Tag Archives: brand

Who I met at Life Creative / Thinkubator Chicago Event February 2017

Posted on by


This week I attended a very interesting and inspiring open house and networking event at Life Creative on Chicago’s near west side. I really had no idea what I had agreed to attend so I was very impressed when I came into the main area which is probably about 20,000 square feet of open space, with a number of interesting gathering environments.  The space is billed as a 70,000 square foot creative campus. Besides being a flexible event space it is a resource center for event planners and creative producers such as photographers and videographers who need access to props, furnishings, backgrounds and other decorative assets via a monthly membership plan. I was delighted to bump into my old friend Bob Shaffer who is the onsite floral designer. I knew Bob when he owned his own floral shop on Armitage Avenue and his kids studied piano with my wife Julie.  Several months ago I ran into him at the new nature center near Western and Peterson. He told me then about this cool creative space where he was working but I had no idea how cool it was until this visit.

If I understand it correctly this particular event was a collaborative venture between Life Creative and Thinkubator. There is a relationship between the two which I do not fully understand at this time but suffice it to say that there is a meaningful synthesis which I hope to learn more about. I am not sure where I learned about the event but I registered online via Eventbrite and was surprised to get a quick follow up welcome email from the Thinkubator host Gerald Haman. Gerald was mention several times over the evening by multiple people as a kind of genius and someone worth knowing. So I’m looking forward to it. We did speak briefly and he was very informative and personable.

After grabbing a glass of wine from the open bar I immediately spotted JD Gershbein, who I have met superficially face-to-face a few times over the years, but have come to “know” much better via LinkedIn where we both gather on a daily basis.  JD is a “Thought Leadership Coach” and LinkedIn guru providing profile writing and other LinkedIn related services.  If anyone wants to know anything about LinkedIn and how to get value from it, JD is the go-to-guy. He was accompanied by his branding designer Debra Kocis of envisionimpact.com who’s work speaks for itself because JD happens to be one of the best branded business people I know – -so if Debra has anything to do with his success I would not hesitate to recommend her.  JD’s brand is largely focused on his distinctive personal persona which includes a shaved head, big smile, distinctive round glasses and crisp shirt and tie.  The glasses are obviously a play on his company name “Owlish Communications.”  J.D. reinforces his brand through artfully done social media memes that share pertinent business information arranged around his face, which is his brand image.  I had a great time hanging out with these two. No surprise to encounter them at an event emphasizing creativity.

I had a brief chat with the CFO of Life Creative who after learning that I produce video, quickly walked me over and introduced me to Laura Kelly, Executive Producer for RevDigital who is apparently the video arm of the Life Creative/Thinkubator alliance. I was intrigued to learn more about their presence on Comcast Channel 392. I understand from Laura that it is a regional channel covering Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin (I believe) on which they are promoting paid placement. In other words you can buy air time. They will be broadcasting coverage of this event on March 1st at 8PM. I will set my DVR for sure.

The inspiration for attending this event was partially part of my quest to increase my sphere of influence and expand my network by meeting more people. I am 25 days into a challenge to meet 100 new people in 100 Days. I am joined by 18 other people who have signed on to share the journey with me, one of whom, John Jones, small business accounting expert was also in attendance.  I also had a chance to visit with  Andrea Nierhoff, anti-aging specialist and hair designer who I know from my buddy Bernie Small’s Logan Square networking group. Andrea introduced me to retired CPD officer Craig Roberts who was on hand to investigate details related to a police/firefighter fundraiser he is involved in putting together.

The passed hors d’oeuvres were delicious and while hanging around one of the food locations I had a nice conversation with “creative thinkologist” (my term not his) James Feldman. His business card/brochure explains “What 3D Thinking Can Do for Your Brain.”  I have to say that just a few minutes with him got me thinking, so I would say he’s on to something.  I also enjoyed speaking with fellow marketeer John Benandi and look forward to continuing our discussion sometime soon at the Nil Tap on west Foster Avenue.

I ended up the evening much where I began, interacting with Debra and JD joined by Bohdan Gernaga of tymedesign who apparently does beautiful interiors and architectural design as evidenced by the few smartphone photos he shared with us.

Maybe it was the two glasses of excellent red wine and excellent tuna sushi, but I had a really good experience and was really inspired by the space and the people I got to spend time with. It takes a bit of doing for each of us to step out of our comfort zone, show up someplace and just start talking with random people. But when I was a kid, some “dime stores” would sell a paper bag with unknown contents for a dime or quarter. You had no idea what you might get, but every now and then it was a small treasure. That’s what makes it fun.

A Marketing Must: How to Build Your Professional Brand with Business Cards

Posted on by

Building a brand is everything, in today’s business environment and this effort requires time and consistency in order to achieve the best results. One of the best ways to build a brand is with business cards.

Business cards are a creative way to share contact information and to showcase who you are and why your services are unique in comparison to your competitors. Almost all professionals have a handy pack of business cards present when building their brand at industry events, but how do you make cards that stand out against the others? When it comes to business cards there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach. For example, graphic designers have a far different brand to build than accountants or real estate agents. Therefore, the business cards of graphic designers should be far different from those of accountants or agents.

So Where Do We Begin?

 

Image41

 

Creative Services

The design and communications industry is known for having some of the most innovative business professionals around to spawn the next big idea. This particular industry is focused on connection, creativity and products that are aesthetically appealing. Crafting a business card that matches this theme is crucial. When pondering what to feature on one of these business cards, it is essential to consider font, color and spacing.

Professional Services

In comparison to the design and communications industry, the professional services industry with individuals such as accountants or lawyers often times requires a more subtle business card to get the job done. For this industry, individuals often stick with dark colors such as grey or black against a neutral background. However, there are instances where color and design play a role with these cards as pictured below.

 

Image42

 

Service Sector

For those who work in the service industry, it is recommended that elements such as the shape of the card should be considered when crafting the perfect design. If you are a stylist, use scissors or a hairdryer as the shape for your card. If you are a clown include pictures of balloons and use bright colors, and if you are a party planner make your cards in the shape of invitations.

 

Bottom Line

Think of business cards like a cover letter. This is your window to show personality and create a lasting impression on the contact that matters most. The more business cards you hand out, the more potential clients, partners and industry contacts will be aware of your services and, more importantly, your brand.

 ###

 

Designline Graphics is the premier resource for high-end business cards, custom Silkcards, plastic cards and promotional marketing needs. To learn more visit 4colorprint.com.

Anti-Establishment Business Cards

Posted on by
Gang Card

Gang Card

On some level business cards can be construed as the very pinnacle of bourgeois  establishment. The bourgeoisie are in fact defined as the merchant class and who would have more use of a business card than the “merchant class”?

Business cards are very curious scraps of paper because they are often much more than a convenient away to transfer contact information. They are in fact portraits of the business entity or the individual who they represent. A portrait is more than a mere painted photograph recordng the physical features of an individual. A good portrait reveals something about the personality of the person being painted. It offers essential information but it is also a glimpse into his or her social status by virtue of costume and sometimes location. A good artist captures nonverbal cues given through facial expression. In much the same way business cards at a glance tell us much about the person presenting it and the business or organization with whom he or she is associated.

There is much talk today about branding which essentially entatils delivering a clear consice and consistant message so that those interested in your product or service recognize your message instantly no matter when and where it is delivered. The publicy comes to recognize your brand. They come to understand what it represents; they come to know what they can expect from you, and ultimately they come to depend on your brand to deliver what you have promised at glance through familiarity with your branded message. There is no place in which the brand is more concise than on a business card. You must be able to deliver your brand message in a 2″ x 3.5″ space. In order to accomplish this your logo or branding image must do a lot of the speaking for you. Color, font, paper stock and other nonverbal messages must help to reinforce your message.

Now you would think that this way of thinking is mostly for large corporations, but it is advantageous for any individual or organization who provides a product or service to create and distribute an identifiable meaningful brand image. It appears that the importance of this concept is not limited to the bourgeois merchant class as is evidenced by this collection of Chicago gang cards presented at http://wearesupervision.blogspot.com/2009/03/chicago-lesser-known-arts-history.html.  These “business cards” are the creations of Chicago street gangs whose leaders understood that brand is important and distribution of their brand through the use of business cards are an effective grass roots strategy for increasing awareness of their brand. I think this is interesting because it illustrates just how essential and fundamental business cards are perceived. You do not have to be a Harvard MBA to see the importance of distributing your brand image.

One of the roles of business cards is to declare your existance. In many instances a client or customer may never see your place of business because for instance there is no need to visit a manufacturing facility when orders are often placed through an agent or company rep. Today many businesses are virtual your business cards and website may be the only visual representaion of your company that a client sees. There is probably no enterprise more virtual than a street gang. These gang cards tell me that there is an understood perception that business cards declare your presence and declare you to be a part of the establishment or in this case the anti-establishment.

Option: Listen to article or download to computer, iPod or mp3 player.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download