Quixoting™ - A Quest for New Ideas

How to create a new logo for your website, blog or product idea

So, I've been a little busy these past few weeks.  Busy acting on a few ideas . . .

I've been working on a number of projects including my job search blog and website called Spin Strategy™. If you remember, Spin Strategy was one of the first ideas that came from Quixoting (to the extent that it operates as a bit of an incubator). 

Also on the "to do" list has been the job of creating a logo and design template for Quixoting - it's been terribly painful staring at the basic templates available from TypePad.  Not bad, mind you.  Just not very inspiring. 

So, step 1 is now complete. Do you want to see the new logo? 

Well, let me tell you about my process first . . . in case some of you would like to create a visual image of your own brand, product or company.  First, I wrote a creative brief (this one covered work for both Quixoting and Spin Strategy).  If you have not written one before, I attached mine below for your reference.  

Download Q Brief 

Basically the brief outlines your objectives for the creative work.  It provides a history of your work to date, a sense of who you are trying to reach with your content (target consumer), the personality of your brand (fun, serious, introspective) and the environment in which you sell or market (channels, competitors).  Send lots of samples of competitive content so that your designer can see what they will be designing against. 

You write the brief for yourself first (it should take at least a few hours) but the real consumer of your brief is your designer.  I recommend writing the brief and then sharing it with friends or family to make sure your concept comes across clearly to others.   

Next step, find a great designer.  You may even want to provide a mini brief to a few designers first and ask them to talk to you about their process (how they work). Depending on the project's scope, how available you are and, importantly, how well you know what you are looking for, the project can take anywhere from 6-12 weeks.  Don't be in a rush - especially in the first 2-4 weeks when the more big picture thought process happens.  Once you love your brief, present it to your designer either over the phone or, ideally, in person.

I found a GREAT designer. Actually, I re-found her.  She did some work for me at another company a few years back.   

What makes a great designer and how do you know you found a good one?  

Well, for me it has to do with their engagement and excitement.  I want someone who clearly is interested in what I am doing and actively works to help bring the creative brief to life.  They ask a lot of questions. They also push you outside of the comfort zone with early design options that stretch your vision a bit. For me, this stretching is not only fun but also makes me re-think my original vision. 

The first round of designs I received included 15 logos (black and white, simple and all clearly a fit with the strategy outlined in my brief).  This doesn't always happen. There's a reason why big companies force ad agencies and designers to re-read the entire strategy before presenting new or revised creative!  Don't be afraid to push back - this first round is crucially important.

From that first group, I chose three logo directions.  This is important because you have to make some early decisions to limit the work or your budget will go haywire.  It can be hard to make these decisions as you often get many interesting ideas that you won't be able to pursue.  My advice?  Follow your gut. Which ones fit best and make your heart beat a little faster?  Also, try to imagine a version of each logo at the top of your page or on a business card. 

Next should come additional iterations on each of the three directions you chose. Perhaps you now add color and some tweaking of the font (the shape of the letters) and some differentiating visual images that nudge the feel of the overall brand. 

Once you've chosen a single direction, there is still more to do.  More work with color, font, size, relationship between words and images, etc.  This is where final little tweaks happen.  But don't spend too much time here.  Why?  What you create and put on your blog, website or product on day 1 does not need to be static.  It can change over time (and it should) to reflect the changes in your content or design. 

The last step is to take the new logo and drop it into a background or throw some design elements around it.  You can also just put it on a white background.  Simple and easy. 

My designer's name is Lani Merlina.  She owns Merlina Design here in Southern California.  I would recommend her highly to anyone.  She is fantastic!  If you send me an e-mail, I will get you in touch with her. 

OK.  Here's the new logo: 

Four points about the new logo and then I will let you tell me what you think. 

• The font represents the fun and whimsical side of the concept. 

• The orange color felt rustic and historical - indicative of the days when our lead man was running around the countryside.  

• The tag-line "a quest for new ideas" is important because it instantly tells people the purpose of the concept while providing an alliteration tying the search for new ideas (Quest) to the story of Don Quixote.    

• The last element is the image of Don Quixote himself. I tried the logo without him but a number of people didn't quite get it. Adding him helped cement the connection for a lot of people. Don't be surprised if he moves around a bit vs. staying where he is all of the time. Why does he start in a position in front of the logo? He is there to symbolize the interruptive nature of ideas. You can't always control when they come and when you'll be ready to launch them. 

So, what do you think?  Don't be shy.

One way we can relate to Martin Luther King

Today, January 15, is the birthday of Martin Luther King.  He was born in 1929.

During my commute a few weeks back, a news story started on NPR - an interview with Harry Belafonte. In the interview, Belafonte mentioned Dr. King's insatiable need to write in the margins and to keep notes everywhere.  Sounds like me - sort of a note "king".

I keep a post-it note pad in the car, keep digital ones on my Blackberry, write them in an idea book and on the church newsletter (yes, sometimes during church).  I simply cannot stop writing things down for fear that they will be gone forever.  Surely there is a disease here somewhere . . .

Since this blog is about ideas, I though it was especially important to highlight the thoughts and ideas of Martin Luther King on this day.  And to remember that in just a few more days, January 20, Barack Obama will be sworn in.  Very cool.

I am taking a vacation day to watch every second of that historic day.

If you are a fan of Dr. King or are just very interested in his story, you will be glad to know that just in time for Obama's big day, Dr. King's papers (including drafts of his "I Have a Dream Speech") are now available for the first time.  All thanks to Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and former Mayor Andrew Young.  They helped raise 32 million dollars to buy the King papers.

Martin Luther King had a powerful belief in his ideas.  Despite great threats to his life, he pursued them with a passion.  Inspiring.  If you have not actually sat and listened to or read the Dream speech, how about now?  

What a great reminder of the importance and power of Tuesday's inaugural. 

Quixoting™ - Introducing The Mom Entrepreneur

A great aspect about joining the blog community is meeting others in pursuit of blogging gold. One of the first blogs I found that looked to inspire and share ideas is called The Mom Entrepreneur. Written by Traci Bisson, this blog is a fantastic resource for Moms who have decided to 

launch their own businesses.  Her focus:  Offering tips, advice and resources for balancing motherhood and running a company.  You can see from the picture below that her site is fun and engaging!

.    

I would especially like to highlight a very inspirational series running right now on her blog called "Lemons to Lemonade".  In this series she has so far highlighted 29 different Moms out there doing great things.  To see her latest post, click here.  

So, if you are a Mom with a dream, you will love Traci's site. And, who knows, maybe someday you will be featured on The Mom Entrepreneur!

Starting something new? Stick with it.

A few days back I wrote a post that asked: "Your idea. Is it time to throw the baby out with the bath water?". The premise was that there may be a time when you've tried everything and have given it all the time and nurturing it could have needed. And that, despite the painful admission, it is time to move on. After thinking about this for a few days, I feel a need to present the other side . . . 

There are very few things in life that start out with a bang. A new business, a new blog or a new magazine all take time to "become". Need a visual image? 

Have you ever been to a wedding where they create that champagne waterfall? If not, imagine a champagne glass pyramid with a base of a hundred glasses and a progressively smaller number of glasses as you move up. At the very top of this pyramid is a single glass. When the waiter begins, they slowly fill the very top glass. Once that top glass is filled, the waiter does not stop, right? As a result, the champagne cascades gently over the edge and into the glasses below. The more that gets poured, the more quickly the glasses below are filled until all of the glasses are bubbling with cold and tasty liquid. 

Also, the time it takes to fill that top glass may vary based on what you are trying to accomplish and in what industry. Your cost of champagne (cost to create and promote your product) may be twice the cost of mine! 

As a new blogger, I worked hard to create interesting content here on Quixoting. I posted regularly and tried to reach out to other bloggers in the idea or entrepreneurial space. My results so far? 

Well, as much as I'd like to tell you that the world is beating a path to my digital door, it's just not so. Now, don't get me wrong. I did not start writing this blog to become famous or to make a bunch of money. I did it because I felt compelled to do so. And, at this point in life, I have decided that I need to act on my ideas and compulsions. 

I've heard from a number of you and really appreciate your kind words. But, this entire blog is about taking action and about sharing the ideas that, for so long, languished in my idea book. Now I can proudly say, despite not being famous after 4 months, that I have already achieved one of my goals. I have acted. 

Back to my original point. 

Had my only goal been to attract a wide audience, I might see things differently. In fact, I might be thinking about whether it is time to hang it up. But the reality is that I need to keep pouring the champagne. If I stop, I already know the outcome (dry champagne glasses and unhappy wedding guests). 

So I am motivated by the fact that you came to my wedding and are waiting for another glass of champagne. If I keep pouring, perhaps I can convince a few wedding crashers and a friends of yours to stop by for a glass. It's free, right? 

My point is that everything takes time - often A LOT of time. After all, the world is a big place. Sometimes the internet feels even bigger. So. Don't give up on your ideas. And once you launch them, give them the time and opportunity to grow. 

If you are reading this and especially if you've been with me for a while, thank you. 

A champagne toast to you. 

Cheers! 

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry