Communication and Color Strategy

The main goal in difficult economic times such as these is to take the opportunity to build a stronger entity; one that will enjoy significant success as the market turns positive. Communication with your stakeholders is a key component of this building.

I have learned from a failed start-up that the lack of good timing on communication can, in hindsight, be problematic when market forces change. I have also learned that a solid, well-defined, well thought out and well-executed corporate identity carried through all communication materials instills the confidence in potential partners and customers that we understood our own business and would deliver as promised.

This communication must be done both visually and verbally and it needs to be carried through all initiatives. Here are three strategies that you can help you accomplish this:

1. Create and maintain an updated corporate identity and web presence
The look and feel of a web site tells a lot about a company. Does it communicate trust? Does it show that you take pride in your messaging and have invested in it? If you have made the investment, it demonstrates confidence that these tough times will pass and that you will be stronger for it as a company. If you have not made the investment, it has the exact opposite effect; it communicates a lack of conviction and focus.

2. Connect this corporate identity to your verbal communications
The choice of color, texture, imagery and messaging all come together to form your corporate identity. The benefits of a confident verbal message and consistent communication with stakeholders can be lost if the website looks outdated and if the logo appears to have been designed a decade ago. Be sure that your stakeholders hear, see and feel the confidence.

3. Make effective use of graphic elements
Graphic elements are key in communicating your message to your audience. They speak by themselves about your company, vision and goals.

White space: Play it smooth. Know when to cover it with information and when to leave it blank. Your audience will only want to hear so much at any given time.

Contrast: Play it strong. Use it to organize and lead your readers through the page. Make the reading process smooth so your audience does not have to spend any additional visual effort, particularly when reading on-line.

Color: Play it smart. This is your most powerful tool. Colors have direct associations and each color communicates something different. It's not just about what color you like, but about the color that represents your product or service best, and communicates with your audience most effectively.

I can tell you from day-to-day experience in multiple roles in multiple companies, that those businesses that understand their markets deeply and who are able to communicate effectively on a budget -both visually and verbally- are putting themselves in a strong position now for the coming economic turn-around.

Green For All in the New Yorker

"Green For All is a national organization dedicated to building an inclusive green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty."

DESIGN about TOWN honored to have worked with Green for All in the development of their logo and identity in Fall 2007. Little did we know at the time that Van Jones and Green For All would be making waves on the world stage. And we have a feeling that 2009 is going to be a banner year for Green For All!

The latest big press is a New Yorker article called "Greening the Ghetto: Can a remedy serve for both global warming and poverty?" by Elizabeth Kolbert on January 12, 2009.

One particular point of pride for DESIGN about TOWN is that the author used the logo that we developed (along with Van and the staff at Green For All and The Ella Baker Center for Human Rights) to describe the purpose and mission of Green For All. It is always our goal to be descriptive when working on a brand and/or graphic identity project. We are glad that the purpose was served in this instance.

Great job Van Jones and Green For All. Keep it up!

DESIGN about TOWN at the Crunchies

The Crunchies are a tech and start-up awards ceremony presented by TechCrunch, VentureBeat, and GigaOm.

DESIGN about TOWN was there in full force and had a great time at the ceremony and especially at the MySpace Music afterparty. Check out the photos below.

There is a good play-by-play post over at ZDNet.
See the pro-photos over at picapp.com, seach "Crunchies."

Part of the DESIGN about TOWN team and Brian Compton with MC Hammer.