better message. Designers don't just put something on the page because it looks pretty, there is always a valid communications reason why something is designed the way it is. Just look around you, everything you see was designed by a designer, signs, rooms, streets, buildings and even automobiles, you hire them for their expertise, trust them to do their job.

3. Time- A wise man once told me you can have any two of these but you can't have all three, FAST, GOOD OR CHEAP. This is so true. If you do it fast, it may be cheaper but you lose quality. If the agency tells you it will take a certain amount of time to get you the quality you deserve, you should listen. They have a lot of combined experience in their field and know what they're talking about. After all, isn't that why you hired them in the first place?

Good agencies welcome the new working relationships that exist between between them and their clients. We love what we do and that's why we do it! We listen to you and learn about your business in order to produce the best possible message. On the other hand, It's still very important for you to know when it's time to listen to us.


© Copyright 2013 Michael Burke

Image resolution, the pain in my...brain!

I've been a Graphic Designer for around 20 years and this week I heard a term that I hadn't come across before (at least not that I remember). Samples per inch (SPI) the term came from a communication with a British publication I was sending a cover image for their magazine.

DPI, PPI, SPI; could image resolution be any more complicated. For those who don't know, DPI stands for Dots-per-inch, PPI, pixels-per-inch and SPI Samples-per-inch.

I'm not vain enough to think I know everything in my industry, but I know quite a bit and I had never heard of SPI before, so I did what anyone would do, I looked it up on the internet. I found the following definition on Wikipeadia.

Samples per inch (SPI) is a measurement of the resolution of an image scanner, in particular the number of individual samples that are taken in the space of one linear inch. It is sometimes misreferred to as dots per inch, though that term more accurately refers to printing resolution. Generally, the greater the SPI of a scanner, the more detailed its reproduction of the scanned object.
Typical consumer-level flatbed scanners are capable of optical resolution ranging from 100 to 2400 SPI; high-end scanners may have an optical resolution of 4800 SPI or more. Many scanners use interpolation techniques to achieve a higher effective SPI rating, with some manufacturers offering nearly one million SPI, though the quality is primarily limited by the optical resolution; interpolated SPI does not provide additional pixels in the scanned image.
Horizontal and vertical SPI ratings may differ for a given scanner; typical flatbed scanners use a horizontal array of sensors that are passed across the bed using an electric stepper motor. The density of the array of sensors determines the horizontal scanning resolution, while the minimum step size of the motor determines the vertical resolution. Similar characteristics are present in drum scanners, which continuously spin the item being scanned past the sensor array for numerous imaging passes.
To calculate the number of raw data bytes that a scanned image will take up, you can use the follow formula :
Where : vSPI is the vertical SPI hSPI is the horizontal SPI (can be considered the same as vSPI if not specified specifically) area is the squared area of the scanned document in inches²
color depth encoding is the number of bits used to encode a given amount of color information (256 colors=8; 65'536 colors=16; 16million colors=24)
Remember that this will give raw data bytes, images are almost always compressed when saved to disk using lossless (like PNG, TIFF) or lossy image formats (like JPEG).
That is understandable to me, but not to most people, and most of the scanners that I've owned don't have the SPI measurement at all. Most have DPI but that isn't the same as SPI.

DPI stands for dots-per-inch. This is primarily a printing term standing for the number of halftone dots within an inch. The more DPI you have, such as 300 dpi, the better quality of image you have on the printed page. Most scanners have this measurement when you scan in an image.

PPI stands for Pixels-Per-Inch. PPI is the screen resolution or resolution you see on your monitor. In general PPI and DPI are used interchangeably although they don't mean the same thing. 300 ppi is close enough 300 dpi so it makes little difference when scanning. If you notice your scanner probably says dpi and when looking at it in Photoshop it shows ppi. When creating an image for the internet 72 ppi is generally the accepted measurement.

I explain all this to my students and they look at me like I just grew horns out of the top of my head. To make it more difficult for them to understand, the resolution you are using needs to be the dpi, ppi. spi at the size you will be using the image. For example, if you have a space in your brochure that is 4 inches wide, you need your image to be 300 dpi, ppi at 4 inches wide. If you are putting an image on the web at 600 pixels wide then you need your image to be around 72 ppi, dpi at 600 pixels wide.

Onscreen graphics don't need to be as hi-resolution as graphics that are going to print. This is the reason you can't get a great quality print from an image that is optimized for the web.

The rule-of-thumb I teach is, you can always scale something smaller but you shouldn't scale bigger than the original resolution, if you do you will lose image quality.

As far as Samples per inch goes, I'm doing what I always done. Scan or shoot my digital images at the ppi or dpi that I need, and not worry about SPI until someone brings it up again.

©2010 Michael Burke

The Best Time In My Life Is Right Now!

A little over 20 years ago, I lost my job, my wife and I divorced, I had no direction and I was sitting in an empty house missing my two boys, feeling sorry for myself until I realized it could only get better from here. I was wrong, it got a little worse before it got better. I ended up filing for bankruptcy and I lost my house.

After moping for a while and working odd jobs, I decided to go to college and enrolled in a local junior college, then went on to get a Bachelors degree from the University of Central Oklahoma. After college I went to work in the Advertising industry, I met and married my best friend and have been married to her for over 13 years. My oldest son is 25, went to college and is now a Police officer and my other son is 21 and is enrolled to the same college I attended and doing very well.

About 7 years ago the agency I worked for the previous 10 years closed. Unemployed again! There weren’t any jobs in my field locally that I wasn’t over-qualified for and I didn’t want to move out of state away from my children. So my wife and I talked it over and I started my own small graphic design business. Seven years later I’m relatively successful in business and I’m an Adjunct Professor at UCO, the college I received my degree. I have always felt it is important to teach others what you have learned.

This year I turned 46 and I'm busier than ever running a business, teaching college, also my wife and I just had a new baby boy (my oldest son thinks I’m insane). With my more flexible schedule, it's tough, but I’m very happy to say I am able to watch the baby everyday.

Recently I was talking to an old friend and he was reminiscing about high school, and talking about how much he missed those days and he said something that made me feel a little sad. He said that high school was the best time in his life. Can you believe it, here is a guy my age who; for him, the best time of his life was high school? What about all the years in-between then and now?

Well I started thinking about when the best time of my life was. I didn’t have to think long. The best time in my life is today! Every morning I wake up healthy and I think there is no better time in my life than right now. I appreciate my past and those experiences, which made me into the person I am today, but today is great and I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

I love my wife. I love my three sons. I love my job. Yeah, I could be better off financially and 50 pounds lighter, but I wouldn’t trade my life today for all the money in the world.

Today is the best day of my life! Now you will have to excuse me I have to go and change a diaper.

©2009 Michael Burke

Graphic Designer, just what the heck is that?

What is Graphic Design?

I get this question all the time from friends, relatives and clients. “What is graphic design, just what exactly do you do?”

When I try to explain it to them, it usually goes something like this.

“See this ad?” “I designed it.”

“Oh, you took that cool photo.”

“No.”

“Then you wrote that great headline.”

“No.”

“Well you must have done that nice illustration.”

“Uh, no.”

“Well, then what exactly do you do?”

As graphic designers, it’s our job to take elements such as, photography, copy or illustration and assemble them into design that effectively communicates a message. Whether its print, web or product-design, graphic designers create visuals that are pleasing to the eye while communicating an idea.

The history of graphic design goes back as long as man has been communicating. Cave paintings found in Lascaux dated around 10,000 B.C. are some of the earliest examples of graphic design. Images painted to convey a story or historical event.

Egyptians used hieroglyphics, pictures representing a word, syllable or sound to convey their writings.

Monks from the 14^th century created beautiful illustrated manuscripts combining artistic illustration with writing to create some incredible works of art.

Today, graphic design is commonplace. It is everywhere you look, every piece of furniture you sit on, every movie or television you watch. Graphic designers influence the groceries you buy, and the soda you drink.

Almost anything you look at in your daily life, a graphic designer has created the look to get you to purchase a product or service.

So when someone asks me what graphic design is, I just say look around you, books, magazines, computers, desks, posters, business cards, Music CD covers, soda bottles, coffee cups, pens, DVD’s, toilet paper packages …ect. Anything human made two-dimensional or three-dimensional that communicates an idea, a graphic designer is responsible.

As you can see, as long as human beings have been communicating, graphic design has had and continues to have one of the most important roles in human history. Communication!

© 2009 Michael Burke

Brand Identity

There are signposts ahead. how do you guarantee your customer pays attention to yours?

The Dictionary defines the term “brand” as a type of product manufactured by a particular company under a particular name.

Historically, branding started out as an identification mark used on cattle and horses. But as time went on, it evolved to define ownership of a product no matter whether it was livestock or people.

Today branding doesn’t have the same negative overtones it developed in history however, branding is just as important today for identifying ownership of a product as it was in the past. Brands now include companies, not just the products they produce. It’s not unusual for the company name to have as much brand value as the product itself. For example: Clorox is the company and the brand, but Clorox also owns other brands you may have heard of such as, Kingsford Charcoal and Brita water filters.

Walter Landor, founder of Landor Associates says, “Products are created in the factory, Brands are created in the mind.” Good brand identity helps build a good company.

Branding is what the customer thinks about your product, so making a brand identity tangible to the customer is extremely important for a company.

How can you accomplish it?

Finding the right partner is a place to start. Advertising, Marketing and Graphic Design agencies specialize in helping to create effective brands. There are so many ways to reinforce your brand that we can’t even start to cover everything in this short article, so I will try to discuss some of the ways to develop your brand.

Alina Wheeler, author and speaker says; “Brand identity is the visual and verbal expression of a brand.” One of the best ways to develop your brand is the old fashioned “Word of Mouth.” Get your customers to tell everyone they know about your product or service.

Here are a couple of tips you can do right now. One way is simply to ask your customers to tell others about your company. If they are satisfied with your product or service they will probably be happy to do it. How hard is that?

Another way is getting your customers to write testimonials that can be placed on your website or in a brochure. These are just a couple of things you can do on your own to start developing your brand awareness.

Visually reinforcing your brand is another important way to get the customer to remember your brand.

The most important way to start visual reinforcement is to develop your identity. Remember how brands started out? An identification mark used on cattle and horses. Each brand was registered and unique, no one had an identical brand. So creating the right visual identity or mark for your company or product is the most important first step to establish brand ownership. Having a well thought out and registered creative logo provides a tangible visual mark immediately identifiable as your brand.

Tom Watson, former chairman of IBM said, “Good design is good business.”

Brand reinforcement requires understanding and leadership from the top down. If the principals of a company don’t understand their brand, how can they expect their customers to do the same?

All aspects of brand development need to be structured and coherent. Everything should tie back into the look, feel and message of the brand. For example: If your direct mail ties into your website and your brochures visually tie into your direct mail, the television and radio should emulate your company message and all of these should tie into your identity. Remember, the value of your brand is priceless. Solid marketing strengthens your brand value providing consistent and clear messages.

Another important thing to remember about branding, is getting your message across. You must understand your customer and their lifestyle. Research and strategy are essential in brand development.

Strategically, you must have a clear set of goals that produce measurable results. Finding the right marketing partner can help you define your strategy to build your brand. It is a long process that is almost impossible to do alone.

And a final thought, naming your company or product is only part of the branding process. Effective implementation of branding strategies is what makes a brand successful. Remember, your ultimate goal is to sell. Whether it is a product or service, your company can’t remain invisible. Developing your brand and making a lasting impression in the minds of your consumers, can be the life or death of your business.

©2009 Michael Burke

Are Ethics Still Important?

When I was a kid, my parents and grandparents took the time to teach me ethics.

They didn’t do it by sitting me down and say son, today we’re going to learn about ethics. They taught me by their actions, by what they encouraged me to read and allowed me to watch on television and movies and encouraging me to participate in organizations such as Boy Souts, 4-H and FFA.

So I grew up reading about people like King Arthur, Abraham Lincoln, and watching John Wayne, Captain Kirk and Superman.

Growing up I was also a big fan of the Lone Ranger, Hopalong Cassidy and Doc Savage. All three of these characters were slightly before my time but they all had one thing in common, the were all the “good guys” and they all had ethics. Each one had a code for how they lived and encouraged others to live by their same credo.

So I thought it would be interesting to take a look at the creeds of the Lone Ranger, Doc Savage and Hopalong Cassidy then you can decide how or if they relate to the ethics of today.

Lone Ranger Creed

“I believe.....

• That to have a friend, a man must be one.

• That all men are created equal and that everyone has within himself the power to make this a better world.

• That God put the firewood there, but that every man must gather and light it himself.

• In being prepared physically, mentally, and morally to fight when necessary for that which is right.

• That a man should make the most of what equipment he has.

• That ‘this government of the people, by the people, and for the people’ shall live always.

• That men should live by the rule of what is best for the greatest number.

• That sooner or later...somewhere... somehow...we must settle with the world and make payment for what we have taken.

• That all things change but truth, and that truth alone, lives on forever.

• In my Creator, my country, my fellow man.”

Doc Savage creed

Let me strive, every moment of my life, to make myself better and better, to the best of my ability, that all may profit by it. Let me think of the right, and lend all my assistance to those who need it, with no regard for anything but justice. Let me take what comes with a smile, without loss of courage. Let me be considerate of my country, of my fellow citizens and my associates in everything I say and do. Let me do right to all, and wrong no man.

Hopalong Cassidy

• The highest badge of honor a person can wear is honesty. Be truthful at all times.

• Your parents are the best friends you have. Listen to them and obey their instructions.

• If you want to be respected, you must respect others. Show good manners in every way.

• Only through hard work and study can you succeed. Don’t be lazy.

• Your good deeds always come to light. So don’t boast or be a show-off.

• If you waste time or money today, you will regret it tomorrow. Practice thrift in all ways.

• Many animals are good and loyal companions. Be friendly and kind to them.

• A strong, healthy body is a precious gift. Be neat and clean.

• Our country’s laws are made for your protection. Observe them carefully.

• Children in many foreign lands are less fortunate than you. Be glad and proud you are an American.

Hokey? Maybe, but I try to follow many of these rules in my everyday life, and teach them to my children and I believe it makes us better human beings. It also makes my mother very happy.

Something to think about.

©2009 Michael Burke